Kenneth D'auria
Elder and Teaching Pastor
God has blessed me with a wonderful family. On May 4, 2002, I married the woman “whom my soul loves” (Song of Solomon 3:4) —Delia D’Auria. Delia and I have five precious children, Jeremiah Clay, Judah Leonard, Eliza Linen, Piper Rene, and Edith Joy.
God has also blessed me with a wonderful ministry. After graduating from college with a degree in music, I had the honor of serving my home church as pastor of worship from January 2003-December 2011. During this time I was mentored by Godly pastors who taught me how to love and care for God’s people. It was during this period that I came to know that I would spend the rest of my life serving and shepherding God’s people. To prepare for this I enrolled in seminary classes and graduated from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in December 2010.
In 2012, Michael Carpenter (elder), Steve Simkins (elder), myself, and about 50 other individuals started Reformation Christian Fellowship. Since then, I have only become MORE convinced that shepherding God’s people is what God has called me to do. More and more, I love to study, preach, and teach the Word. More and more, I count it a joy to meet with and offer biblical counsel to God’s people. More and more, I am so encouraged and edified by our weekly time of corporate prayer. More and more, I look forward to seeing how God will continue to cause his Word to “increase and multiply” (Acts 12:24) through our ministry. I am so very grateful for these blessing from God’s hand.
Soli Deo Gloria
God has also blessed me with a wonderful ministry. After graduating from college with a degree in music, I had the honor of serving my home church as pastor of worship from January 2003-December 2011. During this time I was mentored by Godly pastors who taught me how to love and care for God’s people. It was during this period that I came to know that I would spend the rest of my life serving and shepherding God’s people. To prepare for this I enrolled in seminary classes and graduated from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary in December 2010.
In 2012, Michael Carpenter (elder), Steve Simkins (elder), myself, and about 50 other individuals started Reformation Christian Fellowship. Since then, I have only become MORE convinced that shepherding God’s people is what God has called me to do. More and more, I love to study, preach, and teach the Word. More and more, I count it a joy to meet with and offer biblical counsel to God’s people. More and more, I am so encouraged and edified by our weekly time of corporate prayer. More and more, I look forward to seeing how God will continue to cause his Word to “increase and multiply” (Acts 12:24) through our ministry. I am so very grateful for these blessing from God’s hand.
Soli Deo Gloria
Steve Simkins
Elder
The Lord Jesus saved me in September 1981 while beginning my freshman year at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, in Aero-Astronautical Engineering. I was baptized on November 15th, 1981, in a nearby small lake that still had a layer of ice on top! Before my rebirth, my church experience was Espicopalian. While I learned some important truths, I was never confronted with the Biblical truth of my depraved nature and my need to repent and turn to Jesus. After my rebirth, I attended the independent fundamentalist campus church, a member of which had presented the Gospel to me. After a couple years, I fell away from their fellowship and wandered spiritually during and a few years after college. God drew me to a Southern Baptist church in Hampton Virginia after I began working for the Air Force in communications and computer systems in 1986. I grew in my knowledge and faith of God during those twelve years, married Amanda, began raising our three children, served the church in numerous capacities, and was promoted to various supervisory positions in the Air Force beginning in 1989.
In 1998, I accepted a supervisory position in Ramstein, Germany. God brought us to a new church, new homeschooling group and new people — and our first real exposure to Reformed doctrines and distinctions. It was also an opportunity for me to serve as treasurer and deacon. When we returned to Virginia in 2003, we returned to the same baptist church as well. While I served as treasurer and taught Sunday morning Bible study, I was thirsty for expositional preaching, and I started checking out other sources– Alistair Begg of Parkside Church, Cleveland, Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church, Seattle–unbeknownst to me, sources with a Reformed bent–followed by RC Sproul of Ligonier, Matt Chandler of Village Church, Dallas, and John Piper, Bethlehem, Minneapolis. With the death of the senior pastor, several strategic planning efforts tried to address the superficial problems of a church in decline. Because of the church majority support for church leaders who held a doctrinal position contrary to mainline evangelicalism, we knew it was time to leave and find a Reformed church, or start one. Pastor Kenny D’Auria, Elder Mike Carpenter and I in early January 2012 decided to found Reformation Christian Fellowship Church. We addressed the state and federal legal requirements, established a bank account, found several locations to meet, and with many like-minded people, purchased or built the equipment and created processes for a functioning church. We held our first worship service February 5th, 2012, my youngest son’s birthday!
My passions are
In 1998, I accepted a supervisory position in Ramstein, Germany. God brought us to a new church, new homeschooling group and new people — and our first real exposure to Reformed doctrines and distinctions. It was also an opportunity for me to serve as treasurer and deacon. When we returned to Virginia in 2003, we returned to the same baptist church as well. While I served as treasurer and taught Sunday morning Bible study, I was thirsty for expositional preaching, and I started checking out other sources– Alistair Begg of Parkside Church, Cleveland, Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church, Seattle–unbeknownst to me, sources with a Reformed bent–followed by RC Sproul of Ligonier, Matt Chandler of Village Church, Dallas, and John Piper, Bethlehem, Minneapolis. With the death of the senior pastor, several strategic planning efforts tried to address the superficial problems of a church in decline. Because of the church majority support for church leaders who held a doctrinal position contrary to mainline evangelicalism, we knew it was time to leave and find a Reformed church, or start one. Pastor Kenny D’Auria, Elder Mike Carpenter and I in early January 2012 decided to found Reformation Christian Fellowship Church. We addressed the state and federal legal requirements, established a bank account, found several locations to meet, and with many like-minded people, purchased or built the equipment and created processes for a functioning church. We held our first worship service February 5th, 2012, my youngest son’s birthday!
My passions are
- for deep, accurate, passionate preaching and teaching through whole books of God’s Word,
- for conveying the whole gospel,
- for employing organizations, systems and processes within the church that are effective before they are efficient, using information technology to improve both,
- for the Simple Church philosophy of disciple-making, so that the church enables, not burdens, the believer
Mike Carpenter
Elder
Truth is not a barrier to fellowship but defines fellowship. The level of fellowship we have with one another is based on our mutual commitment to the truth. Because of love I can fellowship to some degree with those with whom I fundamentally disagree (such as unbelievers). However, as agreement on truth increases, fellowship with God and with each other is enriched accordingly. A shared commitment to the Bible as the highest authority (Sola Scripture), that salvation is by grace alone (Sola Gratia), through faith alone (Sola Fide) in Christ alone (Solus Christus), to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria) led to the formation of Reformation Christian Fellowship in February, 2012. My desire as an elder of Reformation Christian Fellowship is that together we would know Jesus and the power of his resurrection and share in his sufferings (Phil 3:10). We mainly know him through his Word; thus, we desire to teach the truth of God’s Word, its doctrines and applications. The more we know about God and what he accomplished through his Son, Jesus, the more our affections are for God and others. Our service and evangelism should primarily flow from gratitude instead of obligation.
By God’s grace I was reared in a Christian family and have always been involved in church. Through hearing his word in this environment, as a young teenager God effectually called me to be his and began the process of conforming me to the image of his Son. After college I began my career as an Air Force officer. God graciously took me to Las Vegas, Nevada, and gave me great Christian friends. During this time I was refined and was given a deep desire to know and teach the Scriptures. Also, God gave me my wonderful wife, Sonya. Theologically, God began the process of taking me out of dispensationlism.
Sonya and I married and moved to northern Virginia as I was assigned to the Pentagon. While there we were actively involved with Harvest Christian Fellowship, where I was an elder. Again, God graciously gave us great Christian friends and gave me even more opportunities to learn and teach his Word. Our first child Amanda was born while I was at the Pentagon. With great difficulty we decided to remain in the Air Force, which sent us to Dayton, Ohio, so I could obtain a Master’s Degree in Operations Research. We continued our growth by leading worship for Calvary Chapel of Dayton, and by assisting Airway Baptist Church with worship on Sunday evenings. During this time, God began the process of leading me into Reformed theology. As I studied God’s Word the truth of God’s sovereignty over all things was inescapable. I discovered Ligonier ministries and the teaching of R. C. Sproul. His book Chosen By God, and Michael Horton’s book Putting Amazing Back Into Grace were instrumental in my understanding the sovereignty of God in salvation. Our daughter Becky was born while in Dayton.
We then moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although I had few teaching opportunities, God used this time to deepen my understanding of Reformed theology. Our son Matthew was born during our time in Albuquerque.
The final move was to Hampton, Virginia, where we are now. I retired from the Air Force in 1998 and began a career as a software developer working from home. A year or so after arriving in Hampton God led us to Restoration Church where I taught the truth of Reformed theology for many years to an adult Sunday school class. The last few years before the formation of Reformation Christian Fellowship I assisted in teaching the youth of the church.
Finally God gave Kenny D’Auria, Steve Simkins, and I the opportunity to start Reformation Christian Fellowship. Welcome!
By God’s grace I was reared in a Christian family and have always been involved in church. Through hearing his word in this environment, as a young teenager God effectually called me to be his and began the process of conforming me to the image of his Son. After college I began my career as an Air Force officer. God graciously took me to Las Vegas, Nevada, and gave me great Christian friends. During this time I was refined and was given a deep desire to know and teach the Scriptures. Also, God gave me my wonderful wife, Sonya. Theologically, God began the process of taking me out of dispensationlism.
Sonya and I married and moved to northern Virginia as I was assigned to the Pentagon. While there we were actively involved with Harvest Christian Fellowship, where I was an elder. Again, God graciously gave us great Christian friends and gave me even more opportunities to learn and teach his Word. Our first child Amanda was born while I was at the Pentagon. With great difficulty we decided to remain in the Air Force, which sent us to Dayton, Ohio, so I could obtain a Master’s Degree in Operations Research. We continued our growth by leading worship for Calvary Chapel of Dayton, and by assisting Airway Baptist Church with worship on Sunday evenings. During this time, God began the process of leading me into Reformed theology. As I studied God’s Word the truth of God’s sovereignty over all things was inescapable. I discovered Ligonier ministries and the teaching of R. C. Sproul. His book Chosen By God, and Michael Horton’s book Putting Amazing Back Into Grace were instrumental in my understanding the sovereignty of God in salvation. Our daughter Becky was born while in Dayton.
We then moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although I had few teaching opportunities, God used this time to deepen my understanding of Reformed theology. Our son Matthew was born during our time in Albuquerque.
The final move was to Hampton, Virginia, where we are now. I retired from the Air Force in 1998 and began a career as a software developer working from home. A year or so after arriving in Hampton God led us to Restoration Church where I taught the truth of Reformed theology for many years to an adult Sunday school class. The last few years before the formation of Reformation Christian Fellowship I assisted in teaching the youth of the church.
Finally God gave Kenny D’Auria, Steve Simkins, and I the opportunity to start Reformation Christian Fellowship. Welcome!
Matt Carpenter
Elder and Worship Pastor
I was blessed to be raised by two God-fearing parents who were faithful to reflect the gospel to me in any and every way. As I grew I learned that I was a sinner condemned by God and that I needed to put my faith and trust in Jesus to be saved. At an early age (4 or 5) I put my faith In Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins, but was not baptized until I was 11 years old.
As I continued to grow in my understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Christ, I felt God beginning to call me to Worship Ministry. God did this through the gifts and talents he has given me, and by the faithful discipling of my Worship Pastor (and now Pastor) Kenny D’Auria. I pursued God’s call on my life by getting a degree in Worship and Pastoral Studies at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. I graduated in May of 2017 and I am incredibly grateful for my time there.
At RCF our number one priority during musical worship is to make the Gospel as clear as possible each and every Sunday, and to magnify the name of Jesus. We do this through theologically rich and gospel-centered songs that vary in style from hymn style, contemporary, or even a hint of country. It is my conviction that whatever we do on Sunday morning is informed by the authoritative Word of God and brings glory to Him (2 Tim 3:16; Col 3:16; 1 Cor 10:31).
As I continued to grow in my understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Christ, I felt God beginning to call me to Worship Ministry. God did this through the gifts and talents he has given me, and by the faithful discipling of my Worship Pastor (and now Pastor) Kenny D’Auria. I pursued God’s call on my life by getting a degree in Worship and Pastoral Studies at Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. I graduated in May of 2017 and I am incredibly grateful for my time there.
At RCF our number one priority during musical worship is to make the Gospel as clear as possible each and every Sunday, and to magnify the name of Jesus. We do this through theologically rich and gospel-centered songs that vary in style from hymn style, contemporary, or even a hint of country. It is my conviction that whatever we do on Sunday morning is informed by the authoritative Word of God and brings glory to Him (2 Tim 3:16; Col 3:16; 1 Cor 10:31).
james lipford
Elder
God has been very gracious to me throughout my life despite the many years that I lived in rebellion against him. I was born and raised in Williamsburg, VA, and grew up in a small fundamental Baptist church where I often heard about God’s law and the many ways in which I could not keep it. Over the years I recognized that I could not keep God’s law, so I decided that if I was going to hell I might as well go down having a good time. Once I graduated high school, I pursued my every desire and did not give any thought to God or others for years to come. A few years later, out of the blue, my old high school wrestling coach called me and recruited me for the Apprentice School wrestling team at Newport News Shipyard.
God was working through this, because a little over a year later, a coworker of mine would invite me to come to a church service with him. I was not interested in hearing anything, I just wanted to hang out with my friend. That night, I heard a message about Christ taking the punishment for our sins by dying so that our debt could be wiped clean, and we can have his perfect works instead though faith in him. Upon hearing this, it was like scales fell from my eyes and the cogs in my head clicked together, because I finally understood why Christ died and was resurrected. God regenerated my heart and gave me faith to believe, and it was very apparent that I did not do it, it was a gift of God.
The very next day, I was a completely different person, in my language, my desires, and attitude at work. This was so apparent that my friends began to call me Lipford 2.0! Shortly thereafter, I blew my knee out in a wrestling tournament and was bedridden for a month with nothing but my bible and Mark Driscol sermons. This was the first real time that I read through the entire bible and I was blown away by how much I didn’t know as well as how badly I had been taught growing up. It was there that my passion for teaching really was ignited because I was determined that people needed to hear and learn what the truth in scripture was. This caused me to scour the denominational landscape looking for a biblical church. I attended many churches from Charismatic Anglicans in a Monastery all the way to prosperity gospel churches. I eventually came to a Baptist church and recognized that it aligned with what I believed the scriptures to say. It was also the influence of a series of lectures that Jim Renihan gave on Baptist Genealogy and Covenant Theology that solidified my Reformed Baptist convictions.
Several years later, I would meet and marry the love of my life, Staci, who is my greatest joy under the sun. We both love serving Christ through serving his people, and we desire to see others grow in their knowledge of Christ. Currently I am attending Boyce College at Southern Seminary, pursuing my Bachelor’s in Theological Studies. I plan to attend Grace Covenant Theological Seminary after I graduate. Some of my favorite books include (but are not limited to):
Favorite verse: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
God was working through this, because a little over a year later, a coworker of mine would invite me to come to a church service with him. I was not interested in hearing anything, I just wanted to hang out with my friend. That night, I heard a message about Christ taking the punishment for our sins by dying so that our debt could be wiped clean, and we can have his perfect works instead though faith in him. Upon hearing this, it was like scales fell from my eyes and the cogs in my head clicked together, because I finally understood why Christ died and was resurrected. God regenerated my heart and gave me faith to believe, and it was very apparent that I did not do it, it was a gift of God.
The very next day, I was a completely different person, in my language, my desires, and attitude at work. This was so apparent that my friends began to call me Lipford 2.0! Shortly thereafter, I blew my knee out in a wrestling tournament and was bedridden for a month with nothing but my bible and Mark Driscol sermons. This was the first real time that I read through the entire bible and I was blown away by how much I didn’t know as well as how badly I had been taught growing up. It was there that my passion for teaching really was ignited because I was determined that people needed to hear and learn what the truth in scripture was. This caused me to scour the denominational landscape looking for a biblical church. I attended many churches from Charismatic Anglicans in a Monastery all the way to prosperity gospel churches. I eventually came to a Baptist church and recognized that it aligned with what I believed the scriptures to say. It was also the influence of a series of lectures that Jim Renihan gave on Baptist Genealogy and Covenant Theology that solidified my Reformed Baptist convictions.
Several years later, I would meet and marry the love of my life, Staci, who is my greatest joy under the sun. We both love serving Christ through serving his people, and we desire to see others grow in their knowledge of Christ. Currently I am attending Boyce College at Southern Seminary, pursuing my Bachelor’s in Theological Studies. I plan to attend Grace Covenant Theological Seminary after I graduate. Some of my favorite books include (but are not limited to):
- Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks
- Saved by Grace by Anthony Hoekema
- Getting the Garden Right by Richard Barcellos
- The Old Testament Canon for the New Testament Church by Roger Beckwith
- Typology of Scripture Patrick Fairbairn
Favorite verse: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2