Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church has stood at the corner of Germantown Parkway and Neshoba Road since 1983. Set on a 6.24-acre lot on South Germantown Road, the campus is easy to spot, with a 500-seat Sanctuary, a three-story Education building, a Fellowship Hall, a nursery facility, and a playground out back. The congregation belongs to the Presbyterian Church in America and traces its roots to a much smaller gathering fifty-eight years ago.
From Twenty Charter Members to a Germantown Congregation
Riveroaks began on March 26, 1968, when twenty charter members met to consider forming a new church. The first worship service of what was then called First Reformed Presbyterian Church was held five days later, on March 31, 1968. By July 1969 the new fellowship had purchased property on Massey Road and was gathering on Thanksgiving Eve of that year in its first facility. Over the next eleven years the congregation grew steadily under three pastors: Rev. Leonard R. Van Horne (1968-1970), Rev. Ted Grayson (1970-1973), and Dr. C. Howard Oakley (1973-1980).
In 1981 Rev. William Spink, Jr. accepted the call to become Senior Pastor. Under his leadership the church changed denominational affiliation and was received into the Presbyterian Church in America in June 1982. With the PCA move came plans to relocate. In January 1983 the undeveloped property on Germantown Road was purchased, and that October the members voted to change the church's name to Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church. The name kept the word Reformed to emphasize devotion to the truths of Scripture as expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and it drew on Psalm 1:3: "He is like a tree planted by streams of water." Membership has since grown to more than 350 members plus children and students.
Sundays: Sunday School, Morning Worship, and a Rotating Evening
The Sunday rhythm at Riveroaks begins at 9:30 AM with Sunday School for every age. Children and students gather on the second floor of the Education wing; adults spread across Rooms 105-108, the Fellowship Hall, and the Choir Room for four electives. At 10:45 AM the congregation fills the Sanctuary for the Morning Service. A typical service runs about an hour and fifteen minutes, with sermons lasting around forty minutes.
Evenings follow a two-week rotation. On the first and third Sundays of the month, an Evening Service is held in the Sanctuary at 6:00 PM. On the second and fourth Sundays, Community Groups meet in various homes at 5:00 PM, giving the congregation a way to share a meal, study the Bible, and pray together in smaller circles across the city.
Blended Worship with Expository Preaching
Riveroaks describes its services as blended in nature. Each gathering centers on the public reading of the Old and New Testaments, prayer, expository preaching of the Bible, and congregational singing that draws on both traditional hymns and contemporary songs accompanied by a variety of instruments. The two sacraments of the church - the Lord's Supper and baptism - are observed regularly. A Sunday Worship Guide is posted online to help attendees prepare their hearts and follow the order of service.
What to Know on a First Visit
Visitors will find abundant parking in front of the church and along the side. The building has two front entrances. The Fellowship Hall and Classroom entrance under the awning is the one to use for dropping off children at the nursery or Sunday School, or for attending a Sunday School class yourself. The Sanctuary entrance leads directly into the morning service. Services are also livestreamed on YouTube for those at home or traveling, and recordings remain available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Church Center app.
Riveroaks Kids and the Nursery
Children's ministry at Riveroaks is called Riveroaks Kids and spans nine classes serving ages 2 through sixth grade. Each class includes a time of singing and a Bible lesson. Younger children are introduced to biblical vocabulary and the great stories of God's faithfulness, while older classes work through the Ten Commandments, Christ-centered living, and God's redemptive history across both Testaments. A multi-room nursery is available for newborns through four-year-olds during Sunday worship services, Sunday School, and Wednesday Evening Discipleship. The church also welcomes families with special-needs children, providing tailored content and trained, caring members who walk alongside those families.
RSM: Walking with Students Through the Teen Years
The student ministry, RSM, serves seventh through twelfth graders with a vision to come alongside parents during the formative teenage years. The acronym reflects the ministry's threefold mission: Reach students for Christ, Set up parents for success, and Make disciples. Sunday mornings begin at 9:30 AM in the RSM Room on the second floor of the Education wing, with a shared meal, teaching on a variety of relevant topics, and small-group discussion led by volunteers who invest deeply in the lives of students. Wednesday nights at 6:15 PM bring students from across the area together for Large Group - games, congregational singing, and the preaching of God's word - often followed by an after-hours activity like Chick-fil-A's Fry Mountain. In summer, RSM partners with Reformed Youth Ministries for middle and high school conferences, and in winter the students join Covenant Presbytery's Youth Conference (CPYC).
Adult Sunday School: Tolkien, Revelation, and Calling
Adults at 9:30 AM can choose between four distinct electives each semester. "Through the Bible: Revelation," taught by Joe Maliskas, Morgan Murphy, and Paul Vander Zwaag in Rooms 105-106, walks students through the final book of Scripture with the help of William Hendriksen's commentary. "Walking by Faith," taught by Ernie Seger, John Hodges, and others in Rooms 107-108, addresses the question of God's sovereignty and providence in life's hardest moments. "The Gospel in Middle-Earth," taught by Pastor Kyle Dillon and Darren Adams in the Fellowship Hall, draws Christian wisdom from The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. "How God Has Wired You," taught by Pastor Drew Turberville in the Choir Room, explores vocation, spiritual gifts, and personality. Recordings of Sunday School lessons are available on the church's audio channels.
Men, Women, and Mercy Meals
Riveroaks Men and Riveroaks Women each host a roster of regular gatherings and special events throughout the year. The women's ministry anchors its program in Hebrews 10:23-25, urging believers to hold fast to the confession of hope and to stir one another to love and good works. Beyond events, women serve through a Missions Committee that supports missionaries the church partners with, Care Groups for prayer and encouragement, Baby and Bridal Showers for church members, and a Women in Crisis committee offering counseling, prayer, and accountability for those in need. Mercy Meals organizes meal support through Take Them a Meal for members facing illness, surgery, a new baby, or a hard stretch. Men's gatherings include shared meals and Bible teaching, with recordings available online.
What Riveroaks Believes
The members of Riveroaks affirm six core truths. The Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts, infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. There is one God, the Holy Trinity, existing eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God's displeasure except by His mercy. Salvation is through God alone as He sovereignly chooses those He will save, His choice grounded in grace rather than human merit or foreseen faith. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God whose perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who trust in Him alone. The Holy Spirit indwells God's people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow Him. Church government is presbyterian, with local elders elected by the congregation and accountability flowing through regional presbyteries to a national General Assembly. The mission of the church is summed up in five phrases: Exalting and Enjoying Our God, Examining God's Inspired Word, Experiencing Grace in Community, Equipping Families to Flourish, and Engaging the World with Love.
Pastoral Leadership
Rev. Tommy Lee was called and installed as the fifth Senior Minister of Riveroaks in February 2022. He followed Rev. James H. Grant, Jr., who served as Interim Senior Minister during the pastoral search, and Rev. William Spink, Jr., who pastored the congregation for thirty-nine years before retiring on January 5, 2020. Pastor Kyle Dillon and Pastor Drew Turberville also serve on the pastoral team and teach in the adult Sunday School.
The Campus, the Stream, and Giving
After thirty-eight years in the Sanctuary, the congregation voted in January 2017 to update the Sanctuary and narthex, with the renovation completed that summer. The Sanctuary now anchors a campus that includes offices, a nursery facility, a Fellowship Hall, the three-story Education building, and a playground. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, with recordings available on the Church Center app, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Online giving is processed through the Church Center platform, and checks can be mailed to the church office in care of Kevin Windsor.