The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church
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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, personnel management, and co-chairs the conference administrative team.

Rev. Mark Douglas

Rev. Mark Douglas

Assistant Superintendent // Colorado District Leader

Mark is a graduate of Northern Seminary in Lisle IL.  He in addition to pastoring established churches, Mark planted two churches.  Mark worked as a professional fundraiser in the non-profit sector and owned a small business that focused on the entertainment and production industry.  Born and raised in WV, he lived in OH before moving to Pueblo with his wife Judy in April 2019. They are the parents of two daughters, have one son-in-law and two grandsons.  He began serving as a District Leader in 2019 prior to becoming Assistant Superintendent in 2021.
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Appointed Leaders

District Leaders

District Leaders work in concert with the Superintendents to implement the missional objectives of the conference. They lead the  Life Giving Leadership learning communities and assist regional MEG’s in identifying, developing, and intervening with local leaders. They 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.

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 Pheonix Light & Life Church, married to Marvin for 31 years, and loves to spend time visiting her kids and grandkids scattered across the country.

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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.
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Rev. Ali Mitachi

Rev. Ali Mitachi

North Texas District

Rev. Ali L. Mitachi was born in Democratic Republic of Congo and is now a US citizen. He has planted churches in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. He holds a degree in Industrial Technology and works at Abilene Housing Authority as a Maintenance Crew Chief. He serves as Lead Pastor of Portland Avenue Free Methodist Church in Abilene Texas, as well as, District Leader of TRC’s North Texas Region. Ali is married to Miriam M. Pendeza, and they have four children.
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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.
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Rev. Heather Baker Utley

Rev. Heather Baker Utley

South Texas District

Born and raised in east Ohio, Heather relocated to Washington in 2004 to minister with Youth Dynamics, a parachurch non-profit ministry. In 2012, Heather responded to God’s call to pastoral ministry, serving seven years in FM churches in Washington, first at Arlington FMC and then at Seattle’s First FMC. She holds a BA from Taylor University and an MDiv from Seattle Pacific Seminary. In 2019, she and her husband/co-pastor, Clay, and their two sons relocated to San Antonio, TX to plant Tapestry Church, where she also works co-vocationally as a communications freelancer for FMCUSA, The River Conference, and Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy.

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