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Staff
Riverside Community Church is led by a group of elders who together are responsible for the care and well-being of the church. Every member of the church has been called and gifted by God for service. Most of the work of the church is done by volunteers. Scores of people serve in a wide variety of ways week in and week out. They teach Sunday school, volunteer in the youth ministry, serve in the praise team on Sundays, take meals to people who are sick, pray for people in need, teach neighborhood Bible studies, etc. In addition a small paid staff provides specialized ministry support.
Senior Pastor
Walt Barrett is an elder at Riverside and has also been set-aside for full-time ministry. He is the primary teaching pastor and shepherd of the congregation. Together with the other elders Walt provides overall leadership and seeks to stimulate the spiritual well-being of the church.
Walt came to our church in 2004 after more than 30 years of vocational ministry experience in other churches and Christian organizations both here and overseas. He has earned a Masters in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary. He, and his wife Jane, are originally from the western suburbs of Chicago but lived and served for many years in Texas, Indiana, Belgium and Germany. They have three grown children. Before coming to Riverside Walt served as Senior Pastor of the Black Forest Christian Fellowship in Kandern, Germany. Besides pastoring (!), Walt loves reading and hiking.
Associate Pastor
Karl Anderson serves Riverside Community Church through overseeing the Student Ministry (Jr. High through High School) and the Young Adult Ministry (post-high school through 20-somethings), providing assistance to the elders in the general shepherding of the congregation, and preaching and teaching at worship services regularly.
Before being called to Riverside in the summer of 2008, Karl served the church as the Youth Minister of Lake Region Bible Church in Round Lake Beach, IL for three years. During this time, Karl earned a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and served as an Assistant Coach to the Men’s Soccer Team at Trinity College. He met his wife Andrea as an undergraduate student at Trinity College and they were married in the summer of 2006. Karl enjoys playing and watching sports (especially soccer), fly-fishing, downhill skiing, exercising, listening to sermons, and reading.