Members
First and foremost, our team at Gateway Church Downtown is the members. A church is nothing less than a gathering of Christians devoted to one another and their Savior. You don’t have to be a member to attend Gateway, but there’d be no Gateway without our members. To learn more about membership, visit our membership page.
Elders
Elders serve by leading (and lead by serving) with particular emphasis on the spiritual care of the congregation. An “elder” in the Bible is better known today as a “pastor.”
Chris Schwab
Chris is Lead Pastor at Gateway Church Downtown. He came to Gateway in 2015 after nearly a decade in pastoral ministry in Cleveland, Ohio. As Lead Pastor, he takes particular responsibility for the preaching ministry and vision-casting of Gateway. Chris graduated from Taylor University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Along with enjoying his wife, Sarah, and four boys, Chris is an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs, loves music, and enjoys biking along the Ohio & Erie Canalway towpath.
Ryan Miller
Ryan is an Ohio native who graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Kent State University. He came to Gateway Church right after college, after moving to Cleveland for a job. He met his wife, Abhigna, a couple of years later, when she started to attend Gateway, as well. They live in Ohio City and enjoy being part of the Cleveland community. Ryan is a lay elder at Gateway and works full-time for Sherwin Williams. He enjoys cooking a good meal, and spending time hanging out with friends.
Rollin Varness
Rollin is transplant from north central Illinois. He and his wife, Gloria, relocated to Cleveland in 2019 to be near family. A graduate of Concordia College and VanderCook College of Music, Rollin spent decades teaching music in the public school system. He has a passion for missions, having served internationally in both long-term and short-term capacities, and relishes time with his two children and four grandchildren.
Deacons
"Deacon" is a biblical term for those who have special responsibility for serving the church body. Our deacons typically provide organization and basic oversight to ministries that help our congregation carry out its mission.
Abhigna Kolisetty
Connections/ Hospitality
Grace Rybak
Administration
Jameson Lowery
MUSIC AND SINGING
LIZZ MOST
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Caleb Weaver
A/V Technologies
Daniel Rice
Growth Groups
ASSISTANT
Lizz most
Lizz first began attending Gateway as a Kent State grad student in 2016 and has been with us throughout her corporate career serving in different ministries. She and her husband, Ben, are hoping to expand their family so Lizz left the field of architecture in 2023 to begin working in ministry full time. Outside of work, Lizz enjoys reading, running, sewing, and hiking with Ben and their dog, Cowboy.