Leadership

Pastor Adam began serving as the Lead Pastor at Spirit Life in September 2024. Pastor Adam is supported by his wife, Julie, and three children: Judah, Eliza, and Dorothea. Julie and Adam met in Toledo, Ohio, and have been engaged in ministry in Washington D.C., Virginia, Texas, and now Iowa. Pastor Adam is a former Combat Medic and current Chaplain Candidate in the United States Army. He is on track to earn his M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2026. In his free time, Pastor Adam enjoys playing basketball, reading, and playing with his kids.

Dan Berven, a long time member of Spirit Life Fellowship, is currently serving as an Elder, a position he has held many times over the years. Dan and his wife Sandy are passionate about mission work, having served in short term missions in country, in Mexico, China and Peru.
Dan is a farm boy, growing up in a community where he met and married his high school sweetheart. He farms his family's land in Graettinger and works in the county engineer’s office as an engineer tech. Dan and Sandy have 3 children and 6 grandsons, who are the joy of their lives. In Dan’s spare time he loves to golf, is an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan and loves spending time with family.

Kathy and her husband Roger have been married for 49 years and have been obedient to their Lord and Savior for 45 of those years. They have lived in Spirit Lake for most of that time and have been at Spirit Life Fellowship for the last five years. Kathy and Roger have two wonderful children and an amazing son-in-law as well as six treasured grandchildren. They are now fully retired, so they particularly enjoy spending their free time going to all their grandkids' school events, which keeps them busy. God is good! Kathy has a servant heart and a loving personality, welcoming everyone she meets into deep Christ-centered friendship.

Jeff Berkland is serving his first term as an elder at Spirit Life Fellowship. Jeff grew up in the Fenton, IA area and still farms there today. He attended Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, studying accounting and music. Jeff and Bev live in Okoboji and have been married for 15 years. During that time, they have been intentional about leading small groups and missional communities. He also plays drums on the worship team. Jeff's true passion, besides his wife and Jesus Christ, is for helping men stuck in addiction and struggling with sin. Jeff and Bev enjoy traveling and riding their motorcycle.