Meet Our
Staff
Our dedicated leadership works together to shape a Christ-honoring vision and direction for Ellicott Baptist Church.
Pastor Bryce Johnson
Pastor Bryce Johnson surrendered to God’s call to preach at 18 years of age while at a teen camp following his high school graduation. He attended Heartland Baptist Bible College in Oklahoma City where He majored in Pastoral Theology and minored in Youth Ministries.
After graduating from college, he came to Ellicott Baptist Church and served on the leadership staff full-time for 6 years as the associate pastor. Three of those years he was given the opportunity to serve as the youth pastor as well. After 6 years as the associate pastor, in 2024 Ellicott Baptist Church called him to be the next pastor of the church.
Hannah and Bryce have known each other since they were children and were friends during their childhood years. Hannah grew up in Ellicott Baptist Church, and Bryce and his family started attending when Bryce was 10 years old.
After high school, Hannah and Bryce both attended Heartland Baptist Bible College and pursued God’s individual direction for their lives. During their Sophomore year of college, God started to move them from a friendship into a relationship. In their senior year they got engaged, and after graduation they were married on September 7th, 2018.
They truly enjoy the simple things in life like running errands together, watching shows together in the evenings, going on ice cream runs after church on Sundays, taking their dogs on walks, working on a puzzle together, and going on weekend getaways up to Breckenridge. Ultimately, what makes your life enjoyable isn’t just about what you do, it is also about who you are with. And for Bryce, he knows he has the best person to go through life with.
Assistant Pastor Ben Smith
Ben Smith grew up attending First Baptist Church of Englewood, Colorado. In the fourth grade, he transitioned from his church’s homeschool program into the public school system. Although he faced various hardships during his school years, it was the faithfulness of God and the steady influence of a caring youth pastor that made a lasting difference in his life.
Ben graduated high school in 2020 and was on track to to serve in the United States Marine Corps as a heavy equipment technician. However, during a summer camp retreat, God made it evident that He had other plans for his life. Ben forsook his desire to serve in the military and surrendered to go Heartland Baptist Bible College for a 4 year degree in Biblical studies.
In the following summer of 2021, while working at a Bible camp, Ben was saved. The next summer while working at camp, Ben recognized that God had used the challenges of his teenage years to give him a burden for young people. He continued serving in teen camps, sang in a music group, and interned under a pastor in Kansas.
In 2024, during his senior year, Ben surrendered to God’s call to preach. He graduated from college in 2025 and joined the staff of Ellicott Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Bryce Johnson in September of 2025.
Ben and Mady met during their sophomore year at Heartland Baptist Bible College. Mady grew up at Eastland Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the fall of that year, they began serving together on a school singing group. As they continued growing in their walk with the Lord, their friendship deepened, and God made it evident that they were supposed to marry.
They became engaged on Thanksgiving 2024 and were married the following May after graduation. Although they grew up in very different environments with different interests, they love spending time together. In Colorado, they enjoy driving and hiking in the mountains, working out, visiting thrift stores, watching shows, and eating In-N-Out. Life can be busy with Ben’s changing schedule, but they’ve learned to enjoy every moment together. They have found out that their adventures are more fun when you add in another companion, in their case, a golden retriever named Aspen!