At Riverside, we have a great team of leaders, staff and volunteers, some of whom even manage to stop having fun for long enough to get some work done. There are far too many individuals and activities to list in detail on this page, but below are some of the faces that you might come across from our Leadership Team. Click here for a diagram of the church structure.
Aran and Rachel Richardson – Senior Pastors
Riverside is led by Aran and Rachel who are incredibly passionate for God. They’ve been married for 17 years and have three children, Josh, Bethan and Nathan. They have been involved in Christian leadership for 21 years, and have been based in Exeter for the last 8.
Aran and Rachel moved to Exeter in the autumn of 2002. Aran was a serving police officer with Hertfordshire police and transferred down to Devon after a very specific call from God. Within weeks of arriving, they were asked to take on the youth pastorate at Riverside Church, and eventually in 2005 went on to carry the full vision of Riverside as Senior Pastors.
They met whilst serving on an A.O.G. youth team called Taskforce, and both continued to grow in
ministry in Saffron Walden in Essex, where they served in various roles as youth/associate pastors and
regional youth directors for the Youth Alive Eastern Region.
Justin and Hayley Humphreys - Families Pastors
Justin and Hayley have been married for 17 years and also have three children; Aimee, Carys and Josh. They have lived in the area for the past four years, having moved down from the West Midlands.
As Families Pastor and member of the Senior Leadership Team at Riverside, Justin's role is to lead and oversee the development of our cross-cutting families ministry. Justin currently works with the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) advising church leaders and faith-based organisations in relation to safeguarding matters across the UK. He has a background in children and families social work, counselling, consultancy and training and is also National Safeguarding Advisor to the Assemblies of God in Great Britain. He is a serious Marmite fan and can probably count the number of days in his memorable lifetime when he has not had his daily helping of "the spread you never grow out of". His vision is to see the family regain its place at the centre of society and for churches to be safe and nurturing places for the vulnerable!
In addition to furthering this ministry with Justin, Hayley works for the Christian child development organisation Compassion UK and is responsible for the coordination of their UK-wide events. Hayley has a background in social care and event management and has previously enjoyed pursuing her little-known (until now) talent for ballroom and latin dance - she is the proud owner of medals to show for it! Hayley is also extremely passionate about her call to be a ‘Voice for disadvantaged children’ and to see them being released from poverty in Jesus' name!
Peter & Jo Corney - Spiritual & Pastoral Advisors to the Leadership
Peter and Jo Corney have been in church leadership for more years than they care to remember. Their specific role within Riverside Church is to provide spiritual and pastoral support to the Leadership Team and specifically to the Senior Leadership Team.
Peter is also a Director of the Riverside Christian Centre (the charitable organisation that supports the mission and vision of the church) and brings a wealth of experience from the financial marketing world to this role. When he is not at Riverside, he can often be found perfecting his swing on one of the local golf courses.
Jo is an amazing woman of God and brings a never-changing, inspirational and positive outlook on life. She is a dedicated prayer and a member of our Prayer Support Team. She is also an unsung culinary expert and makes an incredible range of chutneys!
Together, Peter and Jo bring genuine spiritual insight, knowledge and wisdom to the team and share a real desire to see the Holy Spirit moving among His people. They are dedicated in their commitment to the Church and are greatly valued and loved by all who know them.
Dave and Colette Poulson - Youth Pastor and Centre Manager
Dave and Colette have been married for 11 years.
Having previously worked in teaching and management Dave and Colette bring a plethora of skills to Riverside and can also be relied upon to provide an unusual word for every occasion!
Dave is Riverside's Youth Pastor and Intern Director. Previously, he spent six years as the Head of Drama in a Somerset secondary school, has written various plays and sketches including last year's city wide Passion Play. Dave is an avid Doctor Who and superhero movie fan, and also supports Manchester United - well you can't have everything!
Colette oversees the Management and Administration of all things Riverside. Before that, she worked for 18 years in Early Years Settings. Colette loves colour and a dream day for her would be at the seaside with matching accessories and her friends and family!
Both Dave and Colette want to see amazing things with the youth at Riverside and beyond. Their vision is to build a generation of young people who are passionate about their faith. They love God, the Bible, their lives and each other, and revel in the fact that God made them totally unique and quirky.
Gareth Jenkins and Hannah Baldwin - Young Adults Pastors
Gareth and Hannah serve as the Young Adults pastors, looking after the running of our evening service and our 18-30’s congregation. They both have an incredible passion to see young people worshipping God and fulfilling their destiny in him.
Gareth is also Riverside’s worship pastor, responsible for carrying the vision for the worship team. He moved to Exeter from South Wales in 2004 to pursue a career in teaching and now works as a primary school teacher. His professional background includes project management, administration, and cake tasting!! As a Welshman, he is an ardent rugby fan and still follows his home team, Pontypool RFC. He also supports Spurs in the round ball game!
Hannah has been a valued part of Riverside since moving to Exeter as a student in 2001. During her time at university she led the Christian Union at Exmouth campus and has served in the catering, worship and creative teams at Riverside. In 2004 Hannah completed a year’s internship and, until recently, was Riverside’s Children’s pastor. Outside of Riverside, Hannah works as a Reception teacher and has a fondness for Jane Austin and cups of tea!
Russ and Rosie Le Puill - Technical Manager and Children's Pastor
Russ and Rosie married in the summer of 2007.
Russ looks after all things technical from the sound, visuals and lighting for our services, to keeping our on-line bits (like this website) up and running. He works at a local high school as an senior e-learning technician and has many years of website design behind him. Russ is a huge fan of TV's 24 and Spooks.
Rosie is Riverside's Children's Pastor. She brings a new and fresh dynamic to our children's team. Her heart and passion is to see a generation of children rise up into their God given destiny.
Rosie has many years of childcare experience behind her, and currently work part time as a Teaching Assistant in a local primary school. When she's not busy planning the next installment of 'All Stars', Rosie loves to create the odd chocolately treat or relax with latest Disney musical spectacular!
