Meet Our Staff

Brent is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and a graduate of The University of Mississippi (BS in Business Management) and Covenant Theological Seminary (M.Div. in Biblical Studies and Counseling). While in St. Louis, he met his wife Emily, who earned a Masters of Arts in Counseling from Covenant. Upon graduation they moved to Knoxville. Brent served as a Campus Minster with RUF (Reformed University Fellowship ) at The University of Tennessee from 2004-2012. He then continued with RUF, on the National Staff, as an Area Coordinator, overseeing and starting new campus works in Tennessee, Kentucky, and throughout the Midwest. In January of 2017, they accepted a call to plant Resurrection Pres. in Knoxville. In addition to his duties as Lead Pastor, his ministry interests include international church planting, pastoral well being and making strategic connections among ministry leaders. Brent and Emily have been married since 2002 and have two college-aged children, William and Abigail.

Lucas joined the Resurrection staff in 2022 after serving as RUF campus minister at the University of Connecticut for eleven years. He was born in Brazil, grew up in New Jersey, and has moved around a lot, even spending some time in Knoxville on the RUF staff at UT from 2006-2008. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Covenant Theological Seminary. In 2012 he married Maggie, and they have two children, Margot and Asher. Lucas loves sports, music, and binge-worthy TV.

Katie is a Knoxville native and grew up in the Rocky Hill area. She is married to her high school sweetheart, Ryan, and they have two kids, Ramsey and Preston. She and Ryan both graduated from MTSU where Katie was involved in Young Life for several years. Katie graduated with a degree in Exercise Science, then went on to get her doctorate of Physical Therapy from UT Health Science Center. She practiced physical therapy in Knoxville and in Oak Ridge, until deciding to take a break from it after their second child was born. Katie and Ryan are huge Vol fans, and rarely turn down an opportunity to go to a game. Katie loves gardening, exploring the Knoxville (or really any city’s) food scene, exercising, and being outside. Ultimately, though, she loves being a mom, wife, and friend to others and hopes she is able to share Jesus in these roles, even if in the smallest ways.

Jordan desires for people to fall into a deeper relationship with Christ. Originally from Knoxville, he has also lived in Louisiana and Arkansas. He has served as a worship leader for various denominations including the Church of God (Anderson) as well as the Anglican Church of North America. He is a graduate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and holds a Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Belhaven University. Jordan, his wife Ashley, and their four children Silas, Maeve, Jude, and Holland live in North Knoxville. His interests include playing guitar, eating delicious food, and Tennessee football.

Tolly was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina. She is a graduate of Clemson University with an undergraduate degree in Secondary Education and a Master of Arts in Middle Grades Education. While at Clemson, Tolly met her husband Ryan. They were married in 2010 and have three daughters, Eliza, Toccoa, and Charley. The Garrisons have lived in Greenville, SC, New Bern, NC, and moved to Knoxville in 2019 for Ryan’s job. Over the years, Tolly has worked teaching children of all ages, from preschool through high school. She joined the Resurrection staff in 2022, and she loves getting to share the love of Jesus with the smallest member of our church. Tolly loves to read, exercise, travel, and spend time with her family in the mountains and on the water.

Danny was raised in Birmingham, Alabama alongside three sisters and his border collie, Ridley. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 2023 with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Danny grew up in the church, but he came to know and love Jesus much more through the ministry of RUF at Alabama. In his free time, Danny loves to rock climb, read, and eat good food with friends. Danny is very excited to be in Knoxville and spend time with students getting to know them and talk about Jesus and their lives.