Roger Dermody

Executive Pastor
Bel Air Presbyterian Church

Roger likes to say, “I was bitten with the missionary bug at a very early age.” As a child, he lived in Cameroon, Africa with his parents, who were serving as short term missionaries with the North American Baptist Convention.

After growing up in the beach communities of South Orange County, he received his undergraduate degree in architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He practiced Architecture for 5 years with The Luckman Partnership in Los Angeles. A strong sense of call led him to Bel Air Presbyterian Church, where for six years he served as the Director of Student Ministries, Director of College Ministries, and Interim Director of Missions. Roger received his Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in June of 1996. He was ordained in October 1997, and continued to serve in the areas of College Ministry and Mission. He was integral to the development and leadership of Bel Air’s new Contemporary Worship services. In the Fall of 2001, he began serving as Bel Air’s Executive Pastor, overseeing the pastoral staff and day to day ministry.

Additionally, Roger has served as an "on-call" chaplain at UCLA Medical Center, the Dean of Forest Home's Annual College Briefing Conference, a design Architect for the Christian Environmental Association, and as President of Lasting Impressions Wilderness Training Camp in Zimbabwe. In his free time, Roger runs marathons, and is finishing up a Doctoral degree from Fuller on the topic of character formation.

Roger's life goal is to know Christ and to make Him known. His passion remains firmly grounded in Missions. He has led numerous short-term mission trips both locally and abroad. “I love to walk alongside of people who discover how incredible God is, by getting out of the pew, rolling up their sleeves, and sharing the good news of Jesus in word and deed, in neighborhoods very different than their own.”

Roger and his wife Megan have been happily married for 5 years, and recently have found themselves somewhere between thrilled and terrified by the process of adopting three adorable daughters—Laura, Sarah and Kayla.