Senior
Pastors

Dr. Todd &
Katie Holmes

Associate
Pastors

Rev. Sam &
Sharon Bradham

Dean
of SMBC

Zakai
Carter

Worship
Leader

Victoria
Dingemans

Children's
Ministry

Rick &
Sarah Hargrave

Preteen
Leaders

Will &
Kelsi Crew

Youth
Leaders

Travis &
Giselly Schuster

Senior Pastors

Dr. Todd & Katie Holmes

Todd Holmes was raised in a pastor’s home and has been around ministry all his life. He was born again and spirit filled at a young age.  After graduating high school he went on to college to pursue a career in music. It was during this time that God made it very clear to him that he was called to full-time ministry. Todd then felt compelled to attend Rhema Bible Training Center. During this schooling he took the position of Associate Pastor at his father’s church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which he filled for fifteen years. Prior to that, Todd had done youth pastor work part-time for five years. He has worked in every facet of the local church. He is a skilled musician, singer/songwriter, author, and praise and worship leader. Todd founded World Impact Ministries in 1990 to reach throughout the U.S. and foreign nations with the demonstrative power of the Holy Ghost and the pure Word of Truth.

Katie, after being dramatically born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, also attended Rhema Bible Training Center. After graduating in 1994, she then worked for and traveled with a prominent lady evangelist, carrying revival around the world. Through this she met Todd and they were married in July of 1999. Through their combined ministry, they have traveled throughout the US and in twenty three countries of the world, with several trips to some of those countries.

Todd and Katie left the position in Tulsa in 2001 to go full-time into evangelism and international crusades. In 2004, Todd and Katie moved from Tulsa to Tampa to base their evangelistic ministry out of The River at Tampa Bay. In October, 2007 they entered positions as associate pastors at The River of Tampa Bay Church. Todd was also the Dean of RBI, RSW, RSG, RBIE & RSCP. Katie also headed up an international ministerial association. In August, 2018, Todd, Katie, and their three sons, moved to the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee to launch The River of Tri-Cities Church and to see the mighty move of the Spirit of the Lord that God has spoken to their hearts would take place in this area and beyond.

Associate Pastors

Rev. Sam & Sharon Bradham

Pastors Sam and Sharon have a long history of loving people and serving Jesus! Sam’s church outreach for youth in their home city of Aiken, SC brought them together.  Sam led Sharon to receive Christ and be baptized in the Holy Ghost. Two years later they were married.  Since that time, they have served in almost every capacity of ministry of helps.   Sam and Sharon were blessed to be a part of mission-minded ministries where they coordinated annual mission trips to Mexico and later joined a team to Peru, working and sharing the Gospel. Seeing people accept Christ and be born-again has always been their passion. Wherever they go, Sam and Sharon are active soul winners!
 
 In 1992, Sam and Sharon moved their family to Franklin, NC where they established Franklin Youth Services, a ministry for high school teens.  During the years that followed, Sam and Sharon were filled with compassion for the people of their community, realizing many knew the Lord, but many were being destroyed because of their lack of knowledge of the Word of God.  God moved on their hearts to pioneer and pastor a church, Word and Spirit Ministries.  Years later, God led them to attend Rhema Bible Training College.  After graduating, Sam and Sharon obeyed the Lord and moved to Brevard, NC, pioneering another ministry, Spoken Word Church Brevard, which they pastored for eleven years.  In August 2018, an advertisement for Holy Ghost services in a nearby city caught Sam and Sharon’s attention.  The meetings lit a fire in them and forever changed their lives.  After many visits to The River of Tri-Cities Church, in January 2020 Sam and Sharon relocated to Johnson City TN, and became actively involved at The River Church. 
 
Sam and Sharon joined the staff as Associate Pastors in May 2021.  They serve as Instructors at Smoky Mountain Bible College. Sharon works in the SMBC Administration Office and serves as Nursery Director, while Sam ministers from the pulpit as needed, and oversees building maintenance. Together they lead soul-winning teams to the streets sharing the Good News with the lost. They see the sick healed and the captives set free!  It is their honor and great joy to serve Pastors Todd and Katie Holmes and the amazing body of believers God has called to this ministry.

Dean of SMBC

Zakai Carter

Zakai (Kai) attended the River Bible Institute, which is now known as River University in Tampa, Fl. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in theology, he traveled with the Great Awakening Tour for a period of two years. During this time he helped to train, organize and mobilize the body of Christ to go outside of the four walls of the church and bring in the harvest of souls!
 
After those years, Kai returned to the River Church in Tampa where he served as the second-in-charge of River Kids (6-12 year olds)  for two and a half years. From River Kids, Kai moved to Mobile, AL where he became the Next Gen Pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship and served there for 3 1/2 years. 
 
Kai is passionate to see souls come into the Kingdom of God and has been involved with and led many community outreaches. He has a deep love for the word of God and to see people’s lives changed by the power of God.

Worship Leader

Rev. Victoria Dingemans

Victoria was saved at 4 years old and baptized in the Holy Spirit not long after. Worship and prayer meetings anchored her in the presence of God at a young age. Her first instrument was the piano, followed by acoustic, electric, and after college, bass guitars. As a teenager, she rededicated her life to the Lord, and at 16 had an encounter with the power of God that changed her life and set her on a course to hunger and seek after His presence like never before. In 2010 Victoria moved from Dallas, TX to Tampa, FL and attended the River Bible Institute & River School of Worship, completing the program in 2013 with a Bachelor of Theology. 

Her final year was as an intern in the Worship department, followed by 3 years working for Revival Ministries International as Worship Assistant. While there, she functioned as a music director, worship leader, teacher, and was involved in many interworkings of the Worship department and school of worship. Victoria then led worship at River Church Tallahassee before moving back to the DFW area in 2017, where she taught music lessons to individuals and groups. She also received further vocal training at WTA through Gateway Church.
 
In the summer of 2020, Victoria began feeling a stirring for direction, and the Lord led her to move to Tennessee to be a part of The River of Tri-Cities, where she is now the Worship Leader, helping to build a team of worshippers that declare the mighty Word of God in song and are led by His Spirit to usher God’s people into His presence.

Children's Ministry

Rick & Sarah Hargrave

Rick and Sarah have been married 21 years and have 4 children, Bracken, Thad, Grant, and Allie.

When dating they made a vow that God would be the foundation of their marriage and family.

Called to Bible College in 2009, they moved from Texas to fulfill their hearts desire to serve the King of Kings no matter the cost. Leaving professions and businesses behind they found the heart of their calling, to be a servant. After receiving their associates in theology from The River Bible Institute In Tampa, Florida, they accepted a position on staff administrating the children’s ministry until 2013. 

Rick, Sarah, and the kid’s moved to Johnson City in June 2021. Their heart’s desire is that all children encounter a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Helping to guide children into the sweet presence of Jesus, while teaching children to walk in the power of the Word of God. They believe that all children, even at a young age, will be carriers of the Fire of God and demonstrating miracles, signs, and wonders.

Preteen Leaders

Will & Kelsi Crew

William and Kelsi Crew moved to Johnson City to join the River of Tri-Cities family in February of 2020. They are originally from Tampa, FL where they met in 2016. A year and a half later they were married in Lakeland, FL in 2018. They are both graduates of the River Bible Institute in Tampa, FL.
 
While attending school at the River Bible Institute, the Lord placed inside of William a passion for Evangelism and seeing people all over the world experience Jesus. William worked on staff at The River of Tampa Bay church for a period of time, before he and Kelsi made the move to Tennessee. He also served in the military in the Navy Reserves for eight years. Kelsi graduated High School in 2015 and immediately went to bible college. There, her life was changed by the power of God, and a passion for seeing young people set free by that same power of God was placed inside of her.
 
Currently, they are serving as youth leaders in Overflow Student ministries. Together they are thrilled and honored to be able to lift the hands of Pastors Todd and Katie Holmes and be a part of what God is doing in the Tri-Cities area.

Youth Leaders

Travis & Giselly Schuster

The Schuster‘s moved to Tennessee in June of 2021 but have had a heart for this region for almost a half decade. With their two daughters, Rory and Nora, they love spending time with families and building the community that’s so many desire in this time.
 
Both Travis and Elly have a passion for youth and young adult ministry. Elly having worked for years in children’s and youth ministry and Travis successfully running a student lead Bible study, they bring personal experience to both their leadership and discipleship within their calling.
 
The Schuster‘s are beyond honored and excited to be a part of what God is doing in Johnson City. They are putting their all into the youth to see this generation truly changed for the glory of God!