MEET Our TEAM

Shane Hicks has been the Pastor of our church since 2019. He led the restart of what was the historic First Baptist Church of Downey as Legacy Church of Downey in 2020.  Shane has served in pastoral ministry since 2003. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies from California Baptist University, a Master of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Business Administration from Western Governor’s University, and is completing his Doctor of Ministry from Gateway Seminary. He is also certified in Christian Behavioral Science.

Shane loves nothing more than spending time with his wife, Whitney, who he married in 2013, and their son, Jesse, who was born in 2017. Their daughter, Emery, will be born in June of 2023. Together, they love amusement parks, camping,, adventuring across California, and being with their friends, and dogs, cat, chickens, and guinea pigs.

Shane could live off of chips and salsa,  hot chicken, and sparkling ice drinks. He was once a singer and guitarist in different bands, and you might occasionally see him playing with our praise team. He is convinced that all the best music came from the 90s and early 00s, and he can't believe his favorite songs are now on the oldies stations.

Whitney Hicks has served alongside Pastor Shane since 2010 through four prominent churches and several different ministry roles. Whitney earned two Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and English, and a Masters in Counseling Psychology from California Baptist University.

Whitney has a passion for seeing women, youth, and kids deepen their understanding of God’s word. Even more, she is gifted in discernment and is well-equipped to help believers discern truth from heresies. She has served as one of the moderators of one of the largest Christian social media groups for women, overseeing tens of thousands of participants.

Whitney homeschools Jesse, and plans on homeschooling Emery. She is committed to ensuring her children will grow up under a Christians educational plan. 

Mark has served in ministry for over 40 years, with many of those years dedicated to building one of the largest churches in California. He is the President, Chairman and Executive Director at Prison Ministry of America and Second Chance Recovery. Mark is a Certified Counselor, holds a B.A. and two Masters, one in Counseling, and the other in Theology, and a Doctorate in Theology from Bethany Theology Seminary.

Mark has worked / served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 20 years. For 18 of those years, Mark served as a Contracted Administrator for Religious and Volunteers Services, overseeing 23,000 custody inmates and a chaplaincy staff of 65 and 3,000 volunteer, with four secretaries and two sworn deputies.

Mark has been married to Patricia since 1982. Together, they have traveled and served in ministry around the world.

Doug has served in ministry for over 20 years in the Inland Empire, and with our church since close to our beginning. Doug and Shane have known each other for over a decade, having started serving together at one of California's megachurches in 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Theology from California Baptist University, and a Master of Educational Leadership from Gateway Seminary.

Doug is not only on our pastoral team; he is a revitalization pastor with the Southern Baptist Convention. He specializes in leading churches to establish present and future health through intentional interim ministries. His leadership can be credited for saving several churches.

Doug married Sherri in 1992, who partners with him through all his ministries.

Autumn has been a part of our church long before it became what it is now. In other words, she joined the church when it was Downey First Baptist at the age of 5, and has been here ever since. She has been an integral part of the church's relaunch as Legacy Church of Downey.

Autumn earned an Associate Degree in Liberal Studies from Cerritos College, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with emphases in Public Administration and Finance from Liberty University,  and she is completing a Master of Science in Management and Leadership  from Western Governor's University.

Autumn has served Los Angeles County since 2008 as a Courts Operations Manager. She married Ray in 2012, and together they serve around the church with their many children.