Jamie Austin, Lead Pastor

Jamie is a nationally recognized communicator with a passion for reaching the lost and equipping leaders. A graduate of Southwestern Assemblies of God University, he spent fifteen years as a successful youth and young adult minister, with the majority of this time at Lawton First Assembly of God. In September of 2009, Jamie accepted the position of lead pastor at Woodlake Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he lives and teaches his belief that all ministry is relationship based. There is a constant emphasis on the Woodlake Family “doing life together,” with the goal of loving God, and loving people.

Second only to his relationship with God, Jamie is passionate about his family. He and his beautiful wife, Jen, have been married for ten years. They have two incredible children, Wyatt and Avery. When he is not with his family or with the church, Jamie is an avid outdoorsman. Hunting and fishing provide his primary forms of relaxation, which is evident in the deer mounted in his office.

Merwin Pickney, Administrative Pastor

Merwin Pickney, a native of Arkansas, attended Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri, received a B.S. degree in Economics from Arkansas State University and an MBA degree from Missouri State University. He has a CCBA certification from NACBA and is a licensed minister. At the age of thirty, the Lord called Merwin to hold up the hands of the pastor, take care of the place where God’s people meet, and maximize the effectiveness of the resources God provides. He has dedicated his life to that calling in various positions and has served as the Administrative Pastor at Woodlake since 1996.

Merwin received the Church Business Administrator of the Year award from the National Association of Church Administrators in 2001 and the Evangel University Alumni Association President’s Award in 2008. Merwin enjoys exercise and his garden.

He and Dorothy have two married children and two grandchildren.

Phil McDowell, Kids & Family Pastor

Phil has been involved in Children’s Ministry for over fifteen years ministering to kids of all ages and their families. He believes in connecting with parents to teach kids to love God and love people. He knows that the best way to teach a child about the love of God is through what they experience at home. Phil loves God with all of his heart and has a passion to see the kids of this generation change the world for Christ.

Phil loves challenging and inspiring those around him with encouragement and laughter so that others may see life in a brighter light. Relationships mean everything to Phil which is evident, due to the fact that he loves being around people.

Spending time with his best friend and wife of 9 years, Kristen, his two daughters, Madison and Stella, and his son, Evan is his top priority. When not with his family or his church family Phil loves to golf, play video games, and take his wife on dates.

Phil & Kristen have been on staff at Woodlake since January 2010.

Aaron Frizzelle, Youth & Young Adult Pastor

Ministry is not just what Aaron does, but it is who he is. He and his wife, Regan, have been in full time ministry for eight years and have loved each part of the incredible, challenging journey. They are blessed with two amazing children, a son, Jaxon and daughter, Jada. Aaron and Regan believe that you live your life differently when you live your life for others. They strive to put the highest priority on the relationships in their lives and believe that the church is the greatest God-ordained organization in the world. They love students and believe the next generation will be the generation that will make the greatest impact on our world. Aaron and Regan love family, love running, love laughing, love discovering new adventures and absolutely love serving God through serving His people. Relationships are not the most important thing in life, they are the only thing!

Matt Hall, Worship Pastor

Matt Hall was born and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma. He and his beautiful wife, Noelle, have a precious daughter, Sadie. Matt has been involved in worship music his whole life and has led worship teams for about six years. He is a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan and always believes they will win the next Super Bowl!!!

Brandon Verderber, Associate Worship Pastor

Brandon was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and recently graduated with a bachelors of science in Worship Arts from Oral Roberts University. He has been leading worship and working with youth ministries for eight years. His desire is to train worship leaders, provide quality worship experiences for church attenders, and to help people to have genuine encounters with God. He began working with Woodlake as a volunteer worship leader in the spring of 2009 and just recently came on the pastoral staff. 

Michael Cooper, Spiritual Development Pastor

Michael oversees Living Free, a program for those struggling with habits, hurts and hangups. He facilitates New Beginnings for new believers in Christ. His passion is for the lost.  Michael is currently developing materials to bring new believers to maturity in the Lord. He has been a part of Woodlake since 1974 and has played the piano for years. Michael is a licensed minister and licensed funeral director. He is married to his wife of 34 years, Rhonda. Michael is a recording artist and has appeared on international television and radio.  You can learn more about Michael by visiting his blog at www.michaelrcooper.blogspot.com

Ron Siex, Care Pastor

Ron’s fifty years of ministry began in college with missions and youth. He spent thirty years with Youth for Christ, was a lead pastor in Kansas and has been Woodlake’s Care Pastor for nine years. His love of people is evident in the relationships built as he visits the Woodlake family. Ron and his wife, Linda, have three children and five grandchildren. He has a part-time fence building business and is a John Deere Tractor fan.