Kendall Franklin
District Superintendent
kendall@ksnazarene.org
(316) 686-2332
Kendall Franklin was appointed Superintendent of the Kansas District Church of the Nazarene on February 1, 2024. At the time, he was serving as Lead Pastor at Woodland Lakes Community Church. Kendall’s passion is to encourage and equip people to live out the simple yet transformative calling to love God and love others.
Kendall is married to Denise, his partner in life and ministry. A pastor’s kid herself, Denise has embraced many roles—stay-at-home mom, paraprofessional, and certified doula (labor and delivery coach). Together, Kendall and Denise have three adult sons, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and six amazing grandchildren who bring them endless joy. They make their home in Wichita, along with their overly social dog, Baxter.
Kendall enjoys spending time with family, traveling (especially to the mountains or the beach), reading or watching great stories, following all kinds of sports, and occasionally hunting for his golf balls—his own version of an adult Easter egg hunt.
Over the years, Kendall has served in ministry as a youth pastor in Kansas and Oklahoma, and as a lead pastor in Kansas, Illinois, and Arizona. In Kansas, his journey began in Sublette as a youth pastor, and continued with lead pastorates in Cimarron, at Hutchinson First, and most recently, Woodland Lakes in Wichita. Both Kendall and Denise deeply love the people of Kansas and count it a privilege to serve alongside the many dedicated pastors and lay leaders across the district.
JAY BESSMER
DISTRICT SECRETARY
ksdistrictsecretary@gmail.com
(620) 662-1581
Pastor Jay Bessmer was appointed as the District Secretary in 2015. He is currently the Senior Pastor at Manhattan. Jay began his ministry at Hutch Bethany in September 2011 after relocating from Nebraska with his wife, Sarah, and their five children: TJ, Gracyn, Cailyn, McKenna, and Ashley. He served at Hutch Bethany until 2020, when he accepted the call to pastor at Manhattan.
Pastor Jay graduated from the Ministry Preparation Course of Study and was ordained as an Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. He has a strong desire to positively impact the lives within our community, and he continually seeks more effective ways to reach people for Christ.