Risen Life Staff
Risen Life church is staff-driven. This means the elders give the staff vision and direction, and charge them with carrying out the work of the church in line with the vision.
Ministry Staff
Jared Jenkins
Senior Pastor & Elder
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.
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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.
Tono Rodriguez
Missions & Iglesia Risen Life Pastor & Elder
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.
Sean Patrick
Worship & Men’s Minister
Sean started in ministry at Risen Life in 2000, first as an intern with the youth ministry, then as Youth Pastor. He became Worship Pastor in 2008. Sean has a B.S. in Speech Communications from the University of Utah. Sean and his wife Rachael are blessed with their daughters Anna, Bailey, and Claire. He can often be found cheering on the Utes, Red Sox, Real Salt Lake, Utah Jazz, and the Denver Broncos. He seeks to lift up and glorify Christ, and to equip and encourage others to do the same. Using the Word, music, and the arts, he seeks to create a culture of worship and outreach at Risen Life.
Shelley Cadmus
Children & Women’s Minister
Shelley joined the Risen Life staff as the Children and Families Minister in March 2021. She and her husband, Arthur, were both born and raised in Texas, married in 1993, and have 2 grown children, Colby and Addie. Shelley has a B.A. in Childhood Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master’s in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has taught in the public school system and been involved in Children’s Ministry for over 25 years.
Shelley has a passion for teaching and leading kids to know and love Jesus from a young age – growing the Church from the inside as well as reaching the community with the message of the Gospel. She understands the Biblical command in Deuteronomy 6 to diligently teach our children as we live life and is committed to resource and support parents and grandparents in this endeavor.
Ben Sutton
College Minister
Ben joined Risen Life Church in 2024 and serves as the College Minister. Ben is working on his Ph.D. in Evangelism and Apologetics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Human Communication from the University of Northern Colorado.
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Ben has worked in college ministry for many years. He directs the college ministry, Christian Challenge, at the University of Utah. He and his wife, Maggie, love college ministry and desire to share the gospel, disciple students, and send them out for a lifetime of ministry.
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Ben loves to bird-watch, read, and fish in his spare time. He and Maggie also love coffee and video games. They often drink coffee and play video games together.
Josh Jost
Youth Minister
Josh has been on staff since October 2013. He has been in youth ministry since 2010 and is passionate about seeing youth following Jesus. He and Rachel have been married since 2012 have three amazing kids Cal Nolan and Jolie. Josh has been a follower of Christ from a young age and grew to love youth ministry through his dad who was a youth pastor for 20 years. Josh also enjoys the outdoors such as mountain biking, BMX, camping, swimming, and playing basketball.
Aaron Jett
Jr. High Minister
Aaron joined the staff in 2023 as the children’s ministry intern. He was raised in New Mexico and Texas and moved to Salt Lake in February of 2023. He has a desire to live a godly life, and a passion for connecting with people of all ages and showing them who Jesus is. He is a leader in both middle and high school youth groups, and a leader in the 4th/5th grade class. He is also a server at Porcupine Pub and Grill and works in the ski school at Canyons Village Mountain Resort in the winter. In his free time he enjoys backpacking, hiking, biking, snowboarding, working out, reading, and listening to music.
Phil hirz
Executive Minister
Phil joined the Risen Life Church staff in 2024 as the part-time Executive Pastor. Phil and his wife Melinda were married in 2004 and together they have three kids; Alyssa, Emily, and Joshua. Phil and his family moved to Utah in 2012 and have been attending Risen Life since 2017. During that time Phil has served in children’s ministry, men’s ministry, community groups, the worship band, and Iglesia Risen Life. Phil is passionate about teaching and discipleship and he leads several small groups.
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Phil also works as an electrical engineer at L3Harris. Phil has a B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and he is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Essentials (MTE) from the Salt Lake School of Theology (Gateway Seminary). In his spare time, Phil enjoys woodworking, playing guitar, reading, and spending time outdoors camping, hiking, and mountain biking.
Angela Johnston
Children's Ministry Associate
Angela is excited to serve with Children’s Ministry here at Risen Life. She and her husband Jeremiah have been attending and serving alongside the church community since 2018, which has included teaching in Children’s Ministry. Angela has a background in Speech Language Pathology, working with preschool and school-aged kids, and has formal Biblical training. She wants each child to know that they are deeply valued and important because God made them and has a purpose for them.
Kelsey Conroy
Connections & Finance Associate
Kelsey has been a member of Risen Life since 2011 and serves as Connections Minister and oversees the RLC Orphan Care ministry. She grew up in California’s Central Valley and received a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Kelsey and her husband Andy endured L.A. traffic for a time but dreamed of a quieter life with bigger mountains and a shorter commute – they made a run for Utah as soon as they could. She has a passion for discipling young women and helping people connect with authentic, missional, Gospel-centered church community. In her free time she loves writing; spending time with her family in the outdoors hiking, climbing, trail running and skiing; and exploring the food and culture of Salt Lake.
Colby Cadmus
College Intern
Colby started on staff part time as a College Ministry Intern in the spring of 2023. he also works construction part time out of Orem. Born and raised in Texas, he moved to Utah in 2020. Colby graduated with a B.A. in Christian Studies from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Colby and his wife, Dani, met at the school their freshman year and got married in 2021.
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Colby’s hobbies include golf, chess, video games, walks with his wife and dog. He loves finding an excuse to sit down with students and discuss theology, politics, conspiracy theories, and life in general. He is passionate about seeing the Gospel put forth and watch as Christ works in the lives of students. He prays everyday that God will use him to wisely walk with those who are simultaneously figuring out adulthood and who Jesus is in a unique context.
Jackie Soltis
Youth Intern
Jackie joined the staff as a high school youth group intern in January 2024. She was born and raised in Sandy, Utah and grew up going to Risen Life Church. She came to know and accept Jesus into her heart at a young age. She desires to serve Jesus and others wholeheartedly and to shine God’s light by living in a way that glorifies Him. She has worked as a part time nanny for four boys for almost three years. Some of her favorite things to do in her free time are to play basketball, go to coffee shops, listen to music, and spend time with her family and friends!
Jayme Barton
Sound Intern
Jayme joined Risen Life in 1998 as a youth. He grew up in a christian home and was baptized at 11 years old. He was always interested in ministry. At 18 He was diagnosed with Lupus and has struggled off and on with complications from this disease. He attended off and on as his health went from bad to worse. In 2022 He and his wife Megan recommitted to serving God. They started volunteering together in the Audio Booth. Jayme continued to learn sound and in January of 2024 accepted the position of Sound Tech Intern here at Risen Life. His health is in a good place and he is excited for what God has for him in the future.
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Jayme was married in 2008 to Megan and they live in Murray with their beautiful pitbull Puka.
Administrative Staff
David Pelton
Financial Manager
In October 2012, David joined our staff team as Finance Manager but has faithfully been a part of the Risen Life family since 1990. He was born in Dallas, lived in Oakland, CA for five years and has been living in Salt Lake since he came to know Christ at eight years old.
David’s focus is to be a positive support for the RLC ministry staff and the larger church body. Before serving here, David was employed as a CFO and controller for various companies in the Salt Lake Valley dating back to 1986. He and his wife, Tina, were married in 1984. Their family includes 2 sons, Jeremy and Taylor and Taylor’s wife Courtney.
Courtney Rodriguez
Office Manager
Courtney joined the Risen Life Staff in January, 2022. She grew up in Portland, Oregon in a loving, Christian family and after graduating George Fox University with a Social Work degree, moved to Guatemala in 2003 to serve in a children’s home. She married her husband, Tono, in 2007 and they have 3 children: Benjamin, Megan and Allison. In 2021, God asked them to follow Him in a new mission to the States, so they sold everything they owned, packed bags and followed His call. He brought them to Salt Lake City to serve with Risen Life in a new church plant known now as Iglesia Risen Life. Courtney is happiest spending time with her husband and kids outdoors, in the beauty of God’s creation.Â
Jason Cotting
Tech & Safety Manager
Jason started working as a part-time member of staff in 2016 doing computer work. He also serves as safety manager and is a member of the Deacon team.
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Born and raised in Mississippi, Jason was raised in a Christian home where he accepted Christ as a child. After earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he moved to Colorado where he worked in firefighting and EMS. In 2009 he moved to UT to marry his wife Wendy. Wendy volunteers in the Children’s Ministry and they have two children, Mia and Cody.
He enjoys road and mountain biking, computers, and shooting.
Max Deitz
Jr High Minister
Max became a part of the Risen Life Staff in 2019 as the junior high youth intern. He is now the Junior High Youth Minister at Risen Life as of July 2021. Max was born and raised in Holladay, Utah and grew up going to Risen Life. Max accepted Christ at a young age and began to feel God’s call to ministry through student leadership in youth group. His free time is filled with graphic design projects, car projects with the guys, listening to music, and hanging with friends.
