Leadership

A Church Committed to Shared Leadership

It won’t take much looking around on this page before you notice that our lead pastor is actually two lead pastors. Or, as we affectionately call them, our co-pastors. Libby and Jeff share leadership, and we have called them to pastor this congregation as a team. It’s no lie to say that this commitment to co-leadership frames most of how we think of healthy leadership and how we seek to share power in the congregation.

There’s a lot that we could say here, but someone wise once said, brevity is next to godliness, so we’ll keep it short. Our church is led by a partnership between the staff of the church and the volunteer leaders (it’s a churchy thing to say, but we call them lay leaders), and we are at our best when both staff and lay leaders are walking together side by side into the future that God is calling us to.

For a few reasons, we’ll only list the paid staff bios and contact info here, but know that, as you get connected to the church, you’ll see that structure of shared leadership and be invited to step into the community and share your wisdom, as well.

Elizabeth (Libby) Piotrowski

Co-pastor

Libby has been on staff at North Park Covenant Church since 2002. In that time, she has served in various capacities, with 10 years spent as the Children’s Minister, until being called to the co-pastorate in 2016. Libby has a B.S. in Biology from North Park College, an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from North Park University, and an M.A.C.F. from North Park Theological Seminary. Her goal is to one day earn a doctorate in preaching. In her former life, Libby was a high-school biology teacher. She and her husband, Joel, have three children: Sofia, Harrison, and Tegegn. In her spare time, Libby enjoys gardening and reading (lots of historical fiction), watching the Food Network, and cooking new foods with and for her family. Email Libby.

Jeff Hunter

Co-pastor

Jeff has served as a Covenant pastor since his first call to ministry in 2004 at Kent Covenant Church in Kent, WA, and has served as co-pastor at North Park Covenant Church since 2016. Lifelong learning is deeply important to Jeff, and his formal education has been at Seattle Pacific University (BA, Christian Theology and Educational Ministry) and North Park Theological Seminary (M.Div). In addition to serving NPCC alongside Pastor Libby, Jeff has been spending time lately facilitating the Covenant pastor cluster on the Northside of Chicago, and walking with Church without Walls, an innovative church community inside of Stateville Correctional Center, in partnership with NPTS School of Restorative Arts. Jeff and his wife, Kristen, are well into their second decade together, and have two children. In addition to living that church life, we enjoy reading, drinking copious amounts of Earl Grey tea, Seattle sports, tech gadgets, family art projects, gluten-free cooking, mopeds, and making music. Email Jeff.

Jeanette Mottl

Director of Youth Ministry

Jeanette grew up in a small town in Wisconsin, where her four younger siblings and parents still live. She graduated from North Park University in May 2022 with degrees in Biblical & Theological Studies and Psychology. She hopes to continue her education by getting a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and/or a Master of Divinity degree. Jeanette has been able to lead worship at different churches and Bible camps in past years, she served as the interim director for high-school youth ministry here at NPCC during the 2021-2022 school year, and she is very excited to be able to continue servIng our youth. Email Jeanette.

Brian Ward

Music Ministry Coordinator & Organist

Brian is a choir director and music teacher at Providence St. Mel School in the Garfield Park neighborhood and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from North Park University and Northwestern University, respectively. He has been attending North Park Covenant Church regularly since 2007. Brian and his wife, Maria, were married here and are the proud parents of Erik, Annalisa, and Kajsa. Email Brian.

Dominic German

Director, Chancel Choir and Chancel Handbell Choir

Dominic is a singer and choir director in Chicago. He sings with many Chicago ensembles including Grant Park Chorus, William Ferris Chorale, and Bella Voce. He has also sung with Chicago Symphony Chorus, Music of the Baroque, and Chicago Opera Theater. He sings with the Philadelphia-based choir The Crossing and was a soloist on their album that won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Vocal Performance from Moody Bible Institute and North Park University, respectively. Email Dominic.

Christian Schuetz

Custodian

Christian has worked as our building engineer and landscaper since 2004. Christian graduated from Illinois State with a degree in Agribusiness and Horticulture. He is a model gardener! Married with three adult children, Christian enjoys running, biking, and spending time at his family’s cabin in Wisconsin. Email Christian

Ann-Marie Olson Frisk

Church Administrator

Ann-Marie was born into North Park Covenant Church and is a member of the Chancel Choir. A 1996 graduate of North Park College, she has been on staff at NPCC since December 2013. When not working, she enjoys walking, biking, yoga, sewing, reading, and spending time with her daughter. Email Ann-Marie.

Becky Edwards

Administrative Director,
North Park Church Cooperative Preschool

Becky has a BA in Biblical Studies, Spanish, and Early Childhood Education from North Park University, as well as more than six years of teaching experience in early childhood. She was our assistant teacher at NPCCP during the 2011-2012 school year, followed by teaching second grade at Passages Charter School from 2012 to 2015. She then worked as the Preschool Director here at NPCCP from 2015 to 2017. Becky and her husband currently live in Logan Square with their young daughter and son. Email Becky