Wally Starchenko is our Associate Pastor, with a key focus on leadership development and discipleship initiatives. He also leads our Kids Ministry raising up the next generation of Jesus followers.
He is happily married to his best friend Bec, and they have two handsome and energetic young boys, Noah and Josiah.
Wally is passionate about seeing people come into a life transforming relationship with Jesus, and finds it an absolute privilege to walk alongside people as they grow in Him.
Wally has served in a variety of pastoral roles since 2000, including as the youth, and young adults pastor at Narre Warren Baptist, and as senior pastor of Rowville Baptist.
Wally looks forward to seeing God lead and work in the years to come.
Usual Work Days: Mon to Thur & Sun
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We would love for you to come and say "Hi" in person on Sunday!
See you there!
STAFF
We are excited to introduce you to our Staff!
Luke Williams
Lead Pastor
Luke Williams is the Founding Lead Pastor at Follow Baptist Church — which is a fancy way of saying he’s been around since day one and still senses a calling to the role! He’s married to the beautiful Kim, his much better half, and together they have four amazing kids — Adele, Tayla, Anika, and Lenny — and recently he became a “Gramps” to an awesome little guy called Hugo.
Before stepping into full-time ministry, Luke was a qualified carpenter for over a decade. He’s now traded building houses for building people (and the occasional IKEA flatpack). His journey into ministry saw him serve as a Young Adult Pastor at Bayside Church and later as an Associate Pastor at Beaconsfield Baptist, where he sharpened his love for discipleship, community, and good coffee. In July 2015, Luke, Kim, and a faithful crew of leaders launched Follow — a church community passionate about following Jesus, blessing the neighbourhood, and seeing lives transformed by the power of the Gospel.
Luke leads with passion, a deep love for Jesus, and an unwavering desire to see people shaped into Jesus image and character— all while sneaking in a dad joke and a reference to StKilda FC whenever humanly possible.
Usual Work Days: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sun
Wally Starchenko
Associate Pastor & Kids Director
Sharyn Ling
Follow Bless Collective Community Care Manager
Sharyn Ling is the Community Care Manager at Follow Bless Collective, where her journey began as a volunteer many years ago.
With a background in Emergency Nursing, she brings practical experience to her role at Follow Bless Collective. She and her husband, Tse Sheng, are proud parents of five wonderful children and love spending quality time together as a family. Sharyn has recently discovered a love for sailing and enjoys being out on the water, learning new skills and embracing adventure.
Through her role at Follow Bless Collective, she works with a team of dedicated volunteers to bring community initiatives that offer hope and practical care to those facing challenging seasons.
This ministry is an opportunity to bring to life 1 Peter 4:10 and Sharyn is committed to helping others feel seen, supported and valued.
Usual Work Days: Mon to Fri
Jess Collins
Church Administrator
Jess is our Church Administrator and a joyful presence in the life of Follow Church. Since coming to faith in late 2020, she has wholeheartedly embraced the community and mission of the church. Passionate about Jesus and helping others come to know Him, Jess loves being part of the staff team.
She has a heart for discipleship, growing in her faith, and walking alongside others on their journey. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her two fur babies, Charlie and Millie, and is excited to be getting married in October!
Usual Work Days: Mon to Fri
Josiah Watson
Youth Pastor
Josiah is our Youth Pastor, heading up Follow Youth and multiple outreach programs in local schools.
Josiah is happily married to Naomi, both of them getting to serve together through the Worship Team and previously as fellow youth leaders.
Having completed the YD Internship in 2022 and as he continues his studies at Bible College, Josiah is passionate about seeing the next generation equipped and transformed for Jesus.
Usual Work Days: Mon, Tues & Fri
Darren Gower
Pastoral Care Director
Darren Gower is our Pastoral Care Director. Darren oversees a team of dedicated people who see to the pastoral needs of the Follow Baptist Church community. Darren has worked in this field of Pastoral Care for over 20 years and has a heart to see people's lives restored through the power of prayer and the compassion and love of God.
Usual Work Days: Tues
Owen Prout
Youth Engagement & YBAC
Owen oversees leadership development amongst our youth and young adults at Follow. A new program called YBAC (Youth, Bible, Action and Character) picks up on three essential elements of Christian leadership as seen in its name.
Owen is married to Lynda and has three adult children who all attend and serve at Follow. He has been in full-time Christian ministry since 1997 and currently divides his time between heading up Outreach ministries at Youth Dimension and Follow.
He recently finished 12 years as Senior Pastor at St Luke’s in Cockatoo.
The last word goes to his two other distractions – his 1965 Valiant and the St Kilda Football club. Both provide equal doses of fun and frustration!
Usual Work Days: Fri
Senior Leadership Team
Meet our Oversight Team
Luke Williams
Lead Pastor
I'm in ministry because I believe Jesus is the hope of the world and the church is the vehicle God uses to grow His Kingdom. I love seeing people come to know Christ and continually grow in Him. I passionately believe Officer should be a better place because Follow exists!
Peter Coburn
Hi, I’m Peter Coburn. Committed my life to Jesus in 1986, Hubby to Judith, Dad to a son, a daughter and son-in-law who blessed me with 3 wonderful Grandchildren that call me Grandpa! Worked in Corporate Computing and have run my own business. Served as a Pastor and served in several Not-For-Profit organisations (still do). Currently working full-time in the Energy industry. Love Jesus, love His Church, love Life, love doing the best I can with what I have…. Oh, and model trains.
Vijay Remalli
Hi, I'm Vijay Remalli. I came to know Jesus as my Saviour in 1984. I'm married to Aprile and have been blessed with 2 sons. I work in an engineering products manufacturing firm. We've been living in Australia since 2002 and joined Follow Church in 2018. I have a passion for being a bridge person between different cultures/ethnicities and hope to serve the community and the body of Christ to bring glory to His name.
Jen Clement
Hello, I’m Jen and I’ve been following Jesus since I was 7 years old. Hailing from Scotland, my husband Paul and I felt God prompting us to move to Australia in 2012. As well as better weather, through that move we have seen God move in our lives, and the lives of others, as we follow Him and join in what He is doing in the life of the local church. I currently work as a public servant but have a background in the youth, education and community sectors. Paul and I also lead the Worship Team here at Follow.
Lynda Prout
Hi everyone! I’m Lynda Prout, married to Owen & we have 3 children. I currently work for Youth Dimension whose motto is ‘Giving a generation hope’. Through serving the local church, we want to see young people come to know & be impacted by the love of Jesus. I love reading books, especially the Fantasy/Sci Fi genre & am ruled by our dog ‘Rigby’ who is a Brussels Griffon. I love Follow’s heart to connect with and serve in the local community in order to see people come to know Jesus! From my experience, there’s no other way to do life!
Leanne Green
Hi, I'm Leanne. I became a follower of Jesus in my early teens. My faith has continued to grow through many life experiences, and I am still learning to accept God's guidance today. I’ve lived, worked, and volunteered overseas with aid agencies and mission organizations serving amongst some of the world's most marginalized people, and more recently in the aged care and disability sectors. My passion is to share God’s love in practical ways and encourage others to trust Him for whatever the need is. I love caring for my 3 granddaughters, assisting my elderly parents, walking our little labradoodle, and sometimes even enjoying a coffee with my husband Denis!
Anthony Wilson
Hi, I'm Anthony. I grew up in a Christian home and was baptized and confirmed in the Anglican church. I studied at Tabor College and worked at Safeway and Telstra before joining Bytecraft/PRG, the world’s largest live production provider. I am now the General Manager of Mozaix, an Audio Visual integration company for Schools, Businesses and Churches. I have lived in several different places over the years, including Frankston and Boronia. I met my wife while working on a Young Life camp in NSW.
Tony Ham
Hi, My name is Tony Ham and as a child I was blessed to be born into a Christian home growing up attending Sunday school and church from an early age.
I confessed my personal faith in a Jesus Christ at the age of 12 and strive to be more Christ like, every day.
I am married to my beautiful wife, Margaret, have 3 children and 8 grandchildren all of whom attend church weekly.
My passions in life are family, sport and travel and I love being part of the Follow family here in Pakenham/Officer.
Ministry Directors
Jen Clement
Worship
Paul Clement
Worship
Kim Williams
Mainly Music
Josiah Watson
Media I Youth
Heather Bricknell
Welcoming
Paul Williams
Men's Ministry
Jenni Williams
Special Events I Follow Ons
Karin Motramm
Hospitality
Judith Coburn
Coffee Cart
Steven Listopad
Life Groups
Lynda & Owen Prout
Young Adults
Glenn Bellingham
Finance & Treasurer
Mel Kercheval
Women's Ministry
Operations Team
Jim Bilson
Set Up / Pack Up
Anthony Wilson
Technical Director
Jen Clement
Safe Church
Kass Taylor
First Aid