Lead Pastor & Founder
Pastor Shane Blackledge is the Founder and Lead Pastor of Cultivate Church in St. Charles, Missouri. His life is a powerful testimony of God's redeeming grace, restoration, and purpose.
After years of battling addiction, incarceration, and a life headed in the wrong direction, Shane encountered Jesus Christ and experienced a radical transformation. What the enemy intended for destruction, God used for His glory. Through the power of the Gospel, biblical discipleship, recovery, and the work of the Holy Spirit, Shane found freedom, healing, and a new identity in Christ.
Today, Shane is passionate about reaching the lost, discipling believers, equipping leaders, and helping people discover their God-given purpose. Alongside his wife, Pastor Amber Blackledge, he planted Cultivate Church with a vision to create a church that is both a hospital for the broken and a training center for disciples who are called, equipped, and sent into their communities.
Shane is an author, speaker, church planter, prison ministry leader, and founder of Kingdom-Minded Ministries and You Are Not Forgotten, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving individuals and families impacted by incarceration, addiction, homelessness, and poverty. He has helped launch recovery ministries, disciple-making initiatives, and prison ministries throughout Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois.
Shane is the author of From Prison to Purpose, Overcoming Codependency, The Prophetic Life, Kingdom Recovery, and other discipleship and ministry training resources. His books and teachings have been used in churches, prisons, recovery programs, discipleship groups, and outreach ministries to help people find healing, freedom, purpose, and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
Whether preaching from a pulpit, ministering behind prison walls, serving those experiencing homelessness, or sharing the Gospel on the streets, Shane's mission remains the same: to see people encounter Jesus, experience transformation, and become fully devoted disciples who impact their families, communities, and the world for the Kingdom of God.
Shane believes that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace and that every person has a purpose. His life message is simple: Jesus still saves, heals, delivers, restores, and sends ordinary people to do extraordinary things for His glory.
Children’s Director & Family Pastor
Pastor Amber Blackledge serves as the Children’s Director and Family Pastor of Cultivate Church in St. Charles, Missouri. She is a passionate follower of Jesus who carries a deep burden to see individuals and families encounter God's love, experience healing, and walk in their God-given purpose.
Amber plays a vital role in the leadership of Cultivate Church, overseeing children's ministry, family ministry, discipleship, and outreach initiatives. She is committed to creating environments where children, youth, and families can grow in their faith, develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and become lifelong disciples.
Known for her compassion, authenticity, and unwavering faith, Amber has a special heart for those who are hurting, overlooked, and searching for hope. Whether ministering in churches, prisons, jails, nursing homes, recovery settings, or on the streets, she faithfully shares the love of Jesus and encourages people to discover the freedom and restoration found in Him.
Alongside her husband, Pastor Shane Blackledge, Amber has helped launch and support recovery ministries, prison ministries, and outreach efforts throughout Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois. She previously served as a state representative for Celebrate Recovery in Iowa, helping churches and correctional facilities establish Christ-centered recovery programs that continue to impact lives today.
Amber is especially passionate about strengthening families, equipping parents, mentoring women, and raising up the next generation of believers. Her desire is to see children, youth, and families rooted in God's Word, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and equipped to live out their faith in everyday life.
Whether teaching children, praying with families, serving the community, or discipling others one-on-one, Amber's mission is simple: to help people encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and experience the transforming power of God's love.
Amber has also served as a state representative for Celebrate Recovery in Iowa alongside her husband, helping to plant Celebrate Recovery programs in churches and prisons across Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. She plays a vital role in mentoring women and raising up the next generation through teaching and discipling kids, youth, and families at Cultivate Church.
Her life and ministry are marked by authenticity and a desire to see people of all ages set free and walking in their God-given identity.