Our Ministers, Staff, & Leadership
Some years ago, Tom and his wife, Anne, were in Arizona for the Grand Canyon Family Encampment and noticed the explosive growth at the north perimeter of Phoenix. Anne initiated a conversation with, “Who will show them Jesus?” After three years of fasting and prayer, God answered; and on July 6, 2003, the Rileys and some 40 believers started worshiping together in Anthem—calling themselves the Canyon Church of Christ.
Tom served here until 2011, when he answered God’s call to return to Nashville working with the Bellevue church and Lipscomb University. Besides his teaching role at Lipscomb, he was the Director of Development and Outreach for the College of Bible and Ministry. He and Anne went on to help plant the Nolen Hills Church where he ministered for 10 years and spent a year and a half on mission in Madrid, Spain. In May 2026, they returned to Arizona and to the Canyon Church.
Tom holds a Masters (Harding University), M.Div. (Lipscomb University), and the D.Min. (Abilene Christian University); and he has three books to his credit.
Tom and Anne have two adult children, a son-in-law, and three adorable granddaughters. Together they enjoy hiking the canyons and mountains of Arizona.
Carter joined Canyon in April of 2022 as our Youth and Family Minister. He worked in youth ministry about 4 years in Tennessee before joining us. He was born and raised in Memphis, and made most of his friends though church or sports. Carter graduated from Freed-Hardeman University with degrees in History and Education, and is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity from Grand Canyon University. He is married to Emma, and together they have two young sons. He loves spending time with students and walking with them in their faith. Some of his other interests include hiking, camping, playing with dogs, and anything around sports.
Emma joined the Canyon Church family in April of 2022, and tells us that she, her husband, Carter, and their two young sons, have felt right at home ever since. Emma has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education (K-5) from Freed-Hardeman University, and is also a certified birth doula. She came on staff as our Children’s Minister in September 2022. Working with children comes naturally for her, and she is so humbled to be able to work with Canyon's families alongside her husband. Emma's main goals in ministry are to build relationships and reach out to her community. When she's not playing with kids, she likes spending time outside, singing in the car, being creative, and playing with her three dogs.
Laura and her husband, Dan, moved with their three children to Phoenix in 2005 from California. With a family history in the valley area, Laura easily transitioned to life in the desert and finds beauty in God’s vast creation. Laura’s work experience has ranged from managing the internal customer database for an international pharmaceutical company to managing retail establishments. Laura and her family have been a part of our church family since 2005 and she came on board with Canyon’s staff as a part-time support staff in 2015. Laura’s passions are singing and teaching children, which you will find her doing on any given Sunday at Canyon.
Canyon church is led by a group of men we call “Elders.” Also referred to in Scripture as “Shepherds” and “Overseers,” they look to Jesus, our Chief Shepherd, as their model for how to serve our church family. Elders are special servants of the Lord and have the responsibility of nurturing and caring for the congregation. These men are exemplary servant-leaders who commit themselves to grounding the church in prayer and the teaching of God’s Word. These leaders are unpaid and are the direct reports for our ministry staff.
To learn more about the role of elders, please reference
Titus 1:5-9, and 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
CANYON’S DEACONS
Canyon Church also has unpaid leaders called deacons. The term deacon comes from the Greek word diákonos meaning "servant" or "minister." The word, which appears at least 29 times in the New Testament, designates an appointed member of the local church who assists by serving other members and meeting material needs.
To learn more about the role of deacons, please reference
1 Timothy 3:8-13.
Ron Barbee (Young Adults)
Mike Browné (Security)
Isaiah Etukeren (International Missions)
Phil Hatler (Prayer Ministry)
Matt Kimmerle (Men’s Ministry)
Al Larson (Benevolence)
Don Morue (Visitation)
Dan Shewmaker (A/V & Marketing)
Rich Tutman (Ushers)