Leadership

Mark joined the staff at The Ave as pastor in July of 2016. Prior to The Ave, Mark served as the Campus Pastor of Cross Church, a satellite campus of North Richland Hills Baptist Church, in Fort Worth, Texas. Over the course of 11 years of serving at NRHBC, Mark wore several different ministry hats including missions, evangelism, discipleship, and education. Growing up in Colleyville, Texas, Mark met Janet Emmons, his high school sweetheart. After attending Texas A&M University, Janet and Mark married at NRHBC in July of 2001. After graduation, Mark completed his Masters of Divinity at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in May, 2005. The Spence's are blessed to have adopted their first child, Parker, who was born in December of 2008. God further and surprisingly blessed the Spence family through the birth of their second son, Jonathan, on September 1, 2009. Mark graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in June of 2014 with a Doctor of Ministry in being awesome.

Eric joined the staff at The Avenue in September of 2023. Born and raised in Alabama, Eric moved to Colorado in 2012 to plant a church in Denver. Before this, Eric was the Minister to Students in Demopolis, AL from 2004-2012. Eric met his wife Amanda in college and they were married in 2001. Amanda and Eric have two children, Alex and Reagan. Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Samford University and Master of Arts in Christian Education from Southwester Baptist Theological Seminary.   

Katy joined the staff of The Avenue Church in August 2023. Born and raised in Clinton, Mississippi, she has been a resident of the Denver-metro area since 2017. She and her husband, Wendall, have been married since 2006 and have two daughters, Avery and Lucie. Katy is currently pursuing a Business Leadership degree at Spurgeon College in Kansas City, Missouri. She enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, and spectator sports in her free time. 

Crystal joined the staff at The Ave in April 2024. She has lived in Colorado for 13 years and has been attending The Ave since 2018.  Crystal married her husband, Travis, in 2003, and together, they have 6 children and 1 grandchild. Crystal was an Air Force spouse for 21 years, until Travis retired recently. She loves her family, serving others and children, showing them all the love of Christ.  She is passionate about her faith in Jesus and the opportunities that grow that relationship.   She is excited to be on the leadership team at The Ave. 

Katie joined The Avenue staff in June 2022. She is married to Daniel and has a daughter named Juliet. Katie is from a small town in Kansas but has lived in Colorado most of her life. As a kid Katie enjoyed working in her Grandfathers wood shop and helping with off jobs. After working in maintenance for 4 years, Katie has enjoyed becoming a jack of all trades. She enjoys working with her hands, being able to fix broken things, learning new skills, crafting, and listening to books.

Mandy joined The Avenue staff in June of 2019. Mandy is from a small town in Kansas and moved to Colorado in 1999. She has been a member of The Avenue Church since. Mandy is married to Kyle and they have a husky named Ivy. Mandy enjoys playing with her nieces and nephew, reading, writing, and watching horror movies.

Rachel joined the staff at The Ave in November of 2024. Rachel and her family have called Colorado home for the past three years and have been part of The Ave Church since their relocation. She and her husband, Matthew, have been married for a decade and are the proud parents of three children—Olivia, Andrew, and Owen. As a military family, their lives are full with homeschooling, work, and making the most of every opportunity to explore the beauty of Colorado. Rachel has a deep love for Jesus and a passion for helping children experience His love. In her spare time, she enjoys drinking coffee, solving puzzles, crafting, and baking everything sourdough!