Risen Life Staff
Ministry Staff
Jared Jenkins
Senior Pastor & Elder
Jared joined the Risen Life Church staff in 2012 and currently serves as the Senior & Teaching Pastor. Jared is also one of the six 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.
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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.
Tono Rodriguez
Missions & Iglesia Risen Life Pastor & Elder
Tono’s ministry partnership with Risen Life began over a decade ago after the church’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.Â
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Tono has served as Worship Pastor, Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor, and Multimedia Director at his former home church in Guatemala over the past 20 years. Feeling a missionary call, God brought he and his family to Utah in 2021.
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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 impact the community with the powerful message of the Gospel through service and outreach. Tono enjoys playing music, running and spending time with his family in the beautiful creation of Utah.
Sean Patrick
Worship & Men’s Pastor & Elder
Sean joined the Risen Life Church staff in 2000 and has served in many roles over the years. Sean currently serves as Worship and Men’s Pastor and as an Elder of Risen Life. Sean attended the University of Utah and has a B.S. in Speech/Organizational Communications.
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Sean and his wife Rachael were married in 2004 and have three daughters, Anna, Bailey, and Claire. Sean enjoys singing, playing guitar, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
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Sean is passionate about developing and mentoring worship leaders for churches and church plants in Utah. He seeks to lift up and glorify Christ and to equip and encourage others to do the same.
Courtney Rodriguez
Women's Minister
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 to serve in a children’s home. She married her husband, Tono, in 2007 and they have 3 children: Benjamin, Megan and Allison.Â
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. Courtney is happiest spending time with her husband and kids outdoors, in the beauty of God’s creation.Â
Jon Perkins
Church Planter & Discipleship Minister
Jon joined Risen Life Church staff in 2025 with the goal of eventually leading a church plant in Utah while also working with the small groups at Risen Life in the interim. Originally from Ohio, Jon most recently served as a pastor in Virginia. His heart for ministry is centered on glorifying God and seeing people grow in their faith and walk with Jesus. It’s common for Jon to engage in conversations with others about the gospel wherever he may be.
Jon and his wife Becky, who have been married since 2020, share a love for playing games and traveling. Jon holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies from Liberty University and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Gateway Seminary. In his free time, Jon enjoys reading, hiking, camping, dad jokes, spending time with friends, discussing theology, fly fishing, and fly tying.
Ben Sutton
College and Young Adults Minister
Ben joined Risen Life Church in 2024 and serves as the College Minister. Ben is working on his Ph.D. in Evangelism and Apologetics from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Human Communication from the University of Northern Colorado.
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Ben has worked in college ministry for many years. He directs the college ministry, Christian Challenge, at the University of Utah. He and his wife, Maggie, love college ministry and desire to share the gospel, disciple students, and send them out for a lifetime of ministry.
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Ben loves to bird-watch, read, and fish in his spare time. He and Maggie also love coffee and video games. They often drink coffee and play video games together.
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.Â
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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.
Aaron Jett
Jr. High Minister
Aaron joined Risen Life’s staff in 2023 as the children’s ministry intern. He was raised in New Mexico and Texas, and moved to Salt Lake City in February of 2022. He desires to live a godly life, and holds a passion for connecting with people of all ages, showing them who Jesus is.
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Aaron became the junior high youth minister in July of 2024. He holds an associate’s degree in fine art from Amarillo Community College. Currently, he’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biblical studies from Theos University.
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When Aaron is not busy planning a lesson, studying the Bible, or discussing God, he can be found snowboarding, hiking, running or hanging out with friends.
Angela Johnston
Children's Ministry Associate
Angela is excited to serve with Children’s Ministry here at Risen Life. She and her husband Jeremiah have been attending and serving alongside the church community since 2018, which has included teaching in Children’s Ministry.Â
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Angela has a background in Speech Language Pathology, working with preschool and school-aged kids, and has formal Biblical training. She wants each child to know that they are deeply valued and important because God made them and has a purpose for them.
Jayme Barton
Sound Intern
Jayme joined Risen Life in 1998 as a youth. He grew up in a Christian home and was baptized at 11 years old. He was always interested in ministry. At age 18 he was diagnosed with Lupus and has struggled with complications from this disease. He attended Risen Life on and off as his health went from bad to worse. In 2022 he and his wife Megan recommitted to serving God. They started volunteering together in the Audio Booth. Jayme continued to learn sound and in January of 2024 accepted the position of Sound Tech Intern here at Risen Life. His health is in a good place and he is excited for what God has for him in the future.
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Jayme was married in 2008 to Megan and they live in Murray with their beautiful pitbull Puka.
Administrative Staff
Phil hirz
Executive Minister
Phil joined the Risen Life Church staff in 2024 as the part-time Executive Pastor. Phil and his wife Melinda were married in 2004 and together they have three kids; Alyssa, Emily, and Joshua. Phil and his family moved to Utah in 2012 and have been attending Risen Life since 2017. During that time Phil has served in children’s ministry, men’s ministry, community groups, the worship band, and Iglesia Risen Life. Phil is passionate about teaching and discipleship and he leads several small groups.
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Phil also works as an electrical engineer at L3Harris. Phil has a B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and he is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Essentials (MTE) from the Salt Lake School of Theology (Gateway Seminary). In his spare time, Phil enjoys woodworking, playing guitar, reading, and spending time outdoors camping, hiking, and mountain biking.
Jackie Soltis
Office Manager
Jackie joined the Risen Life Staff in 2024. She started out doing youth ministry and now has stepped into the office manager position. She is excited to serve God and His church in this way! She was born and raised in Sandy, Utah and grew up going to Risen Life Church. She came to know and accept Jesus into her heart at a young age. After high school, she attended Salt Lake Community College and got an Associate’s Degree in Social Work. She desires to serve Jesus and others wholeheartedly and to shine God’s light by living in a way that glorifies Him. In her free time she loves going to coffee shops, listening to music, and spending time with her family and friends!
Kelsey Conroy
Finance Manager
Kelsey has been a member of Risen Life since 2011 and serves as Finance Manager and oversees the Connections and Orphan Care ministries. She grew up in California’s Central Valley and received a 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.Â
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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 and reading; 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 & Safety Manager
Jason started working as a part-time member of staff in 2016 doing computer work. He also serves as safety manager and is a member of the Deacon team.
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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 and mountain biking, computers, and shooting.
