Senior Pastor - Michael L. Grooms

Mike Grooms has been the senior pastor of Rainbow Forest Baptist Church since June 1996. Pastor Mike graduated from Liberty University in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in theology. He pastored Shenandoah Baptist Church in Winchester, Virginia, from 1975 to 1988. He then pastored in Holland, Michigan, at Calvary Baptist Church from 1988 until 1996, when he was called to be  the senior pastor at Rainbow Forest.

Over the past 24 years, Pastor Mike has traveled extensively on overseas mission trips sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with a lost world. As a pastor, Mike’s heart is in shepherding people and teaching them the Word of God. His favorite verse is Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Pastor Mike and his wife, Edith, have been married since 1972. They have five children and a growing number of grandchildren. mikeg@rainbowforest.com

Our senior associate pastor, Mark Ellis, accepted Christ in May 1979. Just a few years later, he felt called into the ministry. Mark received a bachelor's degree in religion from Liberty University.

Mark and his wife, Deidra, joined Rainbow Forest Baptist Church in August 1986. He served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher for several years. Mark came on staff in November 1992 as the inreach pastor. Since then he has served as the discipleship pastor and the singles pastor. In October 1997 he became the senior associate pastor.

Mark and Deidra have been married since 1985. They have four children and a daughter-in-law. mark@rainbowforest.com

Jim was born and raised in Chicago, graduating from DePauw University and Loyola Medical School. In 1973 he and his wife, Carson, moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where they spent the next 12 years. Jim joined the University of Virginia hospital faculty after completing an anesthesiology residency and fellowship.

Although both he and Carson were from churched homes, neither had a personal relationship with Jesus. Circumstances in Jim’s life caused him to look for answers to life’s big questions and seek the truth. Jim received Jesus as Savior and Lord in the spring of 1980, about one year after Carson was born again.

Jim and Carson moved to Roanoke in 1985 and joined Rainbow Forest Baptist Church in 1987, serving in various areas of ministry. Over the past 20 years, Jim began to realize that, although a traditional medical career provided ministry opportunities and financial stability, medicine would not be his lifelong occupation. He is enthusiastic about the new ministry opportunities God has provided for him on staff at RFBC.

Jim has been on medical missions trips ranging from two weeks to six months in Haiti, Dominican Republic, Ivory Coast, Honduras, and Pakistan. Jim and Carson’s long-standing ministry passion has been to see God’s Word applied within marriages and families. They have four children and a growing number of grandchildren. jim@rainbowforest.com

Children's Ministry Pastor - Lane Hasson

Lane came to the Roanoke area in 1983 after graduating high school in West Virginia. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Cheryl, since May of 1985. Cheryl is part of the management team of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and has been an employee there since 1986. She currently serves in the children's ministry as an elementary Sunday School teacher and Awana leader. They have three children.

Lane came on staff as the children's pastor of Rainbow Forest in October 2002 and has been a member of Rainbow Forest since 1988. He accepted Christ at the age of 16. Before coming on staff, he had been employed with two local electronics manufacturers as materials manager and had served at Rainbow Forest as an Awana commander, a deacon, the leader of an adult Sunday School class, and various other ministry positions. He has recently earned a Graduate of Theology in Biblical Studies diploma from Liberty University.

Lane thoroughly enjoys serving the Lord in the children's ministry and being a part of the awesome work that God is doing in the lives of children. lane@rainbowforest.com

Pastor Nathan has been at Rainbow Forest since October, 1999. He has worked as a church intern, student intern, pastoral intern, and the adult education pastor. He has been the student ministries pastor since October 2010.

In 2000 Pastor Nathan graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor's degree in biblical studies. In 2002 he graduated from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Religion. In 2003 he received his Master of Divinity degree. He is currently teaching for Liberty in a satellite school.

Pastor Nathan and his wife Karin have been married since June 2001. They have three children. nathan@rainbowforest.com

Music Ministries Pastor - Shawn Taylor

Shawn Taylor joined the pastoral staff in May 2008. Shawn is responsible for the overall music program leading worship each week.

Prior to joining Rainbow Forest, Shawn served in South Georgia as the minister of music and worship of First Baptist Church of Tifton. Before that he served churches in North Carolina and Texas while completing his undergraduate degree and seminary degree. Shawn graduated with a B.M. in sacred musical performance from Appalachian State University. He received his Master of Music degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Shawn is married to Dana, an interpreter for the deaf and stay-at-home mother. They have three children. shawn@rainbowforest.co