Brandon & Kara Shanks
Brandon & Kara Shanks are the founding pastors of City Hills Church. Originally from Western Kentucky and Western Tennessee, they have served in ministry for the past 21 years.
In 2012 Brandon and Kara visited Knoxville and felt a strong, supernatural love for the city. On that trip, standing downtown looking at the hills in the distance, the idea of City Hills Church was born. A life-giving local church sharing the hope and life of Jesus with the entire region of East Tennessee and beyond; from the city to the hills. In 2015 they moved to Knoxville and have been amazed to watch the vision come to pass!
Brandon and Kara have a great passion for connecting people to God, each other, and their purpose in life. Seeing lives changed by the power of Jesus Christ has been one of their greatest joys in life! They have a big heart to make a difference in the lives of families and to bless the next generation.
This year Brandon and Kara celebrated Eighteen years of marriage. They also have three boys: Hudson, Karter, and Baylor. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment in their house! They are dreaming big and are excited about all that God is going to do in and through the lives of people in East Tennessee in the days, months, and years to come!
Email – PastorBrandon@cityhills.com & Kara@cityhills.com
Our Staff Team
Our staff team oversees the day to day operations of the church – serving, equipping, and empowering our church family.
Administration
Jonathan Lighty
Executive Pastor
jonathan@cityhills.com
Scott Hughes
Chief Financial Officer
scott@cityhills.com
NaCole Courtley
Office Manager
nacole@cityhills.com
Chris & Kim Brewer
West Campus Pastors
chris@cityhills.com | kim@cityhills.com
Connections
Jeff Petress
Connections Pastor
jeff@cityhills.com
Ashley Petress
Small Groups Director
ashley.petress@cityhills.com
Britney Kandel
Connections Coordinator
britney@cityhills.com
Jessica Clause
Connections Coordinator
jessica@cityhills.com
Kids
Jake Hebert
Kids Pastor
jake@cityhills.com
Caleb Day
Facilities / West Campus Kids Director
caleb@cityhills.com
Katelyn Boston
Pre-School Coordinator
katelyn@cityhills.com
Next Gen
Cory and Kendall Johnson
Next Gen Pastors
cory@cityhills.com | kendall@cityhills.com
Amanda Day
Next Gen Admin
amanda@cityhills.com
Outreach
Christina Davis
Outreach Pastor
christina@cityhills.com
Valentina Sanchez
Outreach Coordinator
valentina@cityhills.com
Programming
Shelly Wilson
Worship Pastor
shelly@cityhills.com
Jason Mikles
West Campus Worship Pastor
jason@cityhills.com
Reeves Wilder
Production & Creative Director
reeves@cityhills.com
Joel Rickard
Students & Young Adults Worship Director
joel@cityhills.com
Beth Wagner
Programming Coordinator
beth@cityhills.com
Brad Rickard
Production Specialist
brad@cityhills.com
Jalen Jenkins
Production Assistant
jalen@cityhills.com
Adam Franklin
Production Assistant
adam.franklin@cityhills.com
Our Overseers
The Overseers are pastors of nationally respected congregations and ministries who love City Hills Church and are willing to provide spiritual protection to the church. They may be called in to help in accountability matters relating to the Senior Pastor if requested by the Elders or Trustees. The Overseers serve as Apostolic Elders.
Our Trustees
Our Trustees are members of the congregation appointed by the Senior Pastors to oversee the finances and direct the provision of the facilities needed by the church. They provide counsel regarding the major financial commitments and financial health of the church.
Our Elders
The Elder team is led by our Senior Pastor. This team helps the heart and health of the church. These leaders serve the congregation and are responsible for the development of the spiritual life of the church.