Pastoral Staff
Andy Cannon | Senior Pastor
Andy served on staff with Bear Valley Baptist Church of Lakewood while reaching out to the poor and oppressed in Denver until the church commissioned him to plant Open Door Fellowship in 1984. Andy has been preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ since he was 18 years old and still believes that the church is critical for people to be brought “all the way through” in their relationship with God. Andy’s passion for people, attention to the Bible, and deep desire to seek God’s power liberating people’s lives still compel him in ministry. Andy serves as the primary preaching pastor in the Sunday morning service. Andy is also a co-founder and housing director for the Providence Network and serves on several urban ministry boards and advisory councils.
Scott Abel | Administrative & Outreach Pastor
Scott grew up in a Christian family in Indiana. He moved here to be with his now wife Brenda of 39 years and graduated from the University of Colorado with a business degree. Scott has two children, Brittany 34 and Luke 30. During his career in IT Consulting sales Scott was afflicted with alcoholism and only by the grace and power of Jesus was restored to sobriety for 20 plus years.
After retiring from IT, Scott was on staff at a local church leading prayer ministry, missions outreach, Life Recovery, and men’s ministry before knowing that he was to serve at Open Door Fellowship. Scott’s hearts desire is to serve Jesus everyday by being an encourager and sharing his testimony of the power and love of Jesus with everyone. He wants to boldly encourage others in the transformational truth of the gospel through evangelism and prayer!
Garrett Hansen | Youth Pastor
Garrett Hansen grew up in a town of 500 people in rural Nebraska. After living the “farming life” as a kid, Garrett then moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended Grand Canyon University. There, Garrett graduated in 2026 with a degree in Behavioral Health Science. As Garrett works for Open Door Fellowship, he plans to integrate his degree with his passion to serve kids.
Garrett serves as the Youth Pastor for Open Door Fellowship and the Assistant Director for the Youth Center at Open Door Ministries. In these roles, Garrett strives to help youth find their passion for Christ and live with purpose. Garrett ultimately hopes to encourage and mentor the next generation as they grow in their faith and character.
Dale Platt | Minister of Congregational Care
Dale has been involved in ministry to disenfranchised people and those experiencing homelessness in urban Denver for the last 12 years. Dale and his wife Robin have been actively engaged at Bethany Evangelical Free Church in Centennial, during that entire time. Dale originally connected with Jesus Christ our Church (JCOC) who met on Saturday mornings at Open Door Fellowship Church. Serving breakfast and co-leading a Bible study after breakfast allowed Dale to build many relationships with friends who were part of Denver's homeless community. When ODM re-launched the Saturday morning breakfast as part of the "The Table" program in 2019, Dale continued his ministry to those experiencing homelessness and was invited by Open Door Fellowship to become a Pastoral Apprentice. Dale is a certified Stephen Minister where he comes alongside individuals for the purpose of care and encouragement. Dale has a heart "as big as all outdoors" and feels privileged to be able to minister as part of Open Door Fellowship Church.
Paul Sheppard | Associate Pastor
Paul is from Minnesota, but also spent 11 years of his youth here in Denver, Colorado. Paul accepted Christ and was baptized at 7 years old. He moved here after graduating from Moody Bible Institute in 2005 and met his wife Laura at ODF/ODM. They have been married for 18 years and have four children. In his free time, Paul enjoys skiing, snowboarding, basketball, camping, paddleboarding, fly fishing, and spending time in the mountains with his family.
Paul serves as the Chief Program Officer for Open Door Ministries and has been on-staff in various capacities for over 15 years. He has attended ODF for 21 years, serving as an elder and playing bass and guitar on the worship team. Laura is the Director of Crafted, a ministry of ODM serving the disabled community in Denver. Paul has a deep passion and love for the Church and serves in many capacities within the ODF community. He loves connecting with individuals, making them feel welcome, helping them find ways to utilize their gifting, and get plugged into the church community. Paul enjoys serving wherever help is needed.