About us

First Evangelical Free Church of Elkhart was birthed out of a Bible study in 1989 under the leadership of Pastor Tim Rowland. Their goal was to reach Elkhart County in new and fresh ways that no other church in the area was doing at the time.
God blessed the vision of the church as it quickly outgrew Mary Beck Elementary and subsequently the old YMCA in downtown Elkhart.
God provided a beautiful piece of property between Elkhart and Goshen where the church planted its roots as River Oaks Community Church.
Under the leadership of Tim Rowland, River Oaks began to be known in the community as a church who valued outreach AND compassion ministries.
River Oaks navigated its most significant season of transition in 2017-2018 as Tim passed the leadership baton on to a new, young leader and current Lead Pastor: Drew Richey. While the leadership has changed and the vision reinvigorated, the mission of River Oaks remains the same.