Our Staff

In 2017, EFCA’s North Central District called Brian Farone to serve as our District Superintendent. A first generation christian who came to faith through the ministry of Young Life, he is a graduate of Arizona Christian University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Prior to joining the NCD, he served in pastoral ministry in Arizona and California. Likewise, he spent four years serving in regional leadership on the staff of EFCA West. Brian and his wife Teri are the parents of two young adults, Samuel and Grace. Together with the rest of our district team, he is passionate about serving pastors, church leaders and churches as they invite people to trust, walk with and serve Jesus Christ.  

Director of Church Resources Dave Linde oversees the credentialing and pastoral search processes in the district.  Holding degrees from Bethel University and Dallas Theological Seminary, Dave was a solo pastor for 14 years. He’s now been in district ministry for twenty years, connecting with pastors and church leaders in a variety of ways: coaching, advising, resourcing, teaching, encouraging, and helping organize our twice-a-year conferences.  Desiring to put Jesus’s greatness on display, he especially loves to help others connect the truths we hold so dear from Scripture to heart and life in such a way that transformation takes place from the inside out. Dave considers himself widely traveled: he looks out his NCD office window onto the building where he was born.  He and his wife, Kathy, live in Circle Pines and have nine children and eleven grandchildren.

Kelley Johnson, along with his wife Jola, serves the district in a ministry of Pastoral Care, helping pastors and their wives survive and thrive in life and ministry. Through prayer, listening, and a ministry of presence, their heart is to shepherd shepherds. The Johnsons currently live in Hector, MN, and have two adult children. Kelley has a unique background in both ministry and law enforcement, having degrees in both. Following a 24-year career in law enforcement, Kelley has been serving with the NCD in Pastoral Care since 2008, with a focus on rest, coaching, encouragement, and sabbaticals. His nose (or his ears) can often be found in a good book or audiobook, having recently experienced a renewed love for reading, while his hands are often dirty from tending his gardens. Jola also shares a love of good books and has served the Hector community as a librarian for over 30 years. Her wisdom and compassion are coupled with a listening ear and a caring heart.

Steve Austvold serves as the Director of Missions Mobilization for the North Central District.  Steve has served in Romania and with ReachGlobal.  His wife Kathy shares his heart for missions and serves alongside him as they help churches bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. She has worked with missionary children’s education in Madrid and Caracas.  She currently works with EFCA’s Global Fingerprints ministry.

Pat Wester serves the North Central District as our Director of Church Revitalization, where he provides key resources and support as he coaches and consults with NCD churches towards greater effectiveness. Raised in Minnesota, Pat and his wife, Dawn, now live in Rochester, MN.  They have three grown children and are “Papa and Nana” to four grandkids, who somehow manage to get spoiled every time they visit. Ordained in the EFCA, Pat brings 27 years of service in pastoral ministry, including youth, children’s, small groups, and executive roles to our team, as well as a desire to see congregations and church staffs flourish and find vitality.  

As Director for Women in Ministry, Andrea Tyson will build up the women in ministry leadership in the NCD as she invests, coaches, refreshes, and equips women for God’s glory and their good. Andrea graduated from the University of Northwestern and Providence Theological Seminary. She served as a Director for Women’s Ministries for 14 years before joining a church plant in 2021 where she currently serves full-time as the Director for Community Life and Women’s Discipling. She is passionate about making disciples who make disciples, so this part-time role to pour into people who pour into others is an expression of her heart and ministry philosophy. The gospel motivates her to share her life and the gospel, love and live God’s Word, and have meaningful conversations for people’s joy and progress in the faith. In spare time, Andrea enjoys simple things like going on walks, hanging out in a tree hammock, traveling, playing games, being inspired by decorating shows, and eating raised vanilla sprinkled doughnuts.  

Sonja has a long history with the EFCA, growing up in the Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake, IL, graduating from Trinity College in Deerfield in 1994 with a degree in mathematics, and attending South Suburban Evangelical Free Church in Apple Valley, MN since 2003. After working in various accounting roles prior to motherhood, once her four children were all in school, Sonja began working in the South Suburban Church office, eventually taking on bookkeeping responsibilities there. She is grateful for the opportunity to continue her journey with the EFCA, supporting the North Central District through her attention to detail and skill with numbers.

Dena Stromberg enjoys having a supportive role and is glad to use her administrative skills and attention to detail to serve as the Digital Communications Administrator. She grew up in the suburbs of the Twin Cities and attended the University of Northwestern Saint Paul. While attending there, she met her husband John, and they later went on to get married in 2013. They have been making Columbia Heights their home community since 2015 and in 2018 they were called to serve in Saint Anthony at Elmwood Church. She started motherhood in 2017 and now spends most of her days with their two young children, Chloe and Makenna, who always keep her on her toes. You will often find all three of them playing, laughing, reading, and exploring. As a family they enjoy the outdoors, their cat Kirby, and making people around them a part of their everyday lives. She is grateful to serve the district of churches through this role and with this amazing team of people who love and serve Christ.