our
leaders
Dr. Jason Rolen
Staff Elder/Senior Pastor
j.rolen@bbcemory.org
Jerod Haygood
Staff Elder/Family & Student Pastor
j.haygood@bbcemory.org
Kyle Slaymaker
Lay Elder/Pastor
Kyle joined Believers’ Baptist in March 2012, and has been serving as an elder at the church since 2018. He is originally from Anchorage, AK and works in the medical device industry. Kyle has been married to Natalie since November 2004, and they have three boys: Kaleb, Joshua, and Micah. In his spare time, he loves spending time with his family, coaching his boys’ sports teams, hunting, and fishing.
Elders
Pastor Jason has been the senior pastor at Believers' since July 2000. He is originally from Tom Bean, Texas and has been in full time vocational ministry since 1985. He has degrees from East Texas State University, Southwestern Theological Seminary, and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has been married to Stacy since June1996, and they have a son Brady and daughter Bree Allie. Pastor Jason has enjoyed coaching for the Rains Youth Sports Association and is an avid fan of the Rains Wildcats, Dallas Cowboys, and the Texas Rangers. Jason also is a lover of books and reading and is an Alamo junkie.
Jerod joined Believers’ Baptist in February of 2017. Jerod oversees all ministry for nursery to 12th grade. He is originally from White Oak, TX and graduated with his BA from Letourneau University and his Masters from John Brown University/Kanakuk Institute. Jerod has been married to Whitney since January of 2010, and they have four children: Micah, Adelyn, Eli, and Jude. Jerod loves to spend time with his family in the outdoors and loves reading, gardening, fishing, and playing sports. His claim to nerdiness is his vast collection of Superman memorabilia (just take a peek inside his office).
Kent Larson
Lay Elder/Pastor
Kent and his wife Stella joined Believers’ Baptist in 2011. Kent was born and raised in the Upper Midwest and they moved to Texas in 1998. Kent and Stella have been married for over 45 years. Kent is a retired Construction Project Manager and he now raises Black Angus cattle in rural Rains County. Kent became an Elder in 2014. Besides the ranch and cattle, Kent and Stella own a travel agency. When not travelling or leading groups on travel experiences, Kent has found time to complete his first novel and is nearing completion of his second. Kent loves baseball and he collects anything John Deere.
Patrick Covington
Lay Elder/Pastor
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Patrick and his wife, Kelsey, have been members of Believers' Baptist Church since May 2017. He is currently working toward ACBC certification. As a lay elder, Patrick works vocationally in engineering for Farmers Electric Cooperative. He and his wife have a new daughter as of Spring 2023.
Staff
Kent Larson
Elder
Lissa Grady
Ministry Assistant
office@bbcemory.org
Lissa began attending Believers’ Baptist in August of 2017 which is when she moved to East Tawakoni. Lissa has lived in Texas since 1999 when she moved from Ohio with her husband and 3 children. Lissa's children are now married, and she has12 grandchildren.
Lissa does everything (this is not an exaggeration) from secretarial duties, to record-keeping, to keeping financial reports for the church, to keeping Jason and Jerod in order. Lissa's happy place is spending time with her family and/or at the beach. In her free time, she enjoys working in the yard, reading crime mysteries, crocheting and fishing.
Ministry Staff
Duffey Henderson
Music & Media Minister
d.henderson@bbcemory.org
Duffey joined the ministry staff of BBC in January 2022. He was born and raised in Houston, Texas and has lived in Texas all his life. He has been in vocational ministry since 2008 and has served in both music and youth ministry.
Duffey moved to East Texas in 2012 where he began his undergraduate degree at East Texas Baptist University. He graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis in church music ministry. He's been in East Texas ever since. Currently he is a student at Grace Bible Theological Seminary in Conway, Arkansas working toward an MDiv degree. Duffey and Stephanie will celebrate 10 years of marriage in August 2024. They have 5 children.
