Staff

  • Jerry Cellan | Lead pastor

    Jerry was raised in Indianola, Iowa where he thought sports were the most important thing in life—until he met Sue, a cheerleader. They were married right out of high school. It's pretty amazing that their marriage survived the first seven years because in college Jerry majored in philosophy and became an atheist. His life changed radically at the age of 25 when he became a committed follower of Jesus Christ. Jerry and Sue have 3 children and 4 grandchildren.


    Education Background:

    B.A. - Simpson College

    Th.M. - Dallas Theological Seminary

    Doctoral work - Trinity Evangelical Divinity School


    Ministry Experience:

    Associate Pastor (1981-86) - Martensdale Community Church, Martensdale, IA

    Senior Pastor (1986-2007) - LakeView Church, Stoughton, WI

    Church Planting (2008-Present) - The Bridge Church, Eau Claire, WI


    jerry@thebridgechurchec.org

  • Jon Peters | Pastoral intern

    Jon is a husband and father of four.  He is a graduate of UW-Madison (B.A. Business) and Dallas Theological Seminary (M.A. Cross Cultural Ministry).  He and his wife Holly are Wisconsin natives, but have also lived in Texas and Ireland (serving with Irish church planters at an evangelical church near Dublin), before returning to Eau Claire in 2011. 


    Since joining The Bridge, Jon has served by leading small groups, and on the church’s leadership team.   The experience of Holly’s recent cancer diagnosis and treatment in 2016, as their family was served and ministered to by the local church, greatly impacted his understanding of, and passion for, how God has called His church to minister and show Christ’s love.  


    Jon is currently a partner in a real estate investment company, but has taken a part-time leave to pursue a pastoral internship at The Bridge.  He believes the Gospel of Christ is the hope of the world, and the church of Christ is God’s primary way to live out and communicate the hope of that good news.  He enjoys traveling and new adventures with Holly; reading good stories and playing games with his kids; and time well spent with friends.


    jon@thebridgechurchec.org



  • Kim Bump | Director of Bridge Kids

    Kim Bump is a wife and mother of five kids. She and her husband Cameron have moved all over Wisconsin since their marriage 18 years ago. Kim has served in many aspects of church ministry over the years including being a Youth Director, Vacation Bible School coordinator, and Women's Ministry leader. She and her family have been at The Bridge since 2008.


    Kim graduated from UW-River Falls with a degree in Elementary Education. She enjoys time with family and friends, going on dates with Cameron, running, scrapbooking, and games.


    bridgekids@thebridgechurchec.org

  • Sue Cellan | Director of Growth Groups

    Sue began a personal faith journey with Jesus as a small child. One of her earliest dreams was to be married to a pastor. But she didn't take the most direct route to see that dream fulfilled. She married Jerry after high school graduation, and they struggled for seven years in a difficult marriage while raising a daughter, working, and attending college.


    During one of the darkest points in their marriage, Jerry, an outspoken atheist, did a 180 and embraced biblical Christianity. Sue and Jerry then began rebuilding their marriage and focusing their lives on a unified goal to "build Jesus' Kingdom" instead of their own. This goal has kept them committed to serving together in the local church since that time.


    As a pastor's wife, and the mom of three grown kids and four grandkids, life is never boring! Sue loves spending time with her husband, connecting with her kids regularly, and running with friends.


    sue@thebridgechurchec.org

  • Mike Minner | Director of Outreach

    Mike grew up in western Pennsylvania and met his wife Rachel in Colorado. She grew up in Wisconsin. After they got married and had two children, they moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family. Mike worked for ten years as a commercial electrician before going back to school and graduating with an associate's degree in Drug Counseling. He currently works full time as an Addictions Adviser at Hope Gospel Mission in Eau Claire. He has chosen to continue his education with Liberty University Online in order to pursue a Bachelor's in Religion and Christian Ministry.


    mike@thebridgechurchec.org

  • Josh Neal | Director of Student Ministries

    Josh was born in Muncie, IN and grew up in a non-Christian home. He came to faith in middle school as part of a youth group. He then went on to get a Bachelor's of Science in Marketing from Ball State University in 2011 and unfortunately stopped pursuing growth in his relationship with God since the start of his college career.


    Years later, in 2015, Josh moved to Wisconsin to work at Menards Corporate Headquarters and quickly began to feel something missing in his life that material possessions could not fill. His lovely wife Kim had become active at a local church called The Bridge Church. Through attending this church and diving into scripture he began to find fulfillment in his life and started to grow in his relationship with God. He strives to work with the youth in the church so that they can start a relationship with Jesus or continue to build on their relationship with Jesus, the same way he did as a teenager.


    studentministries@thebridgechurchec.org