About Stephen Ruckel

Stephen is the Executive Director of Kempsville Presbyterian Church (EPC) of Virginia Beach, Virginia. He has been married to Rhonda since 1971. Stephen and Rhonda were raised in the panhandle of Florida and have three grown children, Kristin, Kathleen, and Matthew—and five grandchildren. Prior to moving to Virginia Beach, he was active in church life as an elder of a local church in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Stephen spent over twenty years in banking and real estate before moving from Niceville, Florida to Virginia to attend Regent University. He was the president of Vanguard Banks, Inc. where he received the excellence in community banking award in 1989 from the Florida Bankers Association. He was elected president of the Military Bankers Association of America in 1991, and has served as a director of several corporations. He also served as a broker and vice president of Ruckel Properties, a real estate development firm. He was active in numerous civic activities including serving as a director of the Chamber of Commerce, and the two-time president of the United Way. He earned an Associate Arts degree in management and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Florida State University. While earning his Masters Degree in Practical Theology at Regent University, he served as Dr. J. Rodman Williams’ graduate assistant, and administrative assistant to the dean of the School of Divinity. He now serves as an adjunct professor at Regent while working toward a Doctor of Ministry degree in leadership and renewal at Regent University. Stephen was ordained as a pastor and elder at New Life Christian Fellowship, an innovative multi-congregational church, in Chesapeake, Virginia where he served as Executive Pastor for seven years. Stephen joined the ministry team at Kempsville Presbyterian Church (EPC) as Executive Director in 2000. As Executive Director, he serves as the chief of staff for the senior pastor, supervising the ministry staff and is responsible for the daily operations of the church. KPC has four services every weekend serving more than two thousand attendees per week. Stephen fills the pulpit periodically and teaches regularly. He also serves on the apostolic leadership team of Vanguard Ministries, an apostolic network of networks as executive vice-president. He is a member of the Christian Management Association, the National Association of Church Business Administration, and the International Coalition of Apostles. Stephen loves to sing in the car, play air drums on his steering wheel, yells at slow drivers in the left lane, then repents.