OUR TEAM

We become

a part of you.

Our team is a group of seasoned professionals who have completed 600+ staff placements throughout their careers. With over 100 years of ministry leadership experience collectively, we have discovered that one of the most important ingredients to a successful placement is alignment between the candidate and the culture of the church/organization, its staff, and its community.

Finding the right fit for your team can be tedious, tiresome, and time-consuming. That’s why we staff your mission by discovering leaders God is raising up to serve as Culture Carriers who propel your mission forward.

MEET OUR TEAM

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Todd Rukes

Founder & President

With over 15 years of church leadership experience, Todd Rukes has served in various leadership and pastoral roles, including Director of Human Resources, Worship Pastor, Creative Pastor, Executive Team Member, and Sr. Director of Communications at Harvest Bible Chapel and Highpoint Church. Todd has a background as a Worship Leader and Musical Artist, recording multiple albums and leading worship for over 100 churches around the United States and Canada. 

Prior to full-time ministry, Todd completed two undergraduate degrees in Worship Music Ministry and Business Marketing. He then completed an MBA in Leadership, all from Liberty University. 

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Wesley King

Vice President, Ministry Engagement

With over 30 years of experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, and team development, Wesley King brings a wealth of expertise to Rukes Group. Wesley’s previous role as Vice President of the United States Field Team at Global Leadership Network saw him contribute to the success of the world’s largest annual Christian leadership conference. He is skilled in organizing high-impact initiatives, managing large budgets, and empowering teams to deliver results.

Before his time at GLN, Wesley served as Executive Pastor at Grace Point Church in San Antonio, where he led key strategic initiatives, including capital campaigns and volunteer engagement. Wesley holds a Master of Arts in Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from the University of Texas at San Antonio. His unique blend of ministry and business leadership makes him a valuable asset in advancing Rukes Group’s mission.

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Tammy Kelley

Executive Search Consultant

Tammy has a broad background in management consulting, partnering with organizations to help them grow impact by focusing and unifying their vision, strategy, and action plans. Throughout her career, Tammy served on the senior leadership teams of Ginghamsburg Church and Willow Creek Community Church. In addition, she spent multiple years as a consultant with Vanderbloemen Search Group and The Unstuck Group.

Tammy is requested for specific expertise in executive search, staffing/structure alignment, change management, strategy planning and execution, executive communications, and client engagement.

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Sam Hamstra, Jr.

Executive Search Consultant

Sam Hamstra, Jr. has been a full-time pastor search and church staffing consultant since 2012 as the Founder and President of ChapterNext, a pastoral search firm. He was prepared for this work by nearly 40 years of service to the local church. He has served five unique congregations and one Christian college. Through it all, he has experience as a Youth Pastor, solo Pastor, Senior Pastor, Interim Pastor, Worship Leader, Church Planter, and College Chaplain. Sam is also an author of several publications, including Pastor Search Team Guidebook (2020), Questions to Ask Before Searching For Your Next Pastor (2020), What’s Love Got To Do With It? How the Heart of God Shapes Worship (2016), and Practicing the Monastic Disciplines (2021).

He also helps out Visible Music College (Memphis, TN) with its Master of Arts in Worship degree program. Sam and his wife, Debbie (Ploegman), reside in the Chicago area. They have enjoyed over forty-five years of marriage; they have been blessed with four married children and a growing number of grandchildren, all of whom live in the Chicago area. In his spare time, you will find Sam hanging out with his family, watching a baseball game, playing piano, or fishing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

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Savannah Jackson

Administrator

As the administrator at Rukes Group, Sav combines her passion for the church with her strong organizational skills. Holding a Bachelor's in Psychology, a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and being a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Sav is deeply committed to supporting others. Her expertise in data management, scheduling, and record-keeping ensures smooth operations and seamless support for both the team and those she serves.

Whether behind the scenes or providing assistance directly, Sav’s compassionate nature shines through as she lends a listening ear, shares a smile, and actively contributes to her community.

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Rick Korte

Advisor

Rick has over 45 years of executive management experience at the C-suite level. Most recently, Rick held the position of CEO, President, and Managing Director at HEIDENHAIN Holding, which comprised of 9 technical companies serving various market segments. In this role, he provided leadership and direction for an organization of more than 450 employees.

Rick has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Marketing and has extensive experience in organizational structure, establishing a winning culture, technical R&D, and market development.

Rick now serves as an advisor, coach and mentor to specifically support companies and individuals in ministry.

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