Elders
Risen Life Church is an elder-led, staff-driven church. Our church members participate in many ways in the governing of our church, including nominating members for elders and the Church Leadership Team (CLT). We ask the congregation for nominations of men who meet and demonstrate the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
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Elders are constitutionally charged with the responsibilities to:
- Establish Vision
- Set Doctrine
- Bring Correction
- Ensure Pastoral Care of the Body
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The elders then hand to the staff the responsibility of carrying out the vision of the church, in line with the established doctrine, through the various ministries of the church.
Alex Adema
Alex began serving with the Risen Life Team in a part-time capacity as the Executive Pastor for three years shortly after moving to Salt Lake City with his family in 2015 for a marketplace opportunity. Alex has since transitioned to serving in a new role as a lay elder at Risen Life. He leads a manufacturing company in the Salt Lake Valley. Before moving to Utah, Alex was a co-founding member of a church planting team in his beloved hometown of Buffalo, NY where he served as Executive Pastor and Elder for seven years. Alex has served in a number of other lay capacities with his wife Jennifer in local church planting, community economic development outreach, and international relief work.
ALFRED BEST (BUCK) BUCHANAN
U. S. Navy, 1957 – 1965, Aviation Electronic Technician 2nd Class
Texas Tech University, BBA (Human Resources)
Southern Methodist University, MBA
Bible Teacher in churches in Texas and Utah 35 years
Human Resource Professional in the Aerospace Industry. Last 11 years Bi-vocational Pastor. 17 years Interim pastor in Utah, Montana and Wyoming
Elected Elder for Risen Life Church, 2019
Jared Jenkins
Jared joined the Risen Life Church staff in 2012 and currently serves as the Senior & Teaching Pastor. Jared is also one of the six Elders of Risen Life Church. Jared holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Gateway Seminary, a M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a B.S. in business management from the University of Utah.
Jared has a gifting and passion for teaching and preaching the Word of God and regularly does so at Risen Life and other church plants in the Valley. Jared is also one of the founding members of the Salt Lake School of Theology where he teaches Old Testament. Jared and his wife Amie were married in 2002 and together they have four kids. In his spare time, Jared loves to enjoy all the outdoor recreation Utah has to offer. His favorites activities include rock climbing, skiing, running, hiking, and reading.
MIKE KIRBY
Mike and his wife Alison joined Risen Life in 2018 and became members in 2021. Mike was born and reared in Florida, living first in Orlando and then Tallahassee. He attended Florida State University for his undergraduate degree (Applied Mathematics and Computer Science), and then went on to Brown University (Providence, RI) where he earned an Sc.M. in Applied Mathematics, an Sc.M. in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics. He joined the University of Utah as a faculty member in 2002, and is currently a Professor in the Kahlert School of Computing. He and Alison have three children (Christian, Caleb, and Melody) and are currently foster parents.
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Mike came to the Lord while in Children’s Church at Pine Hills Baptist Church (Florida) and has not turned back since then. God has blessed Mike with broad interests in theology, church history, and philosophy, and with giftings in teaching and administration. In 2021, Mike returned to school, attending the Salt Lake School of Theology (SLST) branch of Gateway Seminary. He finished a Master of Theological Essentials (M.T.E.) degree in 2023. Mike is passionate about empowering and equipping others for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:12).
Tono Rodriguez
Tono’s ministry partnership with Risen Life began over a decade ago after the church’s first mission trip to Guatemala, where Tono grew up and served God his whole life. He has a passion for sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with people through teaching & discipleship, outreach & service and music. Tono has served as Worship Pastor, Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor, and Multimedia Director at his former home church in Guatemala over the past 20 years. Feeling a missionary call, God brought he and his family to Utah in 2021.
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Tono and his wife, Courtney, were married in 2007 and have three children; Benjamin, Megan and Allison. As a bilingual family, their desire is to impact the community with the powerful message of the Gospel through service and outreach. Tono enjoys playing music, running and spending time with his family in the beautiful creation of Utah.
