Ministers & Staff

Dewayne Spivey is our pulpit minister. He began working with our congregation in the fall of 1999. Dewayne was born in Moulton, AL and graduated from Austin High School in Decatur. He began preaching as a teenager at the Memorial Drive congregation (now known as Beltline) in Decatur. He attended Freed-Hardeman College and graduated from David Lipscomb in 1972, majoring in Bible. He has served congregations in Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Alabama.

Dewayne’s first wife, Cathy, passed away in 2009. He is now married to Jane, a graduate of Faulkner and Auburn University of Montgomery. They have four sons, four daughters-in-law, and nine grandchildren.

Josh is our involvement minister.  He began working with Riverchase in June of 2023.  He has served in full-time ministry for a little over 10 years including roles as a youth, family, and preaching minister.  He grew up in Oklahoma and went to college at Freed-Hardeman University where he  met his wife, Kimberly, and earned an undergraduate degree in Bible. He also completed a Master’s degree in Ministry from FHU and is currently working on his research and dissertation toward a PhD. in Leadership Studies from Johnson University. Kimberly has been a school teacher throughout their life together. They have three children: Baileigh, Canaan, and Janie.

Malvin Sanders is our youth and family minister. He joined our staff in May 2021. Malvin grew up in the Atlanta area before going to college at Faulkner University in Montgomery, where he earned a degree in Youth and Family Ministry. While at Faulkner, he met his wife Jan. They have three children, Owen, Blakely, and Parker.  He is currently working on his Masters’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Amridge University.

Eric Gott is our children’s minister. He joined our staff in July 2018. Eric has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Freed-Hardeman University and a masters’ degree in Professional Counseling with a concentration in Play Therapy from Lipscomb University. Eric and his wife Leah moved to Riverchase from Nashville where Leah taught 5th-grade math and Eric had his own private practice in the children’s counseling business.

Donna Strickland joined the staff in March 2015. Donna has a Bachelors’s degree in Finance from Auburn University. She and her family have been worshipping at Riverchase since 2002. Donna is married to Keith Strickland and they have two daughters, Keely and Erica.

Sarah Pate joined the office staff in September 2021. Sarah has a Bachelor of Science degree in History and a Masters of Education from the University of Montevallo. She taught middle school for several years prior to joining our staff. Sarah is married to Barton Pate and they have three children: Norah, Landon, and Ethan. They have been attending Riverchase since 2010.