The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church
Find a Church

Appointed Leaders

Appointed Leaders

Assistant Superintendent

The Assistant Superintendent serves as an executive superintendent who focuses on conference operations, property related issues, legal issues, financial advancement for local churches, and serves on the conference administrative team.

Rev. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor

Rev. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor

Interim Assistant Superintendent

Rev. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor, MD’s ministry responsibilities have included pastoral care, praise and worship leader, women’s ministry director, youth ministry, small group leadership, and faith and fitness. Amelia has had many years in pastoral, conference, and denominational leadership. She was Co-Superintendent of the River Conference between 2018 and 2022. In 2019 Amelia was elected to serve on the FMCUSA Board of Administration and currently chairs the Committee on Diversity and Justice. She has chaired TRC’s Ministerial, Education, and Guidance Board since 2018. Amelia was recently appointed to serve on the Board of Directors at Greenville University and Aldersgate School of Ministry. She has a heart for biblical justice and advocacy and is pursuing a Masters in Justice and Advocacy from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Amelia is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist who is taking a break from medicine to fully devote herself to serving the church. She is a fitness and sports enthusiast who works out at OrangeTheory several times per week. Her favorite football teams are the Cleveland Browns and The Ohio State Buckeyes. She and her husband, Michael, are the proud parents of two adult children. Matthew is a practicing attorney in New York City. Michaela is a law student at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

Contact
Appointed Leaders

District Leaders

District Leaders work in concert with the Superintendent to implement the missional objectives of the conference. They lead the Life-Giving Leadership learning communities and assist local churches, leaders, and BOA’s with administrative and organizational structures. District Leaders regularly encourage and counsel pastors, planters, and lay leaders in their districts.

Deb Baggett

Deb Baggett

Interim Colorado District Leader

Deb graduated from the University of Wyoming with a B.S. degree in Management Information Systems in 1986. She worked in the financial industry, held several security licenses and eventually became the Director of Marketing of a Denver-based financial advisory firm. After over a decade in that industry, Deb resigned to be with her two boys to help them navigate their way through middle and high school. She became a career volunteer, serving in local schools and church ministry. Deb grew up in the church and gave her life to Jesus as a young person. She loves to serve the Lord and now has the privilege of working as The River Conference’s Administrator. Deb and her husband John live in Wyoming and have two adult sons.
Contact
Rev. Julie Gray

Rev. Julie Gray

Arizona District

Julie Gray has a life-long love for the Church, and a passion for the Bride of Christ to be a healthy instrument of transformation in the world.  Her 30+ years of ministry in diverse and multi-cultural churches have expanded that passion to include people of every language, nation, tribe and race that will be gathered around the throne of God. Her education includes time at Central Christian College of Kansas, Seattle Pacific University, Fuller Theological Seminary, Free Methodist Ordination coursework, and a Certificate in Spiritual Transformation from the Transforming Center, in Wheaton, IL.  Julie is currently Sr. Pastor at Phoenix Life Church, married to Marvin for 32 years, and loves to spend time visiting her kids and grandkids scattered across the country.

Contact
Rev. James Leman

Rev. James Leman

Spokane District

James grew up a missionary kid on an Indian Reservation in eastern Montana. This childhood helped shape his worldview and his desire to see people come to a life-changing knowledge of Jesus. He felt called into full-time pastoral ministry as a freshman in college, but it took another eight years for him to end up in a church setting. He is excited about pushing and challenging people to order their entire lives around Jesus Christ. His heartbeat is connecting those who currently know and passionately worship Christ, and those who are willing to live in authentic community, with those who have not yet had their lives transformed by Jesus. James is also passionate about his family. He’s been married to Abby since 1999. They are blessed with two sons, Sam and JJ.
Contact
Rev. Rick Snodgrass

Rev. Rick Snodgrass

North Texas District

Rick has planted, pastored, and mentored pastors for over 35 years. He mentored Conference Superintendents, and as Assistant Superintendent, mentored 71 pastors in the PNW Conference as well as many others outside the denomination. He and his wife Patti planted churches in Vallejo CA, Redmond WA, Mt. Vernon WA, and Nampa, DI. They live Granbury Texas where Rick serves as North Texas District Leader and as Director of Church Planting and Multiplication for The River Conference. Rick serves on the board of Impact, a multiplication movement where he has coached and mentored several micro churches and impact community leaders. Rick also coaches business owners and CEOs in organizational health as a way staying connected to the secular market place where the voice of Jesus needs to be heard. He works hard every day to walk out his life purpose to, “be living proof of a loving God to a watching world”. Ricks primary educational influences were Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific, Western Evangelical Seminary, Regent and Fuller. Rick and Patti have been married for 43 years, have three sons who are married and serving Jesus and have been blessed with 9 grandchildren.

 
Contact
Rev. Ryan Stoops

Rev. Ryan Stoops

Boise District

Ryan Stoops is the Lead Pastor at Deer Flat Church in Caldwell, Idaho. Ryan is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and studied at Missouri Baptist University, from which he earned his undergraduate degree and Master of Business Administration. Ryan previously served as the Student Ministries Pastor at Crosspoint Church in St. Louis for 10 years where he oversaw children’s ministry, youth ministry and C3MI Leadership College. He and his wife, Katy, have been married since 2001. They are the proud parents of two children, Eli and Lilly-Pearl.
Contact
Rev. Heather Baker Utley

Rev. Heather Baker Utley

South Texas District

Born and raised in east Ohio, Heather holds a BA from Taylor University and an MDiv from Seattle Pacific Seminary. In 2004, she relocated to Washington State, where she served 8 years in youth ministry and non-profit administration. In 2012, Heather responded to God’s call to pastoral ministry, serving seven years in family ministries, first at Arlington FMC and then at Seattle’s First FMC. In 2019, she and her husband/co-pastor, Clay, and their two sons relocated to San Antonio, TX, where she now serves as South Texas District Leader and Communications Director for The River Conference. She also works co-vocationally as a communications freelancer for FMCUSA and Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy and serves on the teaching and communications team at The Park Community Church.

Contact

Elected
Leaders

Appointed
Leaders

Staff

Boards &
Committees