Risen Life church is staff-driven. This means the elders give the staff vision and direction, and charge them with carrying out the work of the church in line with the vision.
Ministry Staff
Kevin Lund
Elder/Senior & Teaching Pastor
In 2008, Kevin Lund joined us as Senior Pastor. He came to us from Kearney, Nebraska, where he had been a pastor for 18 years. Previous to his pastoral service in Nebraska, he worked as a Metallurgical Engineer for John Deere. Kevin and his wife, Mary, have two adult sons – Carl (married to Kala) and Bjorn (married to Amber), and a grandson Luke.
Kevin has had a passion for Christ and his kingdom’s advancement since his teenage years. While growing up in Seattle, he came to experience the love and forgiveness of Christ through his church, and a close pastor friend. Today, Kevin possesses a deep love for the local church and its mission. He desires that all people come to know Jesus, his love for them, and the adventure and joy of serving him daily.
Jared Jenkins
Elder/Executive & Teaching Pastor
Jared joined the Risen Life Church staff in 2012 and currently serves as the Executive & Teaching Pastor. Jared is also one of the four Elders of Risen Life Church. Jared holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament from Gateway Seminary, a M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a B.S. in business management from the University of Utah.
Jared has a gifting and passion for teaching and preaching the Word of God and regularly does so at Risen Life and other church plants in the Valley. Jared is also one of the founding members of the Salt Lake School of Theology where he teaches Old Testament. Jared and his wife Amie were married in 2002 and together they have four kids. In his spare time, Jared loves to enjoy all the outdoor recreation Utah has to offer. His favorites activities include rock climbing, skiing, running, hiking, and reading.
Sean Patrick
Worship & Men’s Minister
Sean started in ministry at Risen Life in 2000, first as an intern with the youth ministry, then as Youth Pastor. He became Worship Pastor in 2008. Sean has a B.S. in Speech Communications from the University of Utah. Sean and his wife Rachael are blessed with their daughters Anna, Bailey, and Claire. He can often be found cheering on the Utes, Red Sox, Real Salt Lake, Utah Jazz, and the Denver Broncos. He seeks to lift up and glorify Christ, and to equip and encourage others to do the same. Using the Word, music, and the arts, he seeks to create a culture of worship and outreach at Risen Life.
Shelley Cadmus
Children & Family Minister
Shelley joined the Risen Life staff as the Children and Families Minister in March 2021. She and her husband, Arthur, were both born and raised in Texas, married in 1993, and have 2 grown children, Colby and Addie. Shelley has a B.A. in Childhood Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master’s in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has taught in the public school system and been involved in Children’s Ministry for over 25 years.
Shelley has a passion for teaching and leading kids to know and love Jesus from a young age – growing the Church from the inside as well as reaching the community with the message of the Gospel. She understands the Biblical command in Deuteronomy 6 to diligently teach our children as we live life and is committed to resource and support parents and grandparents in this endeavor.
Josh Jost
Youth Minister
Josh has been on staff since October 2013. He has been in youth ministry since 2010 and is passionate about seeing youth following Jesus. He and Rachel have been married since 2012 have three amazing kids Cal Nolan and Jolie. Josh has been a follower of Christ from a young age and grew to love youth ministry through his dad who was a youth pastor for 20 years. Josh also enjoys the outdoors such as mountain biking, BMX, camping, swimming, and playing basketball.
Max Deitz
Jr. High Minister
Max became a part of the Risen Life Staff in 2019 as the junior high youth intern. He is now the Junior High Youth Minister at Risen Life as of July 2021. Max was born and raised in Holladay, Utah and grew up going to Risen Life. Max accepted Christ at a young age and began to feel God’s call to ministry through student leadership in youth group. His free time is filled with graphic design projects, car projects with the guys, listening to music, and hanging with friends.
Tono Rodriguez
Church Planter
Tono’s ministry partnership with Risen Life began over a decade ago after Risen Life’s first mission trip to Guatemala, where Tono grew up and served God his whole life. He has a passion for sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with people through teaching & discipleship, outreach & service and music. Tono has an undergraduate degree in Christian Ministry and has served as Worship Pastor, Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor, and Multi-Media Director at his former home church in Guatemala over the past 20 years.
Tono and his wife, Courtney, were married in 2007 and have three children; Benjamin, Megan and Allison. As a bilingual family, their desire is to reach the hispanic population with God’s unconditional love through the hope of the Gospel message. Tono enjoys playing music, running and spending time with his family.
Sarah Merrill
College Minister
Sarah joined the staff as College Minister intern in 2022. She has a deep desire to see young adults be transformed by Jesus and be on mission for God as a lifestyle. She works full-time as an elementary school Speech Therapist. She and her husband, Justin, have been married since 2011 and have one son. They enjoy marveling at God’s good creation while on family walks, gardening, and conversations over a cup of coffee.
Aaron Jett
Children's Ministry Intern
Aaron joined the staff in 2023 as the children’s ministry intern. He was raised in New Mexico and Texas and moved to Salt Lake in February of 2023. He has a desire to live a godly life, and a passion for connecting with people of all ages and showing them who Jesus is. He is a leader in both middle and high school youth groups, and a leader in the 4th/5th grade class. He is also a server at Porcupine Pub and Grill and works in the ski school at Canyons Village Mountain Resort in the winter. In his free time he enjoys backpacking, hiking, biking, snowboarding, working out, reading, and listening to music.
Colby Cadmus
College Ministry Intern
Colby started on staff part time as a College Ministry Intern in the spring of 2023. he also works construction part time out of Orem. Born and raised in Texas, he moved to Utah in 2020. Colby graduated with a B.A. in Christian Studies from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Colby and his wife, Dani, met at the school their freshman year and got married in 2021.
Colby’s hobbies include golf, chess, video games, walks with his wife and dog. He loves finding an excuse to sit down with students and discuss theology, politics, conspiracy theories, and life in general. He is passionate about seeing the Gospel put forth and watch as Christ works in the lives of students. He prays everyday that God will use him to wisely walk with those who are simultaneously figuring out adulthood and who Jesus is in a unique context.
Administrative Staff
Courtney Rodriguez
Office Manager
Courtney joined the Risen Life Staff in January, 2022. She grew up in Portland, Oregon in a loving, Christian family and after graduating George Fox University with a Social Work degree, moved to Guatemala in 2003 to serve in a children’s home. She married her husband, Tono, in 2007 and they have 3 children: Benjamin, Megan and Allison. In 2021, God asked them to follow Him in a new mission to the States, so they sold everything they owned, packed bags and followed His call. He brought them to Salt Lake City to serve with Risen Life in a new church plant known now as Iglesia Risen Life. Courtney is happiest spending time with her husband and kids outdoors, in the beauty of God’s creation.
David Pelton
Financial Manager
In October 2012, David joined our staff team as Finance Manager but has faithfully been a part of the Risen Life family since 1990. He was born in Dallas, lived in Oakland, CA for five years and has been living in Salt Lake since he came to know Christ at eight years old.
David’s focus is to be a positive support for the RLC ministry staff and the larger church body. Before serving here, David was employed as a CFO and controller for various companies in the Salt Lake Valley dating back to 1986. He and his wife, Tina, were married in 1984. Their family includes 2 sons, Jeremy and Taylor and Taylor’s wife Courtney.
Kelsey Conroy
Financial Administrative Assistant
Kelsey has been a member of Risen Life since 2011. She grew up in California’s Central Valley and received her B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Kelsey and her husband Andy endured L.A. traffic for a time but dreamed of a quieter life with bigger mountains and a shorter commute – they made a run for Utah as soon as they could. She served a brief stint at RLC as Office Manager in 2012, took a hiatus to raise her three young children, and currently serves as Financial Administrative Assistant and oversees the Greeter Ministry. She has a passion for discipling young women and helping people connect with authentic, missional, Gospel-centered church community. In her free time she loves writing; spending time with her family in the outdoors hiking, climbing, trail running and skiing; and exploring the food and culture of Salt Lake.
Jason Cotting
Tech Support and Safety Manager
Jason started working as a part-time member of staff in 2016 doing computer work. He also volunteers as safety manager and is a member of the Deacon team.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Jason was raised in a Christian home where he accepted Christ as a child. After earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he moved to Colorado where he worked in firefighting and EMS. In 2009 he moved to UT to marry his wife Wendy. Wendy volunteers in the Children’s Ministry and they have two children, Mia and Cody.
He enjoys road biking, computers, and shooting.
