Ministry Profile and Narrative

My Narrative
It is hard to believe that it has been 34 years since I preached my first sermon at 17. During high school I was involved in many ministries of the church. In Chicago, at Moody Bible Institute, I got my first taste at being a Pastor. I helped an inner city church in Chicago by preaching, teaching, and leading the youth group. That was followed by 13 years in Great Commission Ministries I appreciate my years with this organization as I learned a lot about character development, the importance of small groups, church planting, and more about developing leaders. Part of my time with Great Commission Ministries took me to my first “professional” debut as a campus minister at West Virginia University. As well as preaching and evangelism, I had the opportunity to help develop young leaders. I continued my work with international students and fueled my desire for world outreach. I moved from Morgantown, WV to Pittsburgh for a time of transition and learning and got involved in working as a Social Worker and teacher. During this time, I felt led to seek an opportunity with the American Baptist Churches. I took the call to Washington, Pa and became the Senior Pastor of Broad Street Baptist Church. In 1996 I was ordained to ministry in Washington, Pa. I enjoyed the dual ministry of being the director of the West End Community Center as well as being the pastor of the church. We were involved in reaching out to other pastors in the city as well and helped facilitate the growth of our church and several other churches in the city. We learned about building healthy churches as we saw growth in the church in many ways. We were influential with community and civic leaders as well. After three years I felt a yearning to experience more of a contemporary model of church so we moved to Delmont to start “The Sanctuary”. It was an ABCOPAD church plant. We were very successful our first year. We tripled the attendance and giving and it was fun to be involved with this great group of people.
However, my wife was reluctant to be involved with our marriage. I ended up resigning and moved to Hilton Head, SC to help repair my marriage. Sadly, nothing I tried worked, and after a year or so she filed for dissolution. There was no infidelity involved, but sadly, nothing would change her mind. I was devastated to say the least. For a period of three years I just existed. Restoration is not easy, especially in the church. That is a sad commentary, but fortunately there were some in the church that reached out to me and I began a process of healing. I started teaching in schools again and have done that for the last thirteen years.
In 2003 I was at a conference and God began to awaken me to dream again. I had lost hope of ever being in ministry and ever doing much for God again. Thank God that he didn’t give up on me. Within a year of that encounter I found myself in India preaching to over 1000 pastors. I began to move in a supernatural way and have not looked back since. I have been ministering nationally and internationally in various settings since 2004.
In 2009 at my 50th birthday I found myself stirred to look into the possibility of going back into the pastorate. I have been doing itinerate ministry and leadership development and felt led to seek a pastoral position where I can equip others and fulfill my calling. I have remarried and have a healthy relationship of over eight years with a wife that is supportive and shares my vision for ministry. My daughter is graduating from high school and is actively serving God. I have been fostering a child and am excited about where God has me. I would like some church to take a chance on a broken man that has been made whole by the power of the Holy Spirit. I do believe that I meet the qualifications for leadership found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
I bring a unique mix of experience in the market place with a wealth of ministerial experience. I have personally lead hundreds of people to Christ, developed leaders, planted churches, and have a cultural sensitivity to many types of peoples and nationalities. I move in the power of the Spirit and am excited about bringing the renewal message wherever I go. I bring organizational skills as well as people skills to the table. I am a family man and devoted husband. Family is important to me. I bring sensitivity to broken people and a heart for restoration. I strive to be transparent and authentic.
My style of leadership is characterized by the words equipping and empowering. When I was younger it was about what I could do for a church. Now it is about me fathering a people in their gifts and talents. I want to bring the best about in others. I am a carrier of the Fathers Heart. I want to listen more and be a part of what God is doing rather than having a preset vision and hoping God would bless it. I am a relational leader who is loving and not afraid to take on conflicts and resolve them.
My vision for the church is that each individual would be able to discern his/her place in the body and function in that way. I want to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to join Him in what He is doing. I want the church to become healthy. A healthy church is a growing church. I value a church that values the presence of God. When each of us values knowing God, I believe that we will want to give that away. Outreach comes out of an intimate relationship with the heart of God. I have developed a manual on building healthy kingdom churches that I would use as a model for whatever place I land in.
As far as my ministry I see myself primarily as an encourager. I want to encourage people to dream again. I do have a heart for outreach and transformation. I want to be one of those people who facilitate transformation that will change the nations of this world. I preach the gospel of the kingdom and I live to bring heaven to earth. I want to know Christ and make Him known.
As a family we like to camp, hike, and spend time with each other. I am an Ohio State grad and love to watch Ohio State football and basketball. I still like to watch West Virginia football and basketball as well. I used to coach and play basketball, but I don’t do much of either one now. My wife and I both enjoy reading, writing and I am working on a book now called, “A Journey to the Fathers Heart”. I hope to get it published soon.
To find out more about us see our website: heartfirstministries.org

Ministry Profile
Pastor Roy Rhoades
243 Sable Trace Drive Acworth, Georgia 30102
(678) 574-4762 (Home) (770) 324-1039 (Cell)
rhoadesroy@hotmail.com

Ministry Profile of Pastor Roy Rhoades
Education-BA Pastoral Greek - Moody Bible Institute 1984-MA Early and Childhood Education - Ohio State University 1987
Ongoing Education in Professional Development
Literacy Training, Gifted Certification Training, Collaborative Education Training, Computer Skills (Blogging, Microsoft, Web design, etc.) Leadership Training.
Professional Ministry ExperiencePreached Fist Sermon and received call to ministry Tabernacle Baptist Church Chillicothe, Ohio Licensed Minister 1976 ( I served in the church as a Bus Captain, Jr Church and VBS Worker, SS teacher, youth leader, and short term missions team leader.)
Interim Student Pastor Clybourn Gospel Church Chicago, Illinois This was an inner city church in Cabrini Green Housing Project. 1979-1980
In the summer of 1980 I went to Linz, Austria as a part of Operation Mobilization short term missions team where we did outreach and started a coffee house ministry.
While in college I was a part of a summer team that helped plant a church in Bowling Green State University 1981
While finishing college and working I helped to establish Linworth Road Community Church in Columbus, Ohio where I was a small group leader. 1981-1987
I was a small group leader and was on the team to help start Walnut Ridge Community Church in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 1987-1990
Campus Minister West Virginia University with Great Commission Ministries and Chestnut Ridge Community Church 1990-1993
Crisis Intervention Worker for Pittsburgh Family Services and Adjunct Professor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Worked with local church Pittsburgh East Full Gospel and was a part of Pittsburgh Prayer Evangelism) 1993-1995
Senior Pastor” Broad Street Baptist Church” and Director of the West End Community Center We ran an after school program, food bank, and community outreach center in Washington, Pennsylvania 1995-1998 Ordained Here in 1996. ABC-USA Church
Senior Pastor “The Sanctuary” 1998 -2000 Delmont, Pennsylvania ABC-USA Church
Itinerate Ministry - Heart First Ministries in Acworth, Georgia affiliated with Harvest International Ministries. Itinerate Ministries include: Oversees Missions, Chinese Bible Study, FCA Leadership, local church leadership, seminars, and prophetic ministry with “The Worship Studio”
2004 to Present
Pastor of Heart First Ministries began 2-14-2010 in Woodstock, Georgia. New Church Plant
Mission Statement
The greatest passion of Roy’s heart is to be ministering the Father's heart to people and is summarized by the acrostic HOPE. H ealing O utreach P resence E ncouragement
He also desire to see cross pollination of ministers and ministries, with city-reaching as the end goal in mind. He has worked towards that end while being a pastor in Washington, Pa. and also in the eastside of Pittsburgh in coordination with Ed Silvoso’s ministry, Harvest Evangelism. He loves to share his faith and train others in evangelism. He considers himself an encourager and a revivalist that is taking the message of transformation everywhere he goes. He is a teacher and motivator and loves to see renewal and revival come to everyplace that he goes. Roy has an intense desire for cross cultural ministry. He was in interim pastor in an inner city African American church while a student at Moody Bible. He taught Chinese students English while at West Virginia University. He did summer missions through Operation Mobilization in Austria. He also has led and is leading international campus groups-- currently teaching a Chinese Bible Study at Georgia Tech University. He has gone four times to India to do Pastor's conferences, teaching and healing prayer with HIM related churches. He and his wife have also ministered in Mexico doing prophetic ministry. His hope is that he and his wife, Bess, can move into more full time ministry in sharing the power of God, the love of Jesus, and the truth of transformation as revival spreads. Roy loves children and has been a teacher in schools for the last 10 years. He lives to see families stay united and be restored.
What my real ministry is about involves stories like these:
Prayed for a dieing baby that I had never got to see in India. God healed the dieing baby. The parents had driven an hour just to see us because they heard there were some men of God who believed in miracles. God sent us half way around the world because of His love for one little child.
Talked to a sixth grade girl who was crying because of another boy who was mean to her. No one will really know of our conversation, but God loved that hurting young lady who needed a word of encouragement.
Prayed for a sick woman for 7 years, with some results, but more importantly God is using the situation to develop a heart of compassion in me.
Stayed with a dying man in hospice over a period of two weeks, to minister to a family in need of some real love.
Wept over a dead baby that a mother was holding as I walked into the hospital room. Maybe the finest message I ever preached and I never even said a word.
Spoke a word of encouragement to a pastor whose people have had their homes burned out because of radical Hindus who want to persecute God’s people.
Held my daughter when she needed a daddie’s love rather than another teaching from the Pastor.
I teach a Bible class to physicists, engineers, doctoral candidates, atheists, and homeless people, all in the same room. Most of them are from China. I speak English and use an interpreter. God moves in miraculous ways as many of them have come to put their faith in Christ.



When I lead the FCA group at Griffin Middle School we see kids come to know Christ. We sit on the floor and learn of God’s love. We are, in a small way changing the atmosphere of a school that needs to desperately experience the power and love of God.

Summary of Technical and Professional Qualifications:

Technology: Oversaw computer lab with Math and Language Arts software applications at Hilton Head Middle and Community Education Partners; proficient in Microsoft Office software; Teacher helps; some web design, school blog, and technology integration in classrooms, Moviemaker, Microsoft Photoshop, LCD, DVD, etc.
Administration and College Experience: I have taught Word Processing, Typing, Accounting, Business, Computer Survey, and English on the collegiate level. Also served as the Placement Director and the Director of Education at Southern Ohio College where I evaluated and trained teachers. Served as the Director of the West End Community Center where I oversaw all operations and directed the after school program. My nine years as a Pastor afforded me additional opportunities in various aspects of training, administration, and community relations with local public and private groups.


Awards include:

September 2008Educator of the MonthMr. Roy Rhoades Griffin Middle School

Congratulations to Mr. Rhoades for being selected our September Educator of the Month. Nomination comments included:

· "Last year my old teacher made Social Studies so difficult, but now that I have Mr. Rhoades everything is so clear and I'm getting straight A's."
"He makes Social Studies fun by letting us do activities."
"He is a great teacher. To be in his class is a great privilege. He takes time with each student and no student in his class is left behind."
Other Awards

* $1,000 award for Excellence in Retention at Southern Ohio College
* Nominated to develop the Washington Leadership Initiative in Washington, Pa. by the local area Chamber of Commerce. (Served as Educational Liaison)
* Chess Coach – HH Head Middle School 2nd in State of SC in Chess
* 2nd Place regional winner for 7th Boys’ Basketball team 2003-2004 NAML
* 1st Place divisional winner in our division 7th and 8th boys' basketball teams. 2003/2004 NAML


Friends of Pastor Roy Rhoades

Pastor David and Cynthia Newborne Dr. David Early
Pastors of Covenant of Peace Church Liberty Seminary
Woodstock, Georgia Lynchburg, Virginia
http://mycovenantofpeace.com/ http://www.daveearley.net/

Pastor Che Ahn
Pastor of HRock Church and Founder of Harvest International Ministries Pasadena, California
http://www.harvestim.org/

Pastor Charles Stock Pastor Travis Joshua
Life Center Asst Principal Smitha Middle School
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Marietta, Georgia
http://www.lcmi.org/ travis.joshua@cobbk12.org