Rob was born in the hills of North Carolina in 1977 and as a young child came to a very basic understanding of his need for a Savior. He asked Jesus into his life and was baptized.
In college God began to redirect Rob’s life totally in two ways. First, he met the love of his life, Denise and they were married in 2001. Here God also placed a call on Rob’s life to full-time ministry. He graduated from Western Carolina University in 2000 and enrolled in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where for the next 4 years God cultivated his walk with Jesus and began to clarify His call on Rob’s life.
Upon graduating from SEBTS in 2004, Rob accepted a call to be the youth pastor/associate pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Glenwood, MD. He ministered there for over 7 years and it was there that his first two boys, Wyatt and Ty, were born. In Maryland God began to place a clear pull on Rob and Denise’s heart for church planting. Through 3 years of ministering to college students God clarified that His call was for the Stephens family to plant a church in a collegiate context.
In June 2011 Rob and his family relocated to Harrisonburg, VA to be a church-planting apprentice in the Aletheia Network. In Harrisonburg their family grew when their 3rd son, Levi, was born. During their time in Harrisonburg God clearly communicated to Rob and Denise that He was indeed drawing them back to Maryland. In August 2013, the Stephens family moved to College Park, MD to plant Aletheia College Park.
One thing Rob loves about Aletheia is the commitment to biblical orthodoxy. As we walk through the scriptures together the timeless truths of God are transforming our church body. Rob's prayer is that God uses Aletheia to lead people to faith in Christ and to equip them for the work of ministry. Specifically that Aletheia would be used to both plant and revitalize churches in the DC area and around the globe!
We consider our elders as "lay pastors" performing all the duties as a regular pastor but on a volunteer part-time basis. You can contact all our elders (which include our pastors) at elders@aletheiacollegepark.com.
Bryan was raised in a Christian home with parents who both know and love the Lord. He heard the gospel at an early age, although it was not until middle school on a church retreat that the Gospel message really had a transformative impact on Bryan’s heart. He had finally heard and understood that Christ’s atoning sacrifice on his behalf meant that his sin was paid for and he was right before the Father. Through faith in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, Bryan’s heart was made new and he had been liberated from the slavery of sin.
After graduating high school, Bryan moved from New Jersey to attend the University of Maryland and obtain his B.S. in Computer Engineering. It is here that he fell in love with the church. After graduating, he found a job in the area so that he could stay close and continue to be a part of what God is doing through Aletheia. It is also in College Park that he met his wife, Katelyn. They were married in 2018.
Bryan appreciates the gospel-centered approach to community that is a big part of the culture at Aletheia. He also appreciates the intentionality to be a gospel witness on campus at UMD.
In the next five years, Bryan hopes to see God use Aletheia to reach the campus at UMD both through sharing the Gospel with those who need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and discipling and growing believers into maturity in their faith. It is Bryan’s hope that the church of Aletheia would be full of laborers in the Lord’s harvest that He has prepared both here in College Park and abroad.