North Point's staff is committed to our core vision of sharing Christ and building believers. By Connecting with God, Serving Him with their lives, and Growing their families as followers of Christ, the North Point staff shepherds the flock God has entrusted to them (1 Peter 5:2).
Matt Branum - Lead Pastor
As Pastor of North Point, my job is to share vision and strategize how to make God’s purpose for this church a reality. I love seeing people grow in their relationship with Christ and helping them achieve their full potential within God’s Kingdom mission. Whether it is at Sunday Celebrations, being a part of a discipleship group, or having coffee at the Blackbird, I thoroughly enjoy authentic conversation and building relationships.
Becky and I moved to Spearfish to plant North Point in 2004 from Cincinnati, where I was on staff at a Christian university, and she was a Registered Nurse at Children’s Hospital. For her it was like coming home (she grew up in Rapid City), for me it was a small adjustment (having grown up north of the Twin Cities). We have grown to love the northern hills community and North Point. It is here, that we have raised our two kids, Reagan and Jack.
Tristan Bridges - Associate Pastor
Growing up I always had a passion for ministry, I knew that God had laid this on my heart and it was and is my purpose. I tried to dabble in other jobs and see if I would fit in anywhere else but I quickly found that the only place that I felt complete was in a ministry setting. One day I finally realized that our goal in life is to bring people to know Christ. Once knowing this I pursued ministry and attended college at Summit Christian College where I found my true passion while also meeting my beautiful wife McKenna. We then graduated and after many trials and prayers we ended up here at North Point in August of 2019. We welcomed our first child Braxton in April of 2021.
I always enjoy a good cup of coffee and a good conversation. I love seeing God move through people and watching people grow. In life there will always be ups and downs but during these times we find the importance of the Church. We are here for one another meant to build and encourage one another. The greatest commandments are to first love God and second love people. We love the ministry going on at North Point and we love the community of Spearfish and the Northern Hills.
Lauren Whaley - Kids Ministry Director
God’s love captivated me at a young age. I was incredibly blessed to be constantly surrounded by my godly family, friends, and leaders in Gering, Nebraska that walked with me spiritually; challenging and encouraging me as I continued my walk with the Lord. After high school, I attended Summit Christian College where I received my Associate of Arts in Biblical Studies. The Lord, in all of His goodness, opened this door for me in April of 2023. He is teaching me that Kingdom work is to be over every other desire. When we live with a kingdom mindset, it doesn’t matter what we are walking through, we can rejoice because the kingdom of God is advancing. In addition to being the Children’s Ministry Director, I work part time at Kid’s Point daycare! I have been working in daycares since 2016, and absolutely love what I do. I’m so grateful that the Lord is allowing me to get to do both vocational ministry and daycare. I cheer VERY loudly for the Nebraska Cornhuskers (regardless of how good we aren’t!) I also enjoy four-wheeling, thrift shopping, and meeting with people for coffee at Green Bean.
Sarah Albertson - Office Administrator
I grew up in Iowa, Go Hawkeyes! In 2008 I got married and moved to South Dakota. We have two beautiful children. We spent 8 years in Custer, then in 2016 we moved to Spearfish. We LOVE Spearfish! Small town feeling WITH amenities! We get involved in our community wherever we are. We enjoy playing coed softball and volleyball (as long as we don’t play next to each other! Ha!) I currently serve on the Spearfish adult softball board.
I’ve been a stay at home mom since our first child was born, but prior to being “Mom,” I worked in insurance. We had a hard time deciding if I should continue working or stay home. I was told over and over “if you can stay home, do it! You won’t regret it!” and they were right! Biggest joy ever!
Staying home with our children has been my favorite job of all time, but when the church office administrator position opened up I knew in my heart that it was the right time to start working my brain again! I am thoroughly enjoying the position!
We started attending North Point in 2019 and we fell in love with church even more with the drive in services in 2020. We were drawn to North Point as our home church because of the inclusiveness. We were warmly greeted and quickly asked to become involved. We are thrilled to be part of this church family!
Brett McCue - Uplift Director
Meet Brett, our vibrant and dedicated Director at The Uplift Center! With over 8 years of experience in operations management and a passion for childhood development, Brett brings a wealth of business expertise to our center. She has a proven track record of driving growth and innovation, having successfully led various business ventures and start-ups. She has served in previous years as a Sunday school teacher, VBS coordinator, summer camp leader and nursery volunteer with a passion for children.