1. The Bible.  The Bible is God's unique revelation to people.  It is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final authority on all matters upon which it teaches.  No other writings are vested with such divine authority.

2. God (The Trinity).  There is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, who exists eternally as three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Each are fully God yet each personally distinct from the other.

3. Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless human life, willingly took upon Himself all of our sins, died and rose again bodily, and is at the right hand of the Father as our advocate and mediator.  Some day He will return to consummate history and to fulfill the eternal plan of God.

4. The Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin and draws people to Christ.  He also indwells all believers.  He is available to empower them to lead Christ-like lives, and gives them spiritual gifts with which to serve the church and reach out to a lost and needy world.

5. Mankind.  All people are created in God's image and matter deeply to Him.  Central to the message of the Bible is that God loves people, and invites them to live in communion with Himself and in community with each other.

6. Salvation.  Apart from Jesus Christ, all people are spiritually lost and, because of sin, deserve the judgment of God.  However, God gives salvation and eternal life to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice on his or her behalf.  Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort.  It is a gift that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross.

7. Eternity.  Death seals the eternal destiny of each person.  At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation.  Believers will be received into God's loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life.

8. The Church.  All believers are members of the body of Christ, the one true church universal. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by acceptance and love of one another across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines.  The local church is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and community with each other.  Through it, believers invest time, energy, and resources to fulfill the Great Commission - reaching lost people and growing them into fully-devoted followers of Christ.

Beliefs are not worth much unless they are translated into actions.  Based on what the Bible teaches, we feel strongly about the following qualities:

1. Mission-Focused.  Believing that God has big plans for our community, we'll serve our neighbors with everything we've got.  This means we'll be intentional about reaching our neighbors with the message of Jesus and inventive in modeling God's relentless love through acts of service.

2. Tuned-In.  Believing that Christians are called to transform culture, we won't hide our heads in the sand.  The goal of all our ministry efforts is to reach real people living in the real world.  To do so, we'll communicate the message of Jesus Christ in ways that make sense to people in our place and time, finding fresh ways to communicate and inspire, merging the use of music and the arts with the best available technological tools.

3. Team-Driven.  Recognizing that God has given each one of us a unique and beautiful bouquet of passions, gifts and abilities, we'll work together to maximize our impact rather than rely on a handful of paid staff.

4. Confidently-Positive.  Believing God does great things where He is invited to work, we'll expect nothing short of a miracle.  We will be positive people who exude confidence in what God is doing in and through us.

5. Non-Judgmental.  Always remembering the incredible forgiveness God has shown to us, we'll respond to others in like fashion, allowing room for God to work in the hearts of those with whom we may not agree.

6. Authentically-Relational.  Dreading the hollowness of superficial relationships, we'll be open and genuine in living out and sharing our faith in Jesus Christ.  We will not minimize the hurts, concerns and doubts of those who are seeking God, and will share our own struggles with one another.  We will not attempt to hide behind a façade of perfection.

7. Sustainable Excellence.  Believing God has given His very best to us, we'll strive to give our very best efforts to God and His church.  We believe that excellence honors God and inspires people.

8. Family-Oriented.  Recognizing that strong families are pleasing to God and important to society, we'll plan programs that connect with every family member at his or her own level of understanding.

9. Fun.  Realizing that long-faced religion is not what God intended, we'll create a church environment that places a high value on enjoying God.

River Rock, as a church plant, was founded in 2001 and services were held in Shahala Middle School.  For six years, we continued to meet in a school and to make an impact in our surrounding community, striving to reach the un-churched and de-churched for Christ.  These experiences were key in preparing us to launch a building campaign, Ripple Affect, and to sustain the growth we anticipated with a permanent facility.  In the spring of 2008, we undertook the task of transforming an undeveloped building space into River Rock Church with the help of numerous volunteers and business professionals contracted by the building owner.  We moved into our Camas location in June of 2008 and continue our ministry of building lives and transforming communities.

RIVER ROCK STAFF

KELLY BACKSTROM, Lead Pastor

Family Info:  Married 27 years to Jan; we have 3 children - Krista (24), Brett (22), and Sean (14)
Strengths:  Administration, Pastor Teacher (Getting Things Done)
Favorite Candy Bar:  It's all about the Reese Peanut Butter Cup (why don't they make the white chocolate or with nuts anymore?)
Favorite Movie:  Grand Torino, Days of Thunder (rubbing is racing), Outlaw Josie Wales, Passion of the Christ (did I miss a love story?)
Job Perks:  Are you kidding?...this is the greatest job in the world, I get paid to spend my life thinking of ways to change people's lives for eternity!!
Contact Kelly:  360.885.9000, kelly@river-rock.org


PAUL IRELAND, Pastor of Worship and Arts

Family Info:  Married 11 years to Hilary; we have 2 children - Eden (6) and Adalee (3)
Strengths:  Adaptability, Teaching, Empathy
Favorite Candy Bar:  Reese Peanut Butter Cups
Favorite Movie:  Shawshank Redemption or Hot Rod
Job Perks:  Getting paid to play guitar.  Access to Coffee Revolution.
Contact Paul:  360.885.9000, paul@river-rock.org

RICKY ORTIZ, Pastor of Student Ministries

Family Info:  Married 4 years to Krista; we have one daughter - Gia
Strengths:  Story-Telling, Laughing
Favorite Candy Bar:  Definitely Twix - no questions asked!
Favorite Movie:  300
Job Perks:  Get to hang out with kids, wear cool t-shirts, drink lots of milkshakes, laugh a bunch, and best of all, I get to see lives changed through God's grace.
Contact Ricky:  360.885.9000, ricky@river-rock.org

DAVE LODWIG, Location Pastor (East Vancouver)

Family Info:  Married 8 years to Heather; we have one son, Jackson (2)
Strengths:  Teaching, Relating, Short Attention Span
Favorite Candy Bar:  Dagoba Dark Chocolate
Favorite Movie:  Raiders of the Lost Ark
Job Perks:  Drinking 12 cups of coffee each day; looking people in the eyes and telling them that God loves them and has a plan for them!
Contact Dave:  360.885.9000, dave@river-rock.org

CARLA FELTZ, Director of Children's Ministry

Family Info:  Married 16 years to James; we have 3 children - Alexa (13), Travis (9), and Carson (4)
Strengths:  Caring, love to help other people
Favorite Candy Bar:  Snickers or York Peppermint Patty
Favorite Movie:  Shadowland (saw this on James & my first date)
Job Perks:  Get to work with a cool bunch of people who regularly make me laugh!  Impacting the lives of children in developing their faith.  My job allows me to use many of my gifts and passions.
Contact Carla:  360.885.9000, carla@river-rock.org



APRYL MAR, Graphic Arts Director

Family Info:  Married 10 years to Brian; we have 2 children - Elijah (7) and Silas (4)
Strengths:  Faith, Connectivity/Discernment, Artistry, Craftsmanship, Process
Favorite Candy Bar:  Twix & Snickers, for some reason they just 'satisfy'
Favorite Movie:  Les Miserable - I dig underdog movies, any movie where honor, glory, or love prevail
Job Perks:  Love those 'light bulb' moments when things connect and we 'see' - the moments when God reveals His plans, His ideas, and show us He is the author of creativity.  I love to be part of a team/church that strives to send a message that God is applicable, that He is life changing, and that He is real.  I welcome the challenge to visually communicate our message and stay true to the vision in everything I create.  It not only tells people who River Rock is, but it continues to grow and affect my heart.  That is totally a 'perk'.
Contact Apryl:  360.885.9000, apryl@river-rock.org

ELLA BINDEWALD, Bookkeeper

Family Info:  Married 10 years to Eric; we have 2 children - Marshall (4) and Ryan (4)
Strengths:  Mercy, Discipleship, Learner
Favorite Candy Bar:  Whichever one delivers the most amount of chocolate for the least amount of money!
Favorite Movie:  Return to Me, Shawshank Redemption
Job Perks:  I enjoy helping others do ministry with financial integrity, especially in a ministry whose vision I am so excited about.  Plus I love doing math, no really, I do!
Contact Ella:  360.885.9000, ella@river-rock.org

SUSAN VANDERPLOEG, Executive Administrative Assistant

Family Info:  Married 17 years to David; we have 2 children - Amanda (14) and Lucas (11)
Strengths:  Service & Hospitality, Detail-Oriented, Compassion
Favorite Candy Bar:  It's hard to pick one!  I'll take Kit Kat.
Favorite Movie:  The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Job Perks:  I love supporting our staff in the office - taking their creative ideas and helping them come to light.  Yes, lining up text boxes and folding brochures is fun!  It's rewarding to do a job well.  I also love working with kids on Sunday mornings in our Kid's Creek ministry.
Contact Susan:  360.885.9000, susan@river-rock.org

RIVER ROCK ELDER BOARD

Elder:  Brian Knotts, brianknotts@hotmail.com 
Elder:  Clint Hartwig, takeitpersonly@msn.com 
Elder:  Dave VanderPloeg, dsvan@msn.com 
Elder:  David Nelson, davedeon1@yahoo.com
Elder:  Dr. David Robinson, editorpf@comcast.net 
Elder:  Doug Hounshell, dnhounshell@comcast.net 
Elder:  James Feltz, james.feltz@linde.com 
Elder:  Jeff MacLardy, jeff@maclardy.com 
Elder:  John Stolz, johnmarkstolz@gmail.com 
Elder:  Kelly Backstrom, kelly@river-rock.org 
Elder:  Kim Flood, drswho@gmail.com 
Elder:  Mike Flory, evilmonkeymikie@yahoo.com 
Elder:  Paul Ireland, paul@river-rock.org 
Elder:  Ricky Ortiz, ricky@river-rock.org 
Elder:  Roger Keast, righteousrog@gmail.com
Elder:  Roger Smith, bibleman83@yahoo.com 
Elder:  Scott Robertson, scott.robertson@nxp.com 
Elder:  Steve Bragg, steve.bragg123@gmail.com