Meet Our Team
Our Board
The Board of Directors consists of representatives from each of the five Church of God districts in the State of Ohio and meets twice per year to prayerfully address Church of God news and needs from across the state. As of January 2023, our Board of Directors include:
- Rev. Matt Roe – Chair
- Rev. Nancy Blankenship – Treasurer
- Rev. Rita Bullock
- Rev. Christina Cooling
- Rev. Dave Hennen
- Tom Sothard
- Rev. Jerry Webb II– Secretary
- Rev. Benjamin Wilson
- Twilia Butler
Our State District Chairs
- NE – Rev. David Guess
- NW – Rev. Angie Swonger
- SE – Rev. Dave Hennen
- SW – Rev. Dale French
Our State District Credential Chairs
- CE – Rev. Chris Cottrell
- NE – Rev. Charlene Moore
- NW – Rev. Dottie Kaiser
- SE – Rev. Jim Childers
- SW – Rev. Scott Planck
Rev. Dr. Melissa Pratt
State Pastor and Director of Ministries
Read Bio
Rev. Dr. Melissa Pratt was the Senior Pastor of the Teays Valley Church of God in Scott Depot, West Virginia, where she has served since 1997. During her tenure, the church has grown from a small, 60-person congregation to a worshiping congregation of well over 500 and relocated to a 74-acre campus, which serves its community seven days a week.
Prior to accepting the call to Teays Valley Church of God, she served for 12 years as the Worship Arts Pastor and then the Assistant Pastor of the Dayspring Church of God in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Pratt also served as a Special Assignment Missionary for two years on the island of Cyprus.
Dr. Pratt holds degrees from Anderson University, Asbury Theological Seminary, and the Institute for Worship Studies.
In addition to her pastoral work, she has served the Church of God on the state and national levels in various capacities. She currently serves on the WV Credentials Team and on the national Ministries Council. Melissa has also held a position on Mid America Christian University’s Trustee Board and taught for many years as an online instructor at MACU. She is a gifted worship leader and is a sought-out conference and camp meeting speaker.
Dr. Pratt is the author of the book, Impact-That’ll Leave a Mark, a book that equips people to transform the culture around them for Christ. She is married to Rev. Thom Pratt, an ordained Church of God Minister, who has served as a Support Pastor at Teays Valley Church of God. Thom was also part of the WV State Ministries team for many years as the Church Health Coach. He is currently a full-time Realtor. The Pratts have two adult children, Hannah and Joshua.
Melissa is the daughter of the late Reverend Dale and Janet Senseman who served two churches of God in OH. Dale also served a term as the Director of Church Planting for Ohio Ministries. Melissa brings 34 years of ministry experience to the COGO office. She has a deep passion for souls to be saved, a heart to identify and mentor emerging leaders, and a longing to see Kingdom transformation in every heart, home, church and community.
Rev. Nancy Blankenship
Business Administrator
Read Bio
Nancy Blankenship is an ordained minister in the Church of God. She married her sweetheart, Jim, in 1985 and they reside in her hometown, Carlisle, OH. They have two grown children, Brandon and Courtney. Courtney is married to Wiley and they live in Tennessee. They have two daughters, AvaLeigh and Evelyn.
Nancy and Jim are avid boaters and love the fact that they get to share their love of the water with their family on the great waters of Tennessee.
Nancy has been in bi-vocational ministry for more than 20 years serving in worship ministries for the Church of God. She’s also employed as a bookkeeper and finance manager in the Middletown area.
REV. David Bullock
COGO TC/Technology Consultant
Read Bio
David is the executive pastor at Awake Church in Shelby, where he oversees the worship and production ministries as well as day-to-day operations for the church. For over twenty years, he has been serving as a worship leader and production director in modest congregations of 100 to a large church with over 3,000 in attendance. He has a life-long focus on bringing excellence to the Sunday service so families can encounter God without distraction. One of his gifts is the ability to troubleshoot tech problems and loves helping other congregations improve the quality of their in-person services and live streaming. David and Rita have been married since 1999 and have five children: Lydia, Matthew, Samuel, Levi, and Ethan.
Rev. Becky Heller
Administrative Assistant
Read Bio
Becky is the Administrative Assistant at COGO, bringing extensive experience and a commitment to supporting others in this role. After several years in various assistant roles, she founded her virtual assistant business in 2019, which she transitioned to a full-time role in 2020. She and her team focus on assisting small business owners and solopreneurs with their operational needs.
She holds a Multi-Disciplinary degree in English with an Emphasis in Music from Mid-America Christian University and a Women in Ministry certificate from the same institution. In 2022, Becky was ordained as a pastor in the Church of God.
In her personal life, Becky serves in ministry alongside her husband, Tim Heller, at Meadow Park Church in Columbus. She is actively involved in ministry, leading a small group and participating in the worship and tech teams. Becky and Tim are also licensed foster parents and share their home with two dogs, Max and Maggie.
Outside of work and ministry, Becky enjoys coffee, traveling—especially to the beach—playing board games, and spending time with family and friends.
Rev. Kimberly Leach
Credentials Administrator
Read Bio
Kim has served alongside her husband in ministry for thirty years. In February 2019, she completed Leadership Focus to become an ordained minister in the Church of God (Anderson, IN).
Kim’s ministry experience includes partnering with her husband, Alan, to serve in Galesburg, Illinois; Union City, Tennessee; Mesa, AZ; New Springfield, Ohio; and now at Connection Point Church in Sidney, Ohio.
Over the years, Kim has served on staff as an Administrative Assistant and Youth Director. She is currently the Pastor of Women and Children’s Ministries.
Kim has grown the children’s ministry from a few children and a couple of volunteers to a vibrant Children’s Ministry with more than 50 volunteers each month. She enjoys partnering with her husband to strategically plan; share vision; and minister within and without the walls of the church. Kim also enjoys serving through Mission Trips. She has served in Guatemala, Ecuador, and twice in Allen, South Dakota (Lakota Indians).
Rev. Vernon Maddox
Disaster Relief/Special Projects
Read Bio
Vernon was ordained to Church of God ministry in 1962. He grew up in Scott Depot, West Virginia, and attended the Anderson School of Theology and Nova University. Throughout his ministerial career, he’s spent 36 years in Ohio, Indiana, Alabama and Florida and served as chairman of the state assembly in three of those states for two terms each. He dutifully served as the Director of Ohio Ministries from 1999 to 2006 and after retirement, served as the assistant to the General Director of the Church of God through 2013. Throughout his career, Vernon has held many impactful leadership positions across the country including two terms as Chairman of the General Assembly of the Church of God. In his free time, he enjoys his grandchildren and his Canadian cabin in the summertime.
Rev. R.W. Moody Jr.
NXTGEN Pastor
Read Bio
R.W. serves as the NXTGEN Ministries Pastor for COGO Ministries. With more than 20 years of student ministry experience in the local church, R.W. has served in other capacities including the Church of God Ministries Youth Ministry Team and directed state youth conventions in Ohio and Texas.
A strong believer in students, R.W. believes that this generation of students has the greatest opportunity to make an impact on the world for Jesus. R.W. is married to his wife and ministry partner, Joy. They have three kids – Caleb, Madeline, and Ella.
In his spare time, R.W. loves to run and travel with family. He also will tell you he is an ice cream-a-holic. Step into R.W.’s office, and you will learn he is a huge fan of Star Wars.
RW is the Family Pastor at Maiden Lane Church of God in Springfield OH.