Rick Shoemaker has been the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church of New Carlisle, Ohio since 1979. Prior to that, Rick spent 5 years in evangelism while getting his training at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Ky. While he attended Southern Seminary in Louisville, he spent time as pastor of the Visalia Baptist Church in northern Kentucky. He then served as pastor of the Beacon Baptist Church in Shelbyville, Indiana.  
Rick is a published author. He writes regularly for Lifeway periodicals such as “Let’s Worship” and “Deacon.”  He also writes a local newspaper column each month. He has written numerous published dramas ranging from puppet skits to mystery dinner theater scripts. He has also written a yet-to-be-published book, “Dissecting the Serpent: Examining the Devices of the Devil.”  
Recently, Rick completed certification requirements through Peacemaker Ministries International as a Christian Conciliator. He now works with Church Transformation Ministries, specializing in church conflict intervention. One of the key purposes of CTM is to help churches in conflict to learn and apply Biblical peacemaking strategies.