Meet the Pastors
Pastor Don and Pam Cox
Pastor Don Cox
Pastor & Elder
From the cockpit of a Southwest Airlines jet to the pulpit of College Heights Church, Rev. Don Cox’s path has been anything but ordinary. Raised on a farm in rural Webster, Kentucky, Don worked as a machinist while earning an engineering degree and his 2nd Lieutenant bars through Air Force ROTC. He went on to serve as a U.S. Air Force pilot (retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Reserves) and fly for 25 years as a Southwest Airlines Captain.
He became a bi-vocational pastor in 2010, pastoring three congregations. In 2020, he stepped away from the flight deck to fully answer a call he had long resisted. At age 50, he entered seminary, completed his Master of Arts in Religion, and in 2021 began pastoring College Heights Church in Elizabethtown, Kentucky—a growing, Christ-centered congregation in the Global Methodist Church.
The best decision of his life, he says, was marrying his high-school sweetheart, Pam, in 1984. A retired chemistry teacher who now teaches the Bible, Pam and Don have three adult children and five young grandchildren. They still live in Elizabethtown, where Don’s lifelong love of flying has given way to a deeper purpose: preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Neil Janes
Pastor & Elder
From growing up as an Air Force chaplain’s son to answering his own call to ministry, Pastor Neil Janes’ path has been shaped by a life on the move and a clear vision of God's grace. Raised in Kentucky, California, Japan, New Jersey, and North Carolina, Neil developed an early appreciation for different cultures and communities. Though he came to faith as a child, it was during his time at Campbell University—where he met his wife and best friend, Hope—that he fully embraced his calling to pastoral ministry.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1999, Neil went on to earn a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2005. He spent over two decades serving in the United Methodist Church before becoming an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church. Today, Neil is passionate about co-pastoring College Heights Church alongside his great friend, Pastor Don Cox, where together they focus on reaching people with the love of Jesus and creating a community where everyone can belong, grow, and discover their purpose.
At the heart of Neil’s ministry is a desire to connect God’s Word to everyday life—helping people see that following Jesus isn’t just about Sunday morning, but about how we live throughout the week. Outside of ministry, Neil’s greatest joy is his family. He and Hope have two daughters, Addison and Stella. When he’s not at church, you’ll likely find Neil enjoying family cookouts, golfing, hiking with Hope, or cheering on his daughters at their volleyball games.
Pastor Neil and Hope Janes