Equipping the Saints
We believe that those called to lead a local church are not tasked with “doing all the ministry,” but with helping every member of the body of Christ to use their spiritual gifts for ministry.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Eph 4:11-13
Officers
As a Presbyterian church, River Oaks is led by a session of elders and a board of deacons. These men are elected by the congregation and ordained to church office. Visit our directory page for contact info.
| Elders | Deacons |
| David Camera (TE) Greg Lanier (TE) Cody Brobst (TE) Eric Duncan (RE) Dan Gudgel (RE) Paul Fulbright (RE) Frank Liljeros (RE) Walt Morgan (RE) Tom Pickens (RE) | Steve Allmand Glenn Ballough Caleb Bancroft Tyler Billingsley Ed Kent Ross O’Dowd Gary Roth (Chairman) Greg White |
* Don Kennedy is deacon emeritus. Our church treasurer is Caleb Bancroft. See also our Diaconal Assistants.
Staff
David Camera, Senior Pastor
David has been in pastoral ministry for over two decades. He holds an MA in Theology from Wheaton College, a MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary. David is also a graduate of the Cornhill Training Course in London, England. He previously served on the pastoral staffs at Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and Holy Trinity Church in Chicago, Illinois. He has been married to Gwen for over 20 years and they have 3 grown children.
Cody Brobst, Associate Pastor of Discipleship
Cody’s heart for disciple-making came on the heels of 9/11 after which he quickly sensed a call to ministry. He received a BA in Human Resource Mgmt. from Ball State University as well as a MDiv and an MA in counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary. He currently serves as a US Navy Chaplain. He has worked in college campus ministry, as a mental health counselor and as an Assistant Pastor of a PCA church plant. He grew up in Indiana where he met and married his longtime friend Courtney—together they enjoy running, card/board games, and playing music. They live in Winter Springs with their 3 sweet daughters.
Greg Lanier, Associate Pastor (Part-time)
Greg enjoys teaching the Bible to others in such a way that they delight more and more in the knowledge and love of the Lord. He and his wife, Kate, are from North Carolina and enjoy running, hiking, and taking care of their three daughters. Kate is an optometrist in Oviedo. Greg serves full-time as Professor of New Testament at RTS-Orlando and Academic Dean of RTS Global. He received a bachelors in computer science from UNC Chapel Hill, a Master of Divinity from RTS-Charlotte, and a PhD from the University of Cambridge (UK). He is the author of several books on various topics related to theology and the NT (for laypersons and scholars).
Ben Shaw, Assistant Pastor (Part-time)
Ben serves River Oaks in a part-time capacity in the areas of shepherding, men’s discipleship, and teaching. His primary calling is to serve as Professor of Old Testament at Reformation Bible College, and he previously served on faculty at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He received a Ph.D. from Bob Jones University and is ordained as a teaching elder in the Central Florida Presbytery. He and his wife Lynn actively serve on the welcome team and host a community group, and they have four grown children.
Paul Fulbright, Director of Student Ministry (Part-time)
Paul enjoys serving in the church in a variety of ways. At River Oaks he has served for multiple years as a ruling elder, community group leader, and men’s ministry leader. He works full-time on the events team with Ligonier Ministries. Previously, he was youth director at Brick Lane Community Church in Pennsylvania, and he graduated with a degree in Bible from Lancaster Bible College. He is married to Kait, and they live in the Lake Mary area with their son . He has a particular passion for investing in the lives of the next generation of young people and ministering alongside their families.
Jane O’Dowd, Director of Children’s Ministry
Jane leads our children’s ministry, focusing on ministry programs aimed at equipping children (and parents/guardians) with a biblical world and life view. She also recruits, equips, and resources our teachers and oversees curriculum development. She and her husband Ross live in Winter Springs with their two children. Jane holds a B.S. in Communications from Florida State University and has worked as a teacher at The Master’s Academy (Oviedo) and project manager at Global-5 Communications. She has also served as a troop leader in the Girl Scouts of America and a parent/teacher at both Circle Christian School and Northland Co-Op.
Betty Ballough, Office Manager & Children’s Ministry Assistant
Betty serves at River Oaks by working with the pastors, staff, and layperson ministry leaders to ensure effective day-to-day operations of the church. This includes administrative/back-office coordination, facility scheduling, supplies, and special projects. She also works in the children’s ministry on curriculum preparation and other needs. She and her husband Glenn are also active on our Mercy Team, and both serve with Good News Jail Ministry. Previously she worked in software development as a computer programmer. She and Glenn live in Lake Mary and have two adult children and five grandchildren.
Tanner Johnson, Director of Worship
Tanner enjoys leading the people of God in corporate singing. He is a trained musician and multi-instrumentalist, and he performs regularly throughout the Orlando area. He also teaches music at local schools and provides private music lessons. He and his wife Michelle live in Orlando. He has studied at Berklee College of Music and Reformation Bible College.
Steven Seal, Pastoral Intern
Steven is originally from Philadelphia and is studying for his Masters of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary, with a desire to pursue ordained pastoral ministry. He has owned and operated his own landscaping business since 2006, and he has served for several years in River Oaks Church’s youth ministry. He holds a B.A. from Reformation Bible College, where he also serves as a residence advisor.
Cade Horton, Pastoral Intern
Cade is from Alabaster, Alabama, and is pursuing his Masters of Divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary, with the goal of entering ordained ministry. He and his wife (Matti) met during their undergraduate studies on Lookout Mountain, Georgia. They currently live in Oviedo. He holds a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies from Covenant College.
The ROC Internship
River Oaks believes that the church throughout all ages is called to nurture the next generation of gospel ministers. While we value the role that formal seminary education plays in this process (our associate pastor is a seminary professor!), we believe that the local church provides invaluable “on the field” training. Find out more about our paid pastoral internship.
Some of our former interns include Jack Trimble, Luther Tate, Austin Slater, David Knowles, Zach McIntosh, Jordan Born, Todd Boone, and Graham Gunden.