Our mission is to know Christ and to make him known.
Rob Parker
Rob is the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Plant Church. For three decades, he has served in vocational ministry across both church and para-church settings. His theological training includes a Master of Arts in New Testament from Alliance Theological Seminary, as well as a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies from George Fox University. Rob is married to Sue. Since the day they met, they have partnered together in life and ministry. Among his greatest joys are being a husband, father, and proud grandparent aka ``Pops``.
Sue Parker
Sue Parker serves as the Director of Discipleship and Spiritual Formation at The Plant Church. She has been part of The Plant from the very beginning, sharing the church’s vision and mission alongside her husband, Rob. Before stepping into full-time ministry, Sue worked as a nurse for 26 years, spending half of that time as a school nurse in the Mahwah school district. In this new season, she embraces her calling with a deep passion to see people come to Christ, grow in their faith, and live on mission together. Sue and Rob have shared 29 wonderful years of marriage together. They are the proud parents of four grown children and three precious grandchildren.
Joe Chinnici
Joe serves as the Executive Director at The Plant Church, overseeing financial stewardship and church operations. He began attending The Plant in 2011 where he met his wife and was baptized. They were married in 2014 and together they have a son, AJ. Over the years, Joe has served in many areas of church life, which led him to a vocational calling. After a 19-year banking career, he now uses his leadership, operations, and financial experience to support The Plant’s mission of helping people know Christ and make Him known.
Carter Heerema
Carter Heerema is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has five years of experience working with high schoolers in a special education setting. Carter is also the current head coach of the Eastern Christian High School cross country and track teams. He ran collegiate cross country and track while working toward his undergraduate degree at Eastern University and later received his master's in social work from Rutgers University. Carter and his wife Jayna have been attending The Plant Church since 2022. During their time at The Plant Carter and Jayna have volunteered and been a part of different ministries. They share a passion for working with youth and young adults both inside and outside of the church walls.
Kerri Niebles
Kerri is Director of Children’s Ministries here at The Plant Church. She is a born and bred Jersey girl who knows how pump her own gas, thanks to her days working at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. She and her husband, Omar, cherish family time with their 4 beautiful girls. In the summer you can find them at the Jersey shore and during the school year you’ll find them enjoying school musicals. But every Sunday you’re sure to find them at The Plant Church- stop by and say hi!
Karly Weiss
Karly serves as the Ministry Assistant to Pastor Rob and fills the role of Administrative Coordinator. An active member of the Plant Church nearly since its inception, she enjoys singing on the worship team and truly means it when she says ``Plant Family!`` each week. Outside of church, she can be found on the Peloton leaderboard, cheering on local sporting events, or relaxing on Long Beach Island. She has been married to her husband Aaron since 2007, and they have two beautiful daughters, Madelyn and Molly.
Steve Nieves
Steve Nieves serves as the Music and Production Director at The Plant Church. Steve has been in this role since April 2022 and has been in worship ministry for over 10 years. Steve studied music therapy at Montclair State University and worked in hospice as a music therapist for 5 years. After getting married in 2022, he moved to the audiovisual and tech field, working on church AVL systems with Somerset Media Group. Steve is passionate about God, and desires to see the church honor Jesus with genuine faith and learn to live out his teachings. Steve is happily married to his partner in life and ministry, Soli Nieves, and they are proud parents of Isaiah.