Leadership

Pastors & Staff

Joe Payne

Senior Pastor

Joe joined our staff in the fall of 2010, and began serving as our Senior Pastor in January, 2013. Pastor Joe has been a solo Pastor or a Senior Pastor in General Baptist Churches in Missouri and Arkansas since 1988. Joe holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies, a M.A. in Theology, and is passionate about helping people discover and apply Biblical principles. Joe and his wife, Melonie, have been married since 1989 and have two children, Moriah and Josiah. Melonie is a Real Estate Broker with Smith-Payne Realty in Dexter.

Greg Stevens

Associate Pastor

Greg joined the staff at Liberty Hill in December of 2017. Greg is a southeast Missouri native and has served as a pastor, youth pastor, and music minister in Stoddard County since 1993. Greg has a Bachelor of Music degree in instrumental music from the University of Memphis, and a Master of Ministry degree from Baptist Bible Seminary. Greg loves to help people know and experience the grace that God offers through Jesus. Greg married his wife Penny in 1998. Penny is a librarian at Bloomfield Schools. They have two children, Benjamin and Sarah.

Shawn Cook

Student Ministries Pastor

Shawn and his wife Emily attended and served in Liberty Hill for several years before Shawn announced his call into the ministry and accepted the position as our Student Ministries Pastor in 2020 for his first ministry role. Shawn graduated from Bernie High School, and went on to graduate Southeast Missouri State University with studies in secondary education and criminal justice. Emily is an elementary school teacher with the Malden school district. They have two children, Eleanor and Ezra.   

Brandon Horton

Pivot Ministries Director

Brandon and his wife, Haley, have been a part of our Liberty Hill family since 2018. Brandon and his wife began volunteering with The Hub and worship team shortly after making Liberty Hill their home. Brandon joined our staff as Pivot Middle School Ministry Director in July 2022. Brandon is a Loan Officer at Southern Bank, and his wife is a licensed mental health counselor. Brandon and Haley have been married since 2017 and they have one son, Elliott.

Brittany Alsup

Children's Ministry Director

Brittany and her husband Jared have been a part of life at Liberty Hill since 2014. Brittany  joined our staff as Children’s Ministry Director in April, 2021. Brittany began serving as a volunteer leader in our children's ministry shortly after making Liberty Hill her home, and has long since been passionately involved in serving children.  She and Jared have been married since 2012, and they have four children: Silas, Isla, Elsie, and Rigsby.

Paul Pierce

Worship Leader

Paul and his family made Liberty Hill their church home in 2016 after moving back to the area from Nashville, Tennessee. Paul has been in worship music and ministry since he was 10 years of age, when he began playing drums as his father led worship. Paul has extensive experience traveling as a worship leader for special events, ministry teams, and churches, and has also served as a worship pastor. He has worked in both the christian and country music industries, but leading worship is his strongest passion. Paul met his wife Amanda when he was a student at Southwest Baptist University, and they now have two children, Marley and Gavin.

Chris Wunderlich

Administrative Pastor

Chris and his wife Sheryl have been a part of our Liberty Hill family since 2010, and have continually served as highly dedicated volunteers in numerous roles. In 2018, Chris began pursuing a call into ministry and began serving with our staff on a volunteer basis.  He has a Master of Theological Studies degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and he is employed as IT Manager at WW Wood Products. Chris and Sheryl have two children,  Adeline and Ansley.

Stephanie Farmer

Office Manager

Stephanie and her family  made Liberty Hill their church home in 2021, and soon began serving as our Office Manager. Stephanie graduated from Bloomfield, and her husband Allen graduated from Dexter, and they returned to our area in 2021 after living out of state for many years. Stephanie has a passion for serving others and her organizational abilities are a tremendous help to our Church staff and family. Her husband Allen works as a Software Engineer, and they have four children;  Chloe, Sheldon, Kaydee, and Isabella.

Tyler Lasater

Technical Director

Tyler and his wife April have been a vital part of Liberty Hill since they began attending in 2006. Over the years he has faithfully served as a volunteer on our audio-video team, and presently serves as the Technical Director for our worship services. A lifelong Dexter native, Tyler works hard at making sure our audio, visual, and lighting systems provide a seamless experience for our worship services both online and in-person. He and April have two children, Brooke and Austin.

Katy Tarbutton

"Equip" Director

Katy is the director of our newly-formed "Equip" after-school ministry, which will launch soon. Katy and her husband Greg have been married since 2005, which is also when she became an elementary school teacher. Katy is a native of Bloomfield, and a graduate of Arkansas State University. She and her husband Greg have two children, John Parker and Reese.

Ron Williams

Senior Adults Pastor

Ron Williams grew up in the community of Aid, and Liberty Hill Church was his childhood church home. Ron entered into the ministry in 1966, and pastored churches in Missouri until retiring in 2010. Over the course of his ministry, Ron attended Hannibal-Lagrange University, and Southwest Baptist Bible college. Ron and his wife are invaluable members of our Liberty Hill community, and their love for the church shows in the many ways they serve!