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Leadership & Staff

Rod Stafford – Senior Pastor

Rod has served as the Senior Pastor of Fairfax Church since 1986. He has faithfully led the church through multiple transitions, growth, and with a deep, abiding faith in Christ over the past 35 years along with his wife Donna, his two children, and his seven grandchildren.

Rod received his undergraduate degree from Anderson University and his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Anderson University School of Theology. He has served the broader church for over 20 years on various local, state, national and international boards and he is passionate about raising up the next generation of Christ followers. He has served on the Advisory Council as President in an ex officio role since its inception in 2010.

Jon Farmelo – Council Member

Jon is a native of Virginia and has served on the Advisory Council since 2010. He began attending Fairfax Church in 2007 with his wife and three children. Jon has volunteered in a variety of roles in the church over the years, including small group leadership, high school leader, usher, and writing devotionals for our discipleship team. Jon is the President and COO of the Webb Companies, a real estate investment and development firm.

Jeff Butler – Council Member

Jeff served on the Advisory Council since 2013 in two different terms. He attends Fairfax Church with his wife and two children and has served as a valuable member of our production team.

Jeff has an extensive background as an entrepreneur and senior executive in the healthcare and technology industries. He is the founder of Privia Health and led the company from a start-up in his basement to its current position as one of the nation’s largest tech-enabled physician companies. In 2017 Jeff transitioned to a Board of Director’s role and helped guide the company through its IPO in April 2021.

Chris Wagner – Council Treasurer

Chris serves as the Director of Finance as well as Treasurer of Fairfax Church. She holds a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and worked previously in Public Affairs, Marketing, Sales and Advertising. Chris volunteers with our weekend production team as a camera operator and can usually be found outdoors when not at work.

Matt Anderson – Council Member

Matt is the Lead Pastor of McDowell Church, a community following Jesus, learning to love in Scottsdale, Arizona. Matt has been a prominent leader in the Church of God denomination and served on the Advisory Council since 2011. He received his degrees from Anderson University and Wesley Seminary, and held pastoral leadership positions at Crossings Community Church and McDowell Church before taking on the Lead Pastor role at McDowell.

Dennis Stotts – Council Member

Dennis has been attending Fairfax Church since 2001. He and his wife have raised their three children here. Dennis served faithfully in Fairfax Kids for 12 years, impacting hundreds of children’s lives over the years. He has served on the Advisory Council since 2012. Professionally, Dennis is an IBM Distinguished Engineer Global Government Cloud CTO. He is the lead global technology executive responsible for IBM’s cloud strategy for the government industry.

Jake Zaske – Council Member

Jake is the Lead Pastor of Hope Chapel, a multi-site, multigenerational church in the Kansas City metro area. Jake has served in ministry for the past 20 years in diverse contexts including England, Southern California, and New York City, and has served on the Advisory Council since 2017. Jake is also the Founder of Trellis, an holistic pathway into full-time local church ministry, in which Fairfax serves as a host church for their internship program.

Valerie Nolan – Executive Director of Outreach

Valerie has been attending Fairfax Church since 2001 and has been on staff since 2006. She has served both in our global and local outreach ministries as well as on our executive administration team. Valerie received her undergraduate degree from Palm Beach Atlantic College. She has participated in several internships and service opportunities globally with Fairfax Church and is passionate about advocating for those not able to advocate for themselves both locally and globally through the local church. She and her husband spend their time raising three daughters and embracing the chaos of life.