Leadership

PASTORS & STAFF

BRYAN COUNTS

Senior Pastor

Originally from Greenville, Bryan graduated from Covenant College and then received his MDIV from Covenant Seminary before heading to Colorado Springs to serve at Village Seven Church. Bryan and his wife, Erika, have four children,  Garrison, Daniel, Caroline, and JB.  Bryan and Erika are looking forward to leveraging their gifts at Clemson Pres for God's glory. 

Matthew Icard

Associate Pastor of
Students & Families
Matthew loves sharing the redemptive work of God with others. He also loves all things related to the outdoors. As a result, Matthew was actively involved in Christian camp ministry both during and after college. Following his work in camp ministry, Matthew attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, and graduated in 2012. Matthew and his wonderful wife, Rachel, met in seminary. In April 2012, Matthew accepted the call to become the Assistant Pastor of Youth and Families.

Reid Jones

Assistant Pastor of
Adult Discipleship
Reid is a graduate of Troy University where he met his wife, Kelli. Before attending seminary at RTS Charlotte, Reid worked in marketing and graphic design. Since graduating from RTS in 2010, he has served as a pastor in Utah, Alabama, and South Carolina, most recently serving with RUF for 11 years. Reid and Kelli have two daughters, Lucy and Jordan. The Jones family loves living in Clemson, exploring all that the Upstate has to offer, and watching the latest streaming movie on Friday nights while eating pizza and ice cream.

Ruthann Crane

Assistant to the Senior Pastor
Ruthann grew up and lived in the metro Atlanta area before moving to Clemson with her family six years ago. She is a mother of two sons: Ray and Ben. 

Sara Dixon

Communications Coordinator
Originally from the upstate, Sara attended the University of Georgia followed by serving in churches in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina before returning to Clemson. Her hobbies include ceramics, art, lake days, and cheering on Georgia football and Kentucky basketball.

Liz Lyles

Nursery Director
Liz is originally from Westminster where she grew up on a small family farm. She married Rob, her high school sweetheart, and they have three children. She loves to garden, and go camping with her family. 

Paula Miles

Women's Ministry Coordinator
Paula is wife to Kevin and mother of Wimberly, Janie, Clary, and Judy. She is from Anderson and attended Clemson University. Paula was a full time homemaker and public school teacher before coming on staff in 2014. Studying and teaching God’s Word is her passion, as well as encouraging women to understand their unique design and fulfill their individual callings. She is a conference speaker and, also, serves on the national women’s ministry team for the PCA as a women’s ministry trainer.

Laurie Parsons

Music Ministry Coordinator
Laurie Parsons studied music education at Furman University where she met her husband, Derek, CPC’s pianist. Laurie began her career teaching band and chorus in the public schools, but scaled back to a part-time role in church music as her family expanded. Laurie currently leads the adult choir, youth ensemble, and worship teams. She performs with the GAMAC Orchestra, and Easley Community Band, and teaches horn at Southern Wesleyan University.

Sam Shaner

Elementary Ministry Coordinator
Sam is originally from a small town in Virginia. She is married to Peter Shaner, who works for RUF at Clemson. They love taking their dog, Minnie, on lots of walks and doing any outdoor activity. Sam is excited to do life with the kids and families at Clemson Pres and in the community. 

Bill Thompson

Administration Director
Bill was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He has been married for over forty-four years to Carroll, also a native of Memphis. Bill and Carroll have three children and eight grandchildren. He recently retired after serving 38 years in pastoral ministry. He excited about serving the Lord at Clemson Pres.

He loves spending time with his grandchildren. He enjoys good books and watching British detective shows. When he feels like he doesn’t have enough frustration in his life, he plays golf. He is also fond of sitting in a deer stand in the
middle of the woods.

Session

Meet the elders

The elders of the church are primarily responsible for the spiritual care of the members and the encouragement of their continued growth in grace and ministry to others

Elder Emeritus: Lew Jordan, Jim Mahony, Tom Campbell

Doug Bull

elder

Bill Caldwell

elder

Lehmon Dekle

elder

Bill Fisk

elder

Mike Haas

elder

Will Huss

elder

Rob Porter

elder

Jacob Repokis

elder

Conrad Shuler

elder

Barry Swiger

elder

Doug Wilson

elder

Rob Vaughn

elder

Diaconate

Meet the DEACONS.

The deacons of the church are primarily responsible for mercy ministry and cultivating generosity among the members in service to others in the church and community.

Emeritus Deacons: A. Grover, D. Wolthuis

Tommy Barron

deacon

Ensley Feemster

deacon

Bill Harley

deacon

Allen Lohmann

deacon

Bill Shivar

deacon

Clint Thackery

deacon

David Thorsland

deacon

Brooks Williams

deacon

Joel Ward

deacon