LEADERSHIP
Benjamin Palka
Pastor
Staff
Michael McDowell
Wesley Welch
Operations / Pastoral Resident
Staff
Pastor
Staff
Ben graduated from the State University of New York College at Buffalo State with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (B.A.). He earned both a Master of Divinity (MDiv.) and Master of Theology (ThM.) from Southeastern Baptist. He has several years of church, pastoral, and overseas experience. In addition, he has professional experience in the Defense and National Security industry. He also serves in Major League Baseball as team chaplain.
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Michael is a native Texan and an alumnus of Rice University (B.A.) and Duke Divinity School (MDiv.). He has several years of ministry experience in youth and college ministries and is passionate about communicating the Gospel to young people in cities. He is married to Elizabeth, the love of his life.
Wesley graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and minor in Religious Studies (B.A.). He pursued his Master of Divinity (MDiv.) from Southeastern Baptist. He has several years of church and pastoral experience. In addition, he has management experience in the hospitality industry. He is married to Abby and has two daughters named Ellison and Harper.
Bradley Clarke
Pastor
Lay
Richard Anderson
Pastor
Lay
Bradley graduated from the Baptist College of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies (B.A.). He earned a Master of Divinity (MDiv.) from Southeastern Baptist. He recently earned a Juris Doctor (JD) from The George Washington University Law School. He has several years of college and youth ministry experience. In addition, he has experience in restaurant management. He is married to Leti and has two daughters named Riley and Lauren.
Richard is an executive coach and business consultant who has 30+ years of experience helping leaders discover opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their organization and create more long-term value. His primary focus has been to develop resources and tools to help leaders and supervisors cultivate a culture of principled entrepreneurship where every employee understands how the business creates value and is motivated to find ways to drive improvement. Richard and his wife, Sarah, live in Alexandria, Virginia and focus much of their free time mentoring young professionals who work on Capitol Hill.
Daniel Davis
Pastor
Lay
Daniel graduated from Wheaton College with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Political Science (B.A.). He is now pursuing his M.A. in Ethics from Southeastern Baptist. He currently works as a communications manager for a Christian nonprofit. He has eight years of experience in Washington, where he has worked in government, think tanks, and media.
Sarah Anderson
Women's Discipleship
Sarah, a native Kansan, graduated from Calvary University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education and a Minor in Bible and Theology (B.A) and earned a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Bob Jones University (MM.) Sarah has decades of lay ministry as a worship leader, Bible teacher and women’s mentor. She is passionate about having a Titus 2 ministry at King’s Church. Sarah has been married to Richard for over 26 years and they are parents to two sons, Will and Chase.
Will Cordes
Ministry Resident
Staff
Will was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina and is an alumnus of the UNC Chapel Hill where he majored in Business and minored in P.P.E. and Music, earning a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. He spent 3 years leading college ministry with Summit College in North Carolina. Before transitioning to vocational ministry, he worked as a management consultant for two years with a firm based out of Atlanta, Georgia. He is heeding the call to vocational ministry through serving Kings Church and enrolling in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to earn his Master in Divinity (MDiv).
Brad Robertson
Ministry Resident
Staff
Brad came to faith at King's Church in 2021. In doing so, he decided to transfer from the University of Michigan to Penn State to stay and serve in multiple different ministries at King's Church. He leads King's Church Collective, the primary outreach to interns and college students in and around city. After graduating from Penn State in 2023, he enrolled in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to pursue his Master in Divinity (MDiv).
Sam Barry
Ministry Resident
Staff
Sam is a Texas native and a proud Clemson graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering(B.S). After living in DC for a year and half working for a general contractor, she decided to answer her call to ministry and began working at Kings church. Sam has 3 years of high school and college outreach experience and is passionate about glorifying the Lord and making his name known to all people.