staff

Todd Hahn

Lead Pastor

Todd Hahn
Todd serves as the Lead Pastor of Next Level and is one of the few Charlotte natives who actually still live in Charlotte. He has been a pastor, church planter, management consultant, and the president of an educational resources firm. He has written or co-written four books including his most recent, Thriving Through Ministry Conflict. Todd speaks around the country at workshops which help church leaders reach the emerging generations. Todd is married to Miranda and has sons Justin, BJ, and Beckett and stepson Logan. He loves to run and once ran a marathon on a fractured foot, without knowing it, which may tell you something about his intelligence. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Staff Pastors

Preschool Director / Matthews Kid City Pastor

Chick Efird
Chick serves dual roles at Next Level Church. On Sundays you’ll find her serving at the Matthews campus as the Kids Pastor and during weekdays she is at the Matthews campus giving leadership and guidance to our weekday preschool program, Kid City Preschool. She has been employed in children’s ministry for right at 20 years and has a wide variety of experience ranging from church starts to mega-church children’s ministries. Originally from the great state of New Jersey, Chick migrated south after graduating from college and met her husband of 30 years, Jim. They have 3 of the greatest kids in the world and a pretty awesome son-in-law too. She absolutely loves kids and considers it an extreme privilege to come alongside families to help them lay a strong foundation in their children as they grow spiritually, socially, emotionally and intellectually. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Emily Funderburk

Director of Next Level Counseling Center

Emily Funderburk
Emily is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary with Masters Degree in Christian Counseling. She and her husband Matt have two children and she loves to see people find health and wholeness in their lives.
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Matt Hastings

Student Pastor

Matt Hastings
Matt was born and raised in the beautiful country of South Africa. He came over the States to go to college at Liberty University where he graduated with a degree in Biblical Studies. Matt is married to Rachel (a Virginia native) and they have a beautiful little girl, Hope, and a wonderful son, Ian. Matt loves music, soccer, good books, good tea and coffee. He is currently pursuing a MA in Bibilcal Studies at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Matt is passionate about helping people discover what God wants to do in and through them. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Give:Love Project Director

Melissa Jackson
Originally from Michigan, Melissa and her husband L.D. now call Charlotte home and have two children. Melissa serves as Director of The Give:Love Project at Next Level Church. She graduated from Spring Arbor University in 2004 with a bachelors of Social Work, and a heart for urban ministry. She is passionate about seeing others experience the power of being Christ's hands and feet. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Executive Pastor

Rob Kendall
Rob Kendall serves as Executive Pastor. His leadership skills and experience in business start ups and fast growth make him a natural for the aggressive strategy of reaching Charlotte for Christ. Rob also leads the charge on handling all of the church's financials. Rob has been married 18-years to Janet and they strive to provide relationship rich parenting for their 15-year old boy Andrew and 11-year old daughter Elizabeth to grow daily in their relationship with God. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Kevin Kennedy

Blakeney Campus Pastor

Kevin Kennedy
A Charlotte native, Kevin is passionate about seeing people get excited about their relationship with God. His experience starting two businesses and involvement in 3 church plants makes him a natural for the Blakeney Campus Pastor position. He is married to his wife Kirsten and they have three teenagers: Katelynn, Karleigh, and Konner.

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Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts

Harrison Gillming
Harrison serves as the Pastor of Creative Arts. In May of 2007 he graduated from Liberty University with a degree in religion, and while he attended Liberty he was blessed to be a part of a worship team that led thousands of students. He is the husband of Emily and the father of Jake, and he couldn't be happier about it. He was born and raised in South Florida, but thinks that the Charlotte weather is a thousand times better. Oh yeah... don't even think of challenging him to solve a Rubik's Cube. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Administrative Assistant

Kathy Risch
Kathy Risch is the administrative assistant for Next Level. With her organizational skills and heart for ministry, she enjoys attempting to bring order to the chaos! Kathy came to Charlotte from South Dakota in 2000 and especially loves the North Carolina winters. Kathy and her husband Kent are the parents of 4 grown children and more importantly, the grandparents of 5 beautiful grandchildren. Besides her family and Next Level, Kathy’s passions include entertaining, reading, riding motorcycles with Kent and the Minnesota Vikings! This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Director of First Impressions

Debby Sheppard
Debby Sheppard is the Director of First Impressions at Next Level. She coordinates and schedules all First Impressions Volunteers to insure that every guest has an excellent experience when they visit. Debby is a Charlotte Native and has a Communications Major from NCSU. She loves the opportunity to help plug in NLC attendees and serve alongside each one on the First Impressions Team.

community

Living Life Together is our first core value. We believe that no one should have to go through life alone and that there's no such thing as a "lone-ranger" Christian. We do this primarily through Life Groups.

causes

Giving Ourselves Away is our second core value. We believe that to follow Christ means to serve others. We do that in our daily lives and through the Give:Love Project.

christ

Connecting People to God is our third core value. We strive to create an environment where people can examine the claims of Jesus for themselves. We believe that ultimately life and purpose is found in Christ.