Stephen Atherton was born and raised in Prescott, Arizona, where at the end of high school he decided to serve his country by joining the Air Force. During his time in service, Stephen met the love of his life, Jen. They were married a year after meeting, later having two incredible kids, Malachi and Amarah. After leaving the military, Stephen went on to work as an operations manager in the security world, play semi-professional football, and do the job of automation lead in the oil field.
Feeling the calling on his life to serve in full-time ministry, Stephen pursued Pastor Chris Schuett, who gave him the opportunity of a lifetime to serve as the Student Ministry Director at WCC in 2016. Since then, Stephen has been made a Pastor at WCC, continuing to serve in Student Ministry, adding the full operations of the church, WCC Kids ministry, and the Connect Collective. Stephen’s heart and desire is that every person who walks into WCC would hear the incredible good news that Jesus saves and restores. In his spare time, Stephen plays drums in a professional band, loves CrossFit, Christian Metal music, archery, bear hunting, and, most importantly, spending time with his family.