about us.
Pastor Ronnie Hepperly serves as the Senior Pastor of the RIO Network of Churches, leading the Network to reach the poor, lost, and destitute with the gospel of Jesus Christ, both at home and around the world. By raising up, reproducing, and releasing new generations of leaders, Pastor Ronnie fulfills the Great Commission mandate to “win souls and make disciples.” From leading teams to the war-stricken country of Sudan to purchase the freedom of slaves to invading the jungles of the Amazon in South America, Pastor Ronnie leads the way as RIO impacts the world.
Pastor Ronnie’s life story reaches across economic and social lines, echoing into the lives of almost everyone who hears it. A former beer truck drive and drug-dealer, he surrendered his life to Jesus in the seat of a beer truck. Delivered from a life of drugs and alcohol addiction, Pastor Ronnie believes that our God is able to deliver and save anyone, no matter what they have done. He is a dedicated student of the Bible, diligently studying and searching the Scriptures in order to preach and teach the Word of God to a lost and dying world.
Pastor Ronnie and Jeannie (his wife of almost thirty years) are the parents of Bryan and Hank, and the proud grandparents of six-year old Kayleigh Hepperly. Raised in the mountains of Townsend, Pastor Ronnie and Jeannie now live in Friendsville. In addition to being the Senior Pastor for the Network, Pastor Ronnie serves on the Tennessee State Council for the Church of God, the Tennessee World Missions Board, and on the Board of Directors for National Bible College in Washington, D.C.
