River of Life Community Church

PASTOR RICHARD AND MERLEEN STRUM...

 

Pastor and wife

       ...grew up right here in the Northwest, so he understands the unique qualities of this great place.  Pastor Strum has a passion for creating an environment where really people can connect with the real God.  One very important person in his life is his wife and partner in ministry, Merleen. As a ministry team with over 50 years of experience, Pastor and Merleen have a rich history before joining River of Life as the Senior Pastors.  Their last Pastoral Ministry position was as Senior Pastors at King Mountain Church in Bellingham.  In their ministry years they have started churches from just a few people and pastored churches of 800.  The Strums are blessed with 3 children and numerous grandchildren.  Pastor Strum has his Doctorate of Pastoral Ministry. He has also written a book, titled "Healing for the Violated Church",which you can check out in our eChurch Library (link to your left). Email: rstrum@comcast.net

 

Articles & Resources for Church Workers

  • Starting a Greeter Program
    Four years ago I accepted the challenge of evangelism chairperson for our church. One of the first programs the pastor and I developed was the Sunday morning greeter program.
  • Motivating the Right Person into the Right Ministry
    One of the greatest challenges for most leaders is selecting and motivating the right people into the right ministry positions in hopes of minimizing turnover and frustration. Even in the smaller church with limited personnel, it is important to coordinate people and ministry as much as possible.
  • “I TRIED, BUT NO ONE EVER CALLED ME”
    “I tried, but no one ever called me” are painful words for a leader who has much work to do and not enough people willing to do it. These words are painful for the person who wanted to contribute, but was never called. These are also painful words for a person who is committed to helping people connect and contribute in meaningful ways within the church.