Rod moved to Tallahassee in 1973 to attend Florida State University. Just before graduation, a friend invited him to Grace Church where he was immediately drawn to expositional bible teaching. A few years after graduating from college, he married his wife, Ann, and they were off to Dallas Seminary to prepare for ministry. While working in the business world for a short time, God opened the door for their family to move back to Tallahassee.
In December 1985, he became the Associate Pastor at Grace Church. After serving in that capacity for 22 years, he was appointed Senior Pastor in January 2008. He and Ann have two adult children, Carrie (married to Doug Link) and Michael (married to Ramsey), and four grandsons, Caleb (Link), Hudson (Link), Owen (Link), and Wyatt (Bunton), and four granddaughters Palmer (Bunton), Abigail (Link), Harper (Bunton), and Anna Kate (Link).
Rod’s duties include regular preaching and leading Bible studies.