Pastor Sam Reinhard is originally from Dallas, Texas. Born and raised in Dallas until he went to Concordia University Wisconsin for undergrad where he double majored in theological studies and philosophy. He graduated from Concordia Seminary St Louis in 2020. 

Pastor Sam is married to Athena and is the father to one boy - Arthur. 

Pastor Sam is enjoys chick-fil-a, Texas Rangers baseball, weightlifting, hiking, reading, writing and wax philosophically with friends. 

Pastor Brandon Larson serves as Pastor of Discipleship & Missions at Faith Community Lutheran Church. With nearly two decades of ministry experience, including 15 years in pastoral ministry, he has served congregations in Bullhead City, Arizona, southern Illinois, and St. Louis, Missouri. He is passionate about studying and teaching God’s Word and equipping Christians for their lifelong journey of faith.

Pastor Brandon and his wife, Amy, have two children, Elinore and Mark. Outside of ministry, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar, drinking coffee, and exploring the outdoors.

As Ministry Executive Director, Bryan Land leads the operations teams and functions at Faith Community Lutheran Church and Schools in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bryan brings more than 30 years of business experience and extensive community involvement to his career in church management and operations.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (finance emphasis) from the University of Southern California and Master of Science in Crisis and Emergency Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Bryan and his wife, April, are both natives of Las Vegas. They have three children who have enjoyed Lutheran education at Faith Lutheran Middle and High School as well as Faith Community Lutheran Academy. 

Bryan serves on the national Board of Directors of Hoving Home, a Christian ministry for women recovering from addictions and trauma, and serves as Chair of their Las Vegas Advisory Council. He served as a voting delegate to the 2026 Lutheran Church Extension Fund Convention; the 69th Regular Convention of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; and to the Pacific Southwest District Convention in 2025.

Daniel Smith serves as our Head of Schools overseeing the Faith Community Lutheran Academy and Preschool. He has spent much of his career in education and has a passion for helping children learn, grow, and thrive. Prior to his current role at Faith Community, he worked with middle and high school students with special needs, bringing valuable experience in education and student support.

Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master of Education, both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Daniel and his wife have two children. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Vicar David Wang has spent nearly two decades in the international freight forwarding industry, bringing extensive global logistics and operational experience to his ministry work.

Originally from China, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in International Business, he is currently pursuing his Cross-Cultural Ministry Center (CMC) degree at Concordia University Irvine.

David lives in Las Vegas with his lovely wife, Sally, and their lively son, Kimi. Outside of ministry and work, he enjoys hiking, taking in ocean views, playing basketball, and staying active with various outdoor activities.

Becky Chaplin has served in children’s and family ministry for more than a decade, with a passion for creating fun, meaningful Bible experiences that help children and their families grow in faith together. Her love for ministry began when she first volunteered at Vacation Bible School at age 13 and eventually led her to serve with VBS organizations and churches in Colorado before joining Faith Community in 2021.

Becky earned her bachelor’s degree in Family Ministry from Concordia University Ann Arbor in her home state of Michigan.

Outside of ministry, Becky enjoys the Las Vegas heat, Taylor Swift albums, and Chipotle guacamole.

Ashley Evans joined Faith Community’s Children’s Ministry team as Assistant Director in August 2025, following 13 years of service as a federal special agent—an unexpected path that ultimately led her to children’s ministry! She enjoys using her experience to serve, connect with, and support children and families as they grow in faith together.

Ashley holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and is continuing her education through ministry and theology courses as she grows in her ministry experience.

Ashley and her husband have two children. Outside of ministry, she enjoys gardening, traveling, exploring the outdoors, and making memories with her family.

Melaney has served on staff since 2019, though her connection to Faith Community began much earlier—she has played harp in traditional worship since 2008 and has been a faithful member of the congregation since 2011.

A Las Vegas native, Melaney holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance and a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration, and a certificate in Digital Marketing Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her professional background also includes experience in hospitality, data management, graphic design, and the creative arts.

Melaney and her husband, Tim, have three children, Raylin, Cooper, and Carter. She enjoys music, creativity, traveling, and spending time with her family.

A Las Vegas native, Chase brings a unique combination of technology, media, and creative arts experience to his role at Faith Community. His background includes years of running a podcast studio, where he developed his skills in content creation, photography, audio, and media production. He has also been a longtime member of the Faith Community Lutheran Church's Kantori Choir and regularly performs with Opera Las Vegas.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Music and the arts continue to be an important part of his life, and he enjoys finding new ways to stay creative—whether performing on stage, working with technology, or behind the camera.

Jon has spent four decades serving as a ministry leader, worship arts practitioner, and educator, helping churches lead God’s people in faithful and meaningful worship. Jon has served congregations and ministries across California, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada.

A ministry graduate of Concordia University, Nebraska, Jon served for two decades at Concordia University Irvine, where he developed new pathways for preparing future worship arts leaders. He is the founding director of the Center for Worship Leadership and its Worship Arts Leader initiative (WALi) and has led and curated worship for numerous LCMS gatherings, including three National Youth Gatherings.

Jon and his wife, Carol, who serves as Director of Faith Community Lutheran Preschool, have three adult sons: Jonah, Caleb, and Jacob.

Athena Reinhard brings a diverse background in hospitality, events, and school administration to her role at Faith Community. From breweries to education, she has always had a heart for hospitality and a gift for helping people feel welcome, known, and at home.

Athena earned her degree in Hospitality & Event Management from Concordia University Wisconsin, where she met her husband, Pastor Sam.

Athena and Sam married during his time in seminary and lived in St. Louis and Chicago before making their way to Las Vegas in 2024. They have one son, Arthur. Outside of work, Athena enjoys exploring the mountains, reading a good thriller, color-coding spreadsheets just for fun, and attempting to learn embroidery.

Nichole has served at Faith Community Lutheran Church & Schools since 2013, beginning as a teacher at Faith Community Lutheran Preschool before transitioning into Human Resources in 2025. Her background also includes serving as an Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry, and her experience in education, ministry, and HR has given her a strong understanding of church and school operations and a genuine love for serving the people behind the ministry.

Nichole holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Services with a minor in Management and a master’s degree in Education.

Nichole and her husband have three children. Together, they enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors, and exploring new places as a family.

Jeff Pohlmann brings more than 20 years of technology leadership and consulting experience to his role at Faith Community Lutheran Church & Schools, helping use technology, data, and innovation to support the church and schools in their mission. Prior to joining Faith Community, Jeff held leadership roles with Teradata, IBM, and Oracle and began his career serving in leadership roles around the world with the United States Marine Corps.

Jeff holds a degree in Business Management from Northwood University.

Jeff and his wife, Sandie, enjoy spending time together and serving others through volunteer work with veteran and youth organizations. He is grateful for the opportunity to combine his professional experience with his passion for service in support of Faith Community’s ministry.

Dr. Timothy Jones serves as Resource Advisor and Musician at Faith Community Lutheran Church, where he has been part of the ministry team since 2003. Originally from South Australia, Dr. Jones is also Vice Dean of the College of Fine Arts and advisor to the Wine Society at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. An accomplished percussionist, educator, and author, he has performed with many artists around the world and with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Las Vegas Opera, The Amadeus Orchestra, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Michael Bublé, Natalie Merchant, Josh Groban, David Foster, the Wild Celts, and Mojo Risin’ among others.

Dr. Jones holds a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees, a certificate in Worship Theology from Concordia University Irvine, and a Diploma in Wines qualification from London's Wine & Spirit Education Trust. Outside of the church, music, education, and exploring the world of wine, Tim enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife Melaney and their three amazing boys, Raylin, Cooper, and Carter.

Joseph Svendsen serves as Cantor at Faith Community Lutheran Church, helping lead the congregation’s musical life through worship, choirs, and the broader Worship Arts ministry. A choral conductor and educator with more than two decades of experience, he also serves as Director of Choral Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Artistic Director of the Las Vegas Master Singers.

Joseph holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Texas Tech University, a Master of Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and English from Luther College.

Joseph and his wife, Jillian, have two sons, Henry and Gus. Outside of music, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, hiking and exploring the outdoors, and reading about history and church history.

Chase Reihmann serves as Director of Traditional Music at Faith Community Lutheran Church, helping lead and support the musical life of the congregation through worship. Prior to joining Faith Community, Chase served in Worship Arts and Technical Director roles at LCMS congregations in Florida, Nebraska, and Montana, bringing a broad background in worship, music, and production ministry.

Originally from Iowa, Chase and his wife, Anna, have four children: Nehemiah, Finnley, Emaline, and Eliora. Anna also serves at Faith Community as a fifth-grade teacher at Faith Community Lutheran Academy. Together, they are grateful to call Las Vegas and Faith Community home.

Carl’s lifelong love of music began growing up in Southern California and has led to a diverse career as a musician, worship leader, and music director. His experience has taken him from churches and Broadway touring productions to concert arenas around the world. Carl studied music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Carl and his wife, Becky, have three daughters and spent nearly 14 years in Memphis before making their way to Las Vegas.

Rev. Dr. Eric Ash is a retired pastor of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. For more than 36 years he served parishes in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. His doctoral work focused on communication and preaching. He joined the staff at Faith in September 2026 as the part-time Care Ministries Coordinator. Pastor Ash and his wife of 44 years, Melanie, moved to Las Vegas in June 2025. They have two adult children and a granddaughter. 

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