“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
– Isaiah 64:4
THE TeAM
Leadership Hierarchy
Dr. Saundra Rhode, (Our Pastor)
In December 2019, Dr. Saundra Rhode was confirmed as Senior Pastor of Organic Church. Organic Church was birthed because of a new mandate from the Lord that challenges her to address the needs of the community around spiritual, mental, physical, and social development – a holistic approach. To carry–out her assignment, the Lord prompted Dr. Saundra to create the NextGen Empowerment Method, Inc. organization.
What is my purpose? This is a question often asked of everyone who is either new in church or has been there for some time. I say, “it is not hard to find your purpose – it’s just a matter of who is going to walk through with you!” Organic Church, along with its nextGen organization, will guide you as we identify your personal strengths and help you address the challenges people face in achieving their potential. This will include imparting faith values, such as honor, respect, compassion, and love.
Dr. Saundra’s primary gift and calling are to young people; and she has worked in this capacity for the past 45 years. She has an immeasurable love for them and has been a faithful motivator of their spiritual growth; teaching them to be an honest and faithful generation for the Kingdom of God. She has imparted these principles through an outreach program of 15 years, entitled, “Raise the Curtain (RTC),” a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that provided services to young people and their families.
Dr. Saundra strongly believes that God is raising up a generation of young people who will carry out His new assignment for His end-time season.
“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” Isaiah 64:4.
“However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” I Corinthians 2:9.
Pastor Saundra has served as an evangelist, a motivational speaker, a women’s community leader and a youth/young adult leader. She has traveled to several countries either as a speaker or for missions, to include London; Bahamas; Israel; Costa Rica; Hawaii; Ghana West Africa; Puerto Rico, Madrid; San Juan, Senegal West Africa and Manila, Philippines.
Dr. Saundra holds a B.A. in General Psychology; and a MA and PsyD Psychology (with a specialization in Mediation and Conflict Resolution). She has furthered her education by completing the course requirements to sit for the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists exam to be licensed as a Counseling Therapist. Additionally, she has completed her training and has fulfilled the requirements of Maryland Rule 17 requirements to practice Mediation and Conflict Resolution in the courts.
Dr. James Rhode (Overseer)
Board of Directors
Dr. James Rhode was the Founder and Senior Pastor of Life International Church & Ministries (“LICM”) for 20 years. In 2019 he relinquished his position as Senior Pastor to his wife, Dr. Saundra Rhode because of a new mandate and name change. As Pastor of LICM, Dr. developed leaders who embraced the presence and power of God and promoted meaningful Worship and a deeper understanding of Christian Faith, to lead others to Christ. He trained believers to effectively operate in their callings and Spiritual gifts.
He demonstrated the authority of the Gospel of the Kingdom through changing lives; developing, training and building effective and disciplined Godly leaders that would influence all spheres of society – communicate Biblical principles clearly and practically through anointed, intelligent and transforming teaching; and inspire and cultivate a passion and intensity for God and His Word.
Dr. Rhode is on this mission with his wife to share the heart of God; as he strongly believes that if anyone can trust the Word of God and willingly obey the Word, then he/she will always experience the Glory of God. He has traveled to several countries for missions, to include: London; Israel; Costa Rica; Hawaii; Ghana West Africa; Nigeria West Africa; Okinawa, Japan; Brazil; Puerto Rico; Madrid; and San Juan to name a few.
Dr. Rhode attended National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) and received his license as an Elevator Foreman; he attended North Carolina Bible College, Durham, N.C., and was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in 2007 from the Truth Bible College in Florida.
Dr. Rhode and his wife, Saundra, were officially ordained to the Office of Pastor, September 2000. They have two grown children, Kenneth and Tanisha, who labors with them in the Ministry.
QUALIFICATIONS OF A TEAM COORDINATOR AND TEAM LEADERS
1) Shall Report Directly to The Pastor
Shall report directly to the Pastor regarding Team progress and keep the Pastor abreast of any new developments, etc.; (Team Coordinator)
2). Shall Have Knowledge of The Word
Shall have a knowledge of the Word and/or consistently seeking knowledge of the Word
3) Must Support Organic Church Financially
(e.g. tithes and offerings)
4) Shall Assist Each Team Leader
Shall assist each Team Leader with scheduling of events, meetings, etc to ensure efficiency or harmony
5) Shall Be Able to Work in An Interdependent Relationship
Shall be able to work in an interdependent relationship. Interdependence provides support to the Team structure allowing our strength to support each other and to focus on our own personal growth. Leaders who are interdependent will achieve more success and happiness when they are connected to those around them.
6) Shall Maintain Team Respect
Shall maintain Team respect, integrity, honesty, trust, humility and support always.
7) Shall Be Resilient
Shall be resilient – the ability to take on change and to adapt to what’s happening around us as the church changes.
8) Shall Be Transparent
Shall be transparent by communicating our intent whenever the opportunity presents itself
9) Shall Work to Improve Our Emotional Intelligence
Shall work to improve our emotional intelligence which means that we should make a concerted effort to understand the reasons behind a team member’s behavior. When we take time to understand people behavior, it is easy to react with dignity to any type of situation.
10) Must Be Passionate
Must have the passion for the work.
11) Must Be Empathetic
Must demonstrate empathy.
12) Shall Empower Team Members
Shall make every effort to empower the team members with whom we are working.
13) Remain Open-minded
Remain open-minded – ability to entertain new ideas or challenges.
14) Shall Practice
Shall practice – trying not to “strike-back at every swinging ball.”
15) Shall Ensure Camaraderie
Shall ensure that we are working towards the common goal.
16) Shall Take Accountability
Shall be accountable to the Pastor and any other leadership that the Pastor has in place.
17) Pray To Be a Good Listener
And MOST important Pray to become a good listener.