ABOUT US
MISSION
THE MISSION OF EASTPOINTE CHURCH IS TO BUILD DISCIPLES WHO KNOW JESUS, GROW IN JESUS, SERVE JESUS, AND SHARE JESUS.
KNOW JESUS
By helping them...
Come to Jesus
Commit to the vision of Eastpointe.
Connect with others who follow Jesus.
Commit to the vision of Eastpointe.
Connect with others who follow Jesus.
GROW IN JESUS
By helping them...
Communicate with Jesus.
Consecrate their life to Jesus.
Commit to growing in Jesus.
SERVE JESUS
By helping them...
Care about people who do not know Jesus.
Concentrate on becoming champions for Jesus.
Covenant to share the life and love of Jesus.
Concentrate on becoming champions for Jesus.
Covenant to share the life and love of Jesus.
SHARE JESUS
By helping them...
Consider their part in the Body of Christ.
Cultivate the gifts God entrusted to them.
Continue the ministry of Jesus.
Cultivate the gifts God entrusted to them.
Continue the ministry of Jesus.
Vision
IT IS OUR DREAM
to help new believers connect with a healthy Christian community that is loving, learning, and living in unity.
IT IS OUR DREAM
to share the good news of God’s love with thousands of residents of East Pierce County and make room for them in our family of believers for those who come to Christ.
IT IS OUR DREAM
to have a church of small groups – not a church with small groups – where hundreds of shepherds/leaders give special attention and care to the body of believers who call our church home.
IT IS OUR DREAM
of a place where people of all ages who are lonely, hurting, frustrated, or confused can find love, acceptance, forgiveness, encouragement, and purpose.
IT IS OUR DREAM
to develop every believer into a fully developed disciple of Christ who is empowered to pray, obedient to God’s word, contagious with their faith, committed to community, filled with God’s Spirit, and faithful in service to Christ.
IT IS OUR DREAM
to build a church that builds people up and then sends people out. We can foresee sending multiple missionaries and planting many churches to accomplish our greatest commission.
IT IS OUR DREAM
to equip every believer for a significant ministry that matches his or her gift mix, talents, passion, personality, and experience.
Core Values
AUTHENTICITY
We don’t do fake.
We make disciples through relationships. We create an atmosphere for people to be real, open, and honest by leading with vulnerability and transparency.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
TRUST
We lean into awkward.
We build covenantal relationships tomorrow by engaging in tough conversations today. We keep short accounts with one another. Tough conversations come because iron sharpens iron. It’s easy to sweep issues under the carpet, but that never leads to breakthrough and intimacy. We contend for unity at all costs.
Matthew 5:25 ESV
Proverbs 27:6 ESV
HONOR
Honor is the glue that holds us together.
We honor one another not because it is earned but because all people are made in the image of God. Jesus gave us honor so that we would give honor to others. We value a culture of honor in our church. Therefore, we must always give honor.
1 Peter 2:17 ESV
Romans 12:10b ESV
GENEROSITY
Give your all.
We give of ourselves because He gave of himself. We don’t give to get. We offer our time, talents, and treasure out of a heart filled with gratitude and love. God is a God of generosity. We are to emulate our Lord and King. We must be generous givers.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 ESV
FAMILY HEALTH
Family comes 1st.
We remain healthy by prioritizing personal encounters with God, pursuing purity, and protecting our sabbath. We cannot lead our people into places we have not been ourselves. Family always comes first. This will never change.
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV
COMMUNICATION
Say it—Do it.
We choose to slow down long enough to over-communicate so that we can be prepared for a greater tomorrow together. Communication is the key to unity. Love is great, but if we fail to communicate our feelings, plans, and information, we fail to close the circle. We are a team.
Romans 14:19 ESV
EXCELLENCE
Give your best.
We give our best efforts in everything because we are giving our best efforts to God. All we do isn’t just for our team, church, or people. Everything we do, we do as unto the Lord; therefore, we give him our very best.
Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
TEAMWORK
Nobody does ministry alone.
Teamwork makes the dream work. We gather others around us to do ministry because one can put a thousand to flight, but two ten thousand.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 ESV
STEWARDSHIP
We all have skin in the game.
Like seed reproduces like seed. If we want our people to be great stewards, we must be great stewards first.
1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV
Proverbs 11:24 ESV
GOD'S PRESENCE
Whenever we gather, He must be there.
The Presence of God is everything. With His presence, miracles happen, and people are healed, delivered, and set free. Lives are forever changed.
Exodus 13:15 ESV
PERSONAL EVANGELISM
Every person has been ordained by God to minister to the masses.
God didn’t just tell the disciples to reach Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth. He commissioned every believer to be personally involved in reaching every soul possible. We believe the most effective form to reach people is through personal relationships, community involvement, and people inviting people.
John 4:28-30, 39-42
1 John 1:1-4 ESV
GROUPING
Break it down!
Spiritual transformation happens in the context of small groups, or namely, in community. We want every person to gather in a smaller setting so that they can grow to maturity in their faith. The Church that gathers is the church that scatters.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Acts 2:42-47 ESV
OUR STAFF
James and Tammy Ludlow
Founding Pastors
James and Tammy Ludlow are the founding and Senior Pastors of Eastpointe Church and parents to 4 incredible adult children; Caleb, Hayden, Gavin and Ellyanah. Before planting the church in 2004, they had served several years together in youth ministry in Olympia and Tacoma, Washington. Later, God put it upon their hearts to start a church and to see East Pierce County impacted by the love of God. They dream of lives transformed and empowered to impact others. James has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, a Masters in Theological Studies and is currently working towards receiving a Doctorate in Intercultural Studies. Tammy has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is currently working toward receiving a Masters in Counseling.
Sue Christianson
Associate Pastor, Kingdom Life School Director
Sue was born and raised in the PNW with her husband, Randy. She has three adult children and three grandchildren. Sue has been serving on staff since the beginning of Eastpointe, in 2004. She loves spending time with family and vacationing on warm beaches. She is passionate about seeing lives transformed as people learn to walk in the revelation of their identity in Jesus.
Bree Swope
Community & Communications Director
Bree was born and raised in Orange County, California, and moved to the PNW with her husband Tyler in 2016. She has been a part of our Eastpointe family for 7 years and recently came on staff in 2022. She is passionate about empowering and encouraging people to be who God created them to be and she believes that biblical community is an essential part of our discipleship to Jesus.
Tiffany Clapp
EPKIDS Director
Tiffany was born and raised in Western WA. She married her high school sweetheart, Matt, in 2004 and they have five kids who they live with in Yelm. Tiffany has been a part of the Eastpointe family for 3 years and joined the staff as our Children’s Director in the fall of 2022. She has a heart for children and believes that children should be given a regular opportunity to encounter Jesus. She believes if we teach children about the Father’s love and their identity in Christ, we will see a generation who live in the freedom of who God created them to be.
Stuart Back
Executive DirectorStuart grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska in a Missionary family and moved to the PNW in 1998. He has served as church staff for most of the last 30 years, joining the Eastpointe staff in 2012. He is enthusiastic about handling the various administrative details of the church so the pastoral staff can concentrate on ministering to people rather than dealing with paperwork.
David And Angie Perez
Spanish Co-Pastors
David and Angie Perez served as co-pastors in Mexico for over 20 years. They are passionate about serving the Lord through the local church. They have three children, who are their first and most precious ministry. Their hearts burn to serve the Lord and the community in whatever is required. Their greatest desire is to serve the Lord together with their children. (Joshua 24:15)
Tim Mead
The Union (Youth) Director
Tim was born and raised in Washington. He is married to his beautiful wife, Hannah, and together, they have 5 children. Tim has been a part of the Eastpointe Family since 2008 and absolutely loves his church. In 2021, Tim took on the role of Youth Pastor. He has a heart for the youth and desires to partner with God in raising the next generation of leaders for Christ.
Josh Boonstra
Young Adult Leader
Josh was born and raised in Washington. He has been married to his wife Allison since 2015 and they have 3 darling little boys. God called him into ministry when he was 17 years old and he has been walking with Jesus ever since. Josh and his family have been a part of our Eastpointe family since 2017. Throughout his time at Eastpointe, he has been serving in our Young Adults Ministry. He is an encourager and a lover of people! He is passionate about developing and leading young adults into deeper intimacy with the Lord.
Leroy Daniels
Worship and Arts Pastor
Leroy Daniels, a Washington native, recently returned to his hometown. With 15 years in ministry, he's immensely dedicated to spiritual growth. He loves animals, enjoys game nights with friends and family, and likes creating lasting memories and relationships beyond his ministry work. Notably, he's mentored five spiritual "kiddos" over the years, leaving a profound impact on their lives.
Debbie Kruckenberg
Prayer Ministry Leader
Debbie has resided in Washington her entire life. She has 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. She has been a part of the SOZO Ministry for 2 years, the KLS Ministry and our Eastpointe family for 9 years. Recently she joined Eastpointe staff as Leader of the Prayer Ministry. She is passionate about seeing people fully healed and whole, walking in their true identity and purpose in Christ.