Please welcome Gary Hein to our
Cherry Creek Team as Executive Pastor!
Gary Hein comes to us after 22 years in leadership with Littleton Public Schools. We are thankful for
the lessons he has gained from leading, mentoring, and managing a large school (with 740 students,
80 staff, $4.2 million dollar yearly budget). Gary has also served in several ministry roles, both professionally and as a volunteer. Gary has unique talents in working with both people and systems. His
spiritual gifts include leadership, encouragement, organization, and generosity.
Gary grew up in a farming community in Iowa as the son of a veterinarian. He came to know Jesus
through the Navigators at Iowa State University (he earned a B.S. in Biology). After college, he was
called to serve as a missionary in the atheistic, socialistic, post-modern country of Yugoslavia. After
serving for four years in Yugoslavia, Gary did graduate studies at Colorado Christian University,
where he earned a Master's degree in Biblical Counseling. After completing his degree, Drs. Larry
Crabb and Dan Allender selected Gary for a one-year graduate advanced training mentorship in Biblical Counseling. During this time, he met and married his wife, Susan. Susan has ties to CCPC, as she
was a member of FOCUS singles under a young Brad Strait. After their first year of marriage, they
returned to the war-torn Balkans to continue as missionaries in Croatia.
A few years later, Gary and Susan returned to Colorado with a new son. It was at this time that Gary
was recruited to his career in school leadership. Gary has served as Assistant Principal of Newton
Middle School and Sierra Middle School, and Principal of Euclid Middle School. He has been a key
player in the LPS Leadership Initiatives and “Best Practices” committees, and his school created the
“Every Student a Leader” program.
In talking with his staff, people note that Gary is deeply respected and valued. He is a team player
who is approachable, trustworthy, and given to “straight talk.”
Gary and Sue were members of South Fellowship Church, in Littleton, for nineteen years. There,
Gary served as an Elder on Session for eight years, and was selected as Board President and Clerk of
Session. In this roll, Gary helped develop a ministry coffee shop and child-care center, led several
church search committees, oversaw the budget and
finance processes, and gave leadership to South’s
prayer and outreach programs. Gary also serves as
a guest professor in Leadership at Denver Seminary. His wife of 24 years, Susan, is a professional,
licensed counselor and works out of her own office
in Centennial. His two children, Justin and Rebecca, are both in college. We welcome Gary and his
family to our staff.