Pastoral Team | Risen Hope Church

Pastoral Team

We believe that God wants a shared and equal Council of Elders to lead every church. This provides mutual accountability, increased experience, varied pastoral gifts, and meaningful encouragement for those who lead us. This explains why we consistently identify and equip additional men (through PURSUE, a 2+ year Pastoral Leadership course), as potential elders for our team—with a special focus on establishing a multi-ethnic pastoral team so we can respect our congregational diversity, and experience the full-orbed beauty of Bible-saturated multi-cultural leadership.

Rick Butler

Family and Discipleship Pastor

Rick has been a believer for over 20 years. In May 2019 he was installed as an ordained pastor in Risen Hope. In addition to general pastoral oversight, Rick, as our Family Life and Discipleship Pastor provides pastoral care within the church and teaches in various contexts as well as provides input for pastoral decisions.

Rick previously served as a Youth Pastor and as a bi-vocational Lead Pastor of a multi-ethnic church in Philadelphia. He has a huge heart for discipleship, church planting, and winning the lost to Christ.

He has earned a Bachelors of the Bible and another Bachelors in Social Work, both from Cairn University. He has also earned a Masters of Divinity in Pastoral Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Currently Rick is employed as a Facilitator/Recruiter at the Project DAD program at People for People Inc. He recently married his wife, Jae Lori.

Alex Chen

Executive and Evangelism Pastor

Alex has been a believer for 25 years. As our Evangelism Pastor he coordinates and leads us in our various outreach and witness efforts. In addition to general pastoral oversight, Alex, as our Executive Pastor, administrates the pastoral oversight of our church life, as it relates to RHC diaconal ministry, church finances, office and staff management, and more.

Alex graduated from Rice University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked on chip design projects for Intel for 9 years before moving to Philadelphia to attend Westminster Seminary, from which he received a Masters of Divinity. He was ordained in October 2016. He and his wife, Teresa, have three children.

Leo Parris

Worship and Youth-Family Pastor

Leo has been a believer for 17 years. In addition to general pastoral oversight, Leo, as our Worship Pastor, oversees our worship team content, stylistic diversity, and direction. As our Youth-Family Pastor he coordinates various events for our youth and their parents. He also works full-time as a teacher at Mastery Charter School in Philadelphia.

Leo received a Bachelors degree from West Chester University and a Masters Degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. He is also a 2017 graduate from the Sovereign Grace Churches Pastors’ College. He was ordained in October, 2017. He and his wife Missy have three children.

Tim Shorey

Lead Pastor

Tim has been a believer for nearly 45 years, and has been in active pastoral ministry since 1982. He is Risen Hope’s primary preaching pastor. In addition to general pastoral oversight, Tim, as our Lead Pastor, leads in shaping our vision, developing church leadership, and strengthening the pastoral team. He is also active in building community relationships in pursuit of multi-church and multi-ethnic fellowship. He also serves on the Racial Harmony Task Force for Sovereign Grace Churches.

Tim graduated from Northeastern Bible College (The Kings College) in 1981, and is the author of two devotional books, Worship Worthy and 30/30 Hindsight. He and his wife, Gayline, have six adult children and twelve grandchildren.

Baptism Application for December 9

The Baptism will take place December 9 at 5:30pm immediately following our Sunday service.

Thanks for your desire to be baptized! We want to help make your baptism a meaningful public expression of your commitment and association with Jesus Christ both for you and for the Church gathered to witness it. In order to do that, please take a few minutes to fill out the following form. Please note that this application does not guarantee your slot in the chosen baptism date or time. We will send a confirmation email once approved.

Please write out a declaration of your faith and why you want to be baptized. You may submit this in written or electronic form by bringing it to the church office or emailing it to alex@RisenHopeChurch.org. Your faith story can be up to 4 minutes long when spoken. Consider that this is to be a public declaration of the effect of Jesus Christ in your life and your commitment and association with him. It will be helpful for you to reflect on: How you became aware of your sinfulness and your need for a Savior
How Christ brought you to repentance and faith
You might also include a few sentences that describe your life prior to Christ, how he revealed himself to you and then the effect of the gospel in your life. The pastors will review the thoughts you share and may make edits for clarity or for time considerations. We will send you a copy of the edited declaration to review. It is important to us that everyone feels that they are sharing their own words and experiences, and that it is clear for those who are witnessing your baptism. Please call into the church office if you have further questions.

Baptism Form

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone*
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
How are you involved at Risen Hope Church?*
Baptism also signifies a believer's entrance into the body of Christ. Do you understand that baptism is part of a process of following Jesus Christ?*
- Yes
- No
Are you committed to becoming a member at Risen Hope or another gospel-preaching local church?*
- Yes
- No
If you are interested in joining Risen Hope, you will need to attend Explore and go through the membership process.
- Yes, I would like to register for Explore.
Which Community Group do you attend?*
If you are not in a small group, simply enter "none."
Release Statement*
In registering, I acknowledge that my image may be taken via photography and/or videography during the baptism and may be used by Risen Hope Church for the purpose of advertising or promoting its products and events.
- Yes, I have read the statement
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

TruthWalk Registration

TruthWalk is a teenage and adult level discipleship program offering various biblical, theological, apologetic, and Christian life teachings. These twice-a-month classes will provide truth to inform our faith and transform our life.

Schedule and Location
Dates and Times: the 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month, 2:30-3:30PM (unless otherwise announced)
Location: the church office: 536 Burmont Rd., Drexel Hill, PA 19026

Registration
Please register here. Please note that we are unable to provide childcare during TruthWalk.

Classes

January 20, 27
Class: A Life of Prayer (Spiritual Disciplines)
Teacher: Bill Davis

February 17, 24
Class: Christ in the Old Testament (Christology)
Teacher: Rob Irias

TruthWalk: Adult Sunday School

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone*
Address
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
It would be helpful if you could give us an indication of your age.*
I'm registering for:*
- July 21 & 28 "Union with Christ: How Our Salvation is All About Our Connection to Christ"
Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Explore Class Registration

This form registers you for the Explore Class at Risen Hope starting on September 9, 2018. One registration per person.

The course runs from September 9 through October 14
Time: 2:30 - 3:30 pm
Location: The Bohn Parlor (2nd Floor) of our Sunday service location in Drexel Hill United Methodist Church

Please purchase an Explore Manual at the Book Nook on Sundays.

No Childcare is available.

Bridge Course Registration

This form registers you for the Winter 2019 Bridge Course at Risen Hope. One registration per person. Visit the Bridge Course page for course details.

There are two class options:

Wednesday evening, 6:30–8:15 pm
This meets at 715 Harper Avenue in Drexel Hill starting January 16.
No childcare provided.
Saturday morning, 9:00–10:30 am
This meets at 155 North Rolling Road in Springfield starting January 19. Childcare is provided.

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone*
Address
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
How did you hear about the Bridge Course?*
- Attended Course
- Heard about it at church
- Invited by family/friend
- Invited by church member
- Other
It would be helpful if you could give us an indication of your age.
I'm registering for:*
- Saturday morning course
Do you need childcare?*
Please let us know if you have any questions or special requests.
Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

GRACE and Race Fellowship

Risen Hope’s GRACE and Race Fellowship is helping our church discover understanding, empathy, and mutual commitment in love across the ethnic lines that normally divide. Joel and Tia work closely with our pastoral team to develop strategies for conversation (called Grace and Race Conversations), and to help us build into one another with humility and grace.