Our Staff

Scott Venable is the Lead Pastor of Northwood Church. Scott was raised in a pastor’s home and he and his wife, Ashley, have continued the legacy by living a life dedicated to ministry. Before Northwood, Scott and his wife planted and led a multi-ethnic church in urban Chicago that help plant 10 other churches in a span of 7 years. He has been pastoring, preaching and leading conferences for 23 years and is passionate about seeing God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Scott’s love for the church and all people was the fuel for his completion of a Doctorate in Ministry Leadership in a Multi-ethnic Context from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. For fun, Scott loves traveling the world, beaches and mountains, sports and spending time with his beautiful wife and three kids.

Isai M. Cazares has served as our Discipleship Pastor since October of 2016. He finds joy in facilitating connection and development that empowers people in the mission of Jesus to make disciples and live as family in the context of small groups. His journey with Christ began when his mom and grandparents shared the gospel with him at a young age. He received his call to ministry at age 14. Isai is originally from Rio Grande Valley, Texas. He attended school at The University of Texas at Austin, Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, and Dallas Baptist University with a B.A. in Religious Studies and an M.A. in Discipleship. He has been married to his lovely wife Samantha since December 2012, and together they have three wonderful children. He and his family enjoy, being outdoors for hiking, biking, and cookouts.

Ray Lunsford is our Worship Pastor. He was married to his incredible wife, Roxana, in 2017. Together they have one son that they welcomed into this world in 2019—and, everyday, he's growing to be more and more adventurous! Ray began his journey following Jesus at the age of 11. By 15, Ray felt God calling him to lead worship and has been passionate about leading worship ever since.

Some of Ray's favorite things include camping and hiking, especially in the mountains! He also enjoys writing music, smoking brisket, and sand volleyball.

  Bob Roberts is our Global Senior Pastor. He and Nikki started Northwood September 15, 1985. His role is now to oversee the over 200 churches that Northwood helped start, along with the work of Glocal.net the organization that connects all the churches.  He works helping Christians live in the public square by training churches to release their people into society by serving with their jobs.  He also does national and global multi-faith work, along with working globally for religious freedom and human rights.  He and his wife Nikki have two children and three grandchildren.  Bob has had the privilege to study at some great universities and has earned a few degrees along the way.  Bob has authored six books and co-authored several more. He has had articles published across a variety of publications and is always working on a book! Bob likes to travel, hike, listen to jazz, eat exotic food, and try new experiences with his favorite adventure partner, Nikki. For more info go to Glocal.net

Diana was married to her husband Ken Kerby for 39 years. They have three children and two grandchildren. Diana has been Children's Pastor at Northwood for 6 years.  Prior to that she led our Preteen and Revive Ministries for over 10 years. Diana enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

Donna Thomas is our Preschool Pastor. She is married to Rob and together they have four daughters, two sons-in-loves, and two grandchildren. Donna has been serving the Kid’s Ministry at Northwood since 2006. As Preschool Pastor, you can find her recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers as well as coordinating curriculum for both Sunday morning Preschool Ministry and Wednesday evening T-Kids ministry. One of her favorite things about being the Preschool Pastor is having the opportunity to support parents of preschoolers as they learn to disciple their young children!

In her free time, Donna enjoys movies, playing with her grandkids, and finding pleasure in the simple things.

Paige Langford has served in the Women’s Ministry at Northwood since 2015. She and her husband, Daniel, have been a part of the Northwood family since 2009, when they originally came to serve in the youth ministry. Paige received her BA in Communication from Texas A&M University in 2008 and worked for EOG Resources until she joined the Women’s Ministry team. Paige joined the Northwood Pastoral team as the Equipping Pastor at the start of 2022. She is passionate about equipping and empowering believers to follow the call God has on their lives. She is currently pursuing her MA in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Paige and Daniel have two daughters, and together they enjoy traveling, spending time at the lake, and hanging out with family and friends.

Michael Dyson is a graduate from Texas State University and is a Licensed Recreational Therapist. He started volunteering in our Revive Ministry when he was 10 years old—and has been involved in our Special Needs Ministry ever since! Michael has worked in all sorts of Special Needs sectors. He has been a Direct Caretaker, worked for Special Needs Camps, and had a Recreational Therapy Stint at the largest psychiatric hospital in San Antonio before coming on staff at Northwood. Michael was a very involved leader with the CRU ministry at Texas State University and is passionate about helping both people with special needs and young adults step into God's story for their life.

Dr. Biser Rangelov is the Pastor of Counseling and Care. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Rangelov has had the unique opportunity and privilege to counsel believers in Europe, Asia and North America of all ages, nationalities, races and cultures. He has found that—although human suffering has many faces—all people have common needs and desires. They all want health and wellness, and desire to be successful in what they do. They all strive for healing and growth. He strongly believes that everyone has the potential to overcome interpersonal struggles, relational difficulties, and life crises with appropriate guidance and care. Throughout his training in Christian Counseling (MA), Marriage and Family Counseling (MA), and Psychology and Counseling (Ph.D.), Dr. Rangelov has learned the importance of helping people to, first, regain hope in Christ and then discover their inner strength as well as their outer support to achieve emotional and spiritual health. He strives to tailor his therapeutic approach to the needs of his clients in order to help them find short-term relief and long-term solutions as well as grow in their dependence and faith in Jesus.

Anna is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Texas. Her experience of 13+years includes working with children, adolescents and adults in both hospital and outpatient settings. Her passion is to help people who struggle with self-esteem issues, depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss as well as difficulties associated with life transitions. She enjoys working with diverse populations and views each individual as unique and having the potential to heal and grow emotionally, socially and spiritually.

In her counseling style, Anna incorporates a variety of therapeutic principles with the goal of establishing a treatment that is personally tailored to the individual needs of her clients. Therefore, her theoretical approach to counseling employs research-supported interventions so that clients benefit from the time and energy they invest in therapy.

Anna’s approach to life and therapy is based on the Judeo-Christian worldview, which focuses on a healthy and balanced relationship with God, self and others. She believes that strong marriages and supportive families are crucial for the individual's ability to recover from personal crises and regain hope, which can promote change.

Have you been wondering where your hope has gone to? Life can be turned upside down in a matter of moments and you look in the mirror and don't know who you are anymore. You are broken and that is okay. I want to help you to see that broken is okay and you will not feel shattered forever. I believe a shift in your thought pattern has to take place in order for change to happen. I join empathy and understanding with Cognitive Behavioral therapy to help you on that journey. My personal experience as a fellow loss mom, daughter, sibling, relative and friend has allowed me to understand a side of grief that is difficult for others to see. My experience with helping people with anxiety, depression, organizational skills, behavior issues, life transitions and codependency issues can help you to know the person in the mirror again. You are so brave to recognize you need to seek counseling. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate working with adolescents, teens and adults, both in person and virtually under the supervision of Dr. Biser Rangelov, PHD, LPC-S located at the Northwood Counseling Center in Keller, TX.

Mallory sees a variety of clients ranging from children, teens, and adults. She sees clients in person as well as virtually through telehealth. Her approach to counseling blends empathy and understanding together in order to achieve a successful outcome in counseling. She has a passion for working with clients who have ADHD, as well as helping those with anxiety, and depression. Mallory is currently a student intern here at Northwood and is under the supervision of Dr. Biser Rangelov. She graduated from Tarleton State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in general psychology and is getting her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling at Tarleton State University and is expected to graduate in May of 2023.

John Michael is pursuing licensure as a MA: in Marriage & Family Therapy. He has a passion for helping individuals, couples, and families work through obstacles that are preventing them from getting where they want to be in life both personally and professionally. His theoretical orientation is from a Cognitive Behavioral perspective. He is also a certified Prepare & Enrich facilitator for marital and pre-marital counseling. He has a business background with a BS in General Management and Marketing from LeTourneau University. Under the supervision of Dr. Biser Rangelov.

Olivia’s passion is working with adolescents and adults in counseling. She is currently a student pursuing her master’s degree at Colorado Christian University, and is supervised by Dr. Biser Rangelov, PHD, LPC-S. She has 11 years of experience in the education field and developed a social-emotional learning curriculum for students. She utilizes Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Adlerian, Person-Centered, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She believes that clients are the experts of their lives and helps them uncover their true potential. She wants to specialize in depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues, and managing healthy relationships. She is a very open-minded, empathetic, and understanding counselor who is looking forward to working with anyone who comes through the door.

Mark Kimmel has been our Administrative Pastor here at Northwood Church since 1997! He is married to Valinda Kimmel and together they have had two children and five grandchildren. Prior to joining Northwood, Mark and Valinda ministered for seven years in Eastern Europe.

Some of Mark’s favorite things include traveling and spending quality time with his grandkids.