John Sommerville first came to Wooddale Church in 1986. At the time, he worked in marketing for General Mills, where he held several positions, including as marketing manager for Cheerios and an international assignment in Switzerland.
During this time, John helped lead a young adult group at Wooddale and participated in several church task forces. In 1997, he joined the Wooddale staff, and in 2005, he was asked to serve as founding pastor of City Church in Minneapolis.
In 2021, he became CFO at the University of Northwestern, where he served until his retirement in 2025. He has also served on the boards of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Christianity Today. John has degrees from the University of Kansas (B.A.), Indiana University (M.B.A.) and Bethel Seminary (M.A. in Christian Thought).
John and his wife Kathy were among the first couples married in the (then) new Wooddale Worship Center in 1991 and are excited to be back at Wooddale. They have two married daughters and two grandchildren. In his free time, John enjoys reading, hiking, running and has completed six marathons.