Travis Ferguson
Travis Ferguson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church & School in La Mesa, California, where he has served since January 2019. Prior to that, he served as Associate Pastor at both Christ Lutheran in La Mesa and Grace Lutheran Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In addition to parish ministry, Pastor Travis has extensive experience in chaplaincy. He has served as a police and fire chaplain for agencies in Missouri and Tennessee, and since 2014, he has been a Chaplain in the United States Air Force. From July 2021 to January 2022, he deployed to the Middle East in support of Operations INHERENT RESOLVE, SPARTAN SHIELD, ENDURING SENTINEL, and ALLIES REFUGE—the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in American history.
His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Armed Forces Service Medal with one service star, Humanitarian Service Medal, and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal with one service star.
Beyond his pastoral and military service, Pastor Travis serves on the Board of Directors for the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego, which helps churches connect with their local communities. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Behavioral Science from Concordia University, Seward (NE), and a Master of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (MO). He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Concordia Seminary.
He and his wife, Amy, have been married since 2015 and are the proud parents of two energetic sons, Luca (7) and Levi (4), who keep life very… busy.
Jessica Minahan
Jessica Minahan, Ph.D., BCBA, LABA, is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, author, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally. Since 2000 she has worked with students who struggle with mental health issues and challenging behavior in public school systems. She specializes in training staff and creating behavior intervention plans for students who demonstrate explosive and unsafe behavior. She also works with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, trauma histories, and Autism. Her particular interest is to serve these students by combining behavioral interventions with a comprehensive knowledge of best practices for those with complex mental health profiles and learning needs.
​
She is a blogger on The Huffington Post, the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students with Nancy Rappaport (Harvard Education Press, 2012), and the author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors (Harvard Education Press, 2014).
​
She holds a Ph.D. in Education from Lesley University, a BS in Intensive Special Education from Boston University, and a dual master’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Wheelock College. She has a certificate of graduate study (CGS) in teaching children with Autism from the University of Albany and received her BCBA training from Northeastern University in Boston. She is sought-after internationally to speak on subjects ranging from effective interventions for students with anxiety to supporting hard-to-reach students in full-inclusion public school settings.
Dr. Wes Beavis
Dr. Wes Beavis, has served for decades as a pastor in the United States and Australia. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in helping ministry leaders navigate the leadership journey. He has clinical expertise in diagnosing and treating the symptoms of burnout, depression, anxiety and helping people transform negative stress into positive stress.
Dr. Wes has authored the book Let’s Talk About Ministry Burnout, which was written to help ministry leaders understand the importance of staying mentally healthy. Wes’ interests include running marathons, traveling, and creating content for his YouTube channel Making Life Better with Dr. Wes Beavis.
Wes is married to Dr. Ellie Beavis (Vice Principal of Student Wellness - Crean Lutheran High School). Together they have two grown sons, both of whom are graduates of Crean Lutheran High School.
