senior Pastor

Jonathan Taylor grew up in Phenix City and truly has a heart for serving this community. He graduated from Central High School in 1998 and attended Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, where he graduated with a degree in ministry in 2003. That same year he married his wife, Jessica.

Jonathan has served in full-time ministry since 2003. Together, Jonathan and Jessica both have hearts for discipleship and for seeing lost, hurt, and broken people come to know a Savior who heals and restores. They also are also committed to local and foreign missions, serving in various capacities with both domestic and international missions groups.

In addition to serving as the church pastor, Jonathan volunteers as the chaplain for the Central High School football team and serves on the Phenix City Board of Education.

Jonathan and Jessica are passionate advocates of adoption. They have two beautiful daughters: Grace, who was adopted from Russia, and Oliviya, who was adopted from China.

For fun, Jonathan enjoys watching college football (go Vols), traveling to the beach, running with his dog, and savoring a good cup of coffee.

worship Pastor

Brett Nunley has served in music ministry for over a decade, with 4 of those years at Christ Community Church in Columbus (our "parent church"). Since 2014, Brett has served as the worship leader at Village Church. He desires to be a humble vessel of God's truth in worship and for God's truths to be evident through his life and ministry. He highly values honesty, integrity, and hard work.

Brett is married to Jennifer (also on staff at Village Church), and they are parents of two little girls, Alyssa and Claire. Brett is also a passionate Auburn fan who enjoys the outdoors. For his "day job," Brett is an accountant.

ASSOCIATE PASTOR

Andrew Cowart joined the Village Church staff in 2022 as Associate Pastor. In this role, Andrew supports Pastor Jonathan in a variety of pastoral duties, including discipleship, counseling, teaching, and preaching. Andrew also serves as the leader of Village Men and Village Groups.

In addition to his work at Village Church, Andrew also works with Take the City and serves on the board at Teen Advisors.

Born and raised in Columbus, Andrew is a graduate of Toccoa Falls College, where he majored in pastoral ministry. He also holds a master’s degree in leadership from Impact 360 Institute. In his free time, Andrew enjoys fishing, hunting, backpacking, and rock climbing in the great outdoors. Both a football and baseball fan, Andrew says “Go Dawgs” and “Chop On!”

YOUTH PASTOR

Shane Crawford was born and raised in Smiths Station, Alabama. He attended Bible School in Birmingham at the Metro Masters Commission, where he received his ministry license. Shane has been part of Village Church since 2016, volunteering in middle school and youth, and he was named Youth Pastor in September 2023. Shane is passionate about coming alongside other church leaders and parents to disciple our youth.

Shane has a son, Brayden, who is in middle school. In his free time, Shane enjoys traveling, fishing, sports, and spending time with family. For his day job, Shane works at Spire Gas.

outreach leader

Married to Pastor Jonathan, Jessica Taylor works alongside him to serve every aspect of Village Church. She also has a passion for serving others and showing the love of Jesus both in our local community and around the world. As Outreach Leader, she spearheads a variety of local and international ministry opportunities. Plus, Jessica also leads the THRIVE Women's Ministry at Village Church.

In addition to her role as the wife of Pastor Jonathan and the mother of two little girls, Jessica also founded and runs a nonprofit, Come Away Missions, that partners with a church in Rwanda to bring medical relief, provide discipleship training, and serve the people of Rwanda. In 2009 she began taking teams to serve in Rwanda, and that's when God called her to build lasting relationships with the Rwandan people for long-term missions in Africa.   

Jessica also founded and manages the Do Good Project, which provides employment to women in Rwanda. These Rwandan artisans create handmade items such as baskets, bracelets, and more for sale in the U.S., which allows them to earn income to support their families. In 2020, the Do Good Project expanded to also offer products created by U.S. artisans.

connect Leader

Jennifer Nunley truly has a heart for serving people. Her role on our staff focuses on welcoming guests to our church, connecting with them outside of Sunday services, and helping people throughout our church body become “connected” with other believers and “plugged in” with ministry and discipleship opportunities.

Jennifer is grateful to be married to her best friend, Brett, and she is the proud mom of their two little girls, Alyssa and Claire. She finds her greatest joy in raising them. 

CELEBRATE RECOVERY PASTOR

Bryan Donaldson leads Celebrate Recovery, which meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at Village Church. A Christ-centered recovery program, Celebrate Recovery helps people from all walks of life find healing from their hurts, habits, and hang-ups through Jesus. In addition, Bryan leads the audio/visual team at Village Church.

Bryan is married to Kristie, and they have a blended family including Zachary (now grown and with a family of his own) and Abby (who’s in middle school).