StartCHURCH EXECUTIVE TEAM
Founder
Founder
Raul and his wife Genel bring unique voices into the church planting arena. Their journey began in the 1990s when they successfully launched a new church that Raul and his parents built from the ground up. This is the church Raul and Genel would later serve as senior pastors over for many years.
During their later years of pastoring, God inspired Raul and Genel to pursue a different type of ministry: equipping pastors and ministry leaders with the legal knowledge necessary to build life-changing churches and organizations. Since this calling 20 years ago, Raul and Genel have taught thousands of pastors and church leaders how to start right and stay right.
Raul leads a growing staff that has helped plant thousands of churches. He has also authored over 80 effective manuals to help churches and ministries stay compliant with the IRS, and he has spearheaded the creation of cloud-based software programs and StartCHURCH online university. His passion is to empower pastors and ministry leaders to protect what God has called them to lead.
Raul and Genel have five children and live in the metro Atlanta area. When they are not helping plant churches, they enjoy spending time at their farm where they ride horses and raise cattle, swine, sheep, and chickens, implementing sustainable practices.
Chief Executive Officer
Allan Armitt serves as Chief Executive Officer of StartCHURCH, where his work centers on helping the organization grow in a way that is disciplined and sustainable, without losing sight of the people and mission it exists to serve. He brings a background in economics and more than a decade of experience in nonprofit and ministry leadership, with a career focused on helping faith-based and mission-driven organizations build healthy, sustainable structures.
Allan joined StartCHURCH in 2018 and has held progressive leadership roles across finance, administration, and operations, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer. During that time, he oversaw financial strategy and some core internal systems, while working closely with StartCHURCH’s leadership team to strengthen organizational clarity, accountability, and decision-making.
Prior to StartCHURCH, Allan served in executive leadership for a church launch and ministry where he developed organizational strategy and directly oversaw departments including finance, human resources, technology, media, and operations. The work involved hundreds of missionaries sent, a nearly 500 member church with more than a dozen small groups, and leading an event on the National Mall in Washington DC with over 100,000 people praying and worshiping for several days in partnership with more than 50 other ministries.
Allan is particularly passionate about helping ministries and nonprofits align their operations with their mission, ensuring that the foundations are in place so that when growth happens, it strengthens their impact, rather than straining it. When he’s not pouring through a spreadsheet or trying to solve a crisis, you’ll find Allan behind a bass guitar, hiking a trail, riding his motorcycle, or climbing the ranks of some competitive video game. Allan lives in Georgia with his wife, Ranae, and their daughter.
President and Chief Operating Officer
TJ has a diverse background ranging from experience in ministry as a pastor to years of executive leadership experience in multiple industries. He holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership and a Ph.D. in Psychology of Christian Counseling. TJ is passionate about leading people and developing organizational excellence at StartCHURCH which is represented in our faithful devotion to equipping pastors, churches, and ministry leaders to secure and protect what God has called them to lead.
TJ is blessed to be married to his wife Lyndsi and to raise their four children together in Lawrenceville, GA. They love spending their time together serving in their local church and hiking in the North Georgia mountains.
Vice President of International Business
Lester provides expert leadership in several key areas of our company, including church and ministry compliance, pastoral partnerships, conferences, bilingual business communications, equipping the Spanish market, and bilingual customer service teams.
He oversees Spanish-language marketing content, implements company-wide bilingual quality assurance, and provides excellent customer care to bilingual clients. With over 18 years of experience in ministry as an ordained pastor, conference speaker, and church planter, Lester is passionate about supporting church planters and pastors in starting and leading their ministries while ensuring they are compliant, equipped, and active.
Lester enjoys spending time with his family, reading, playing music, and traveling.
Vice President of Accounting
Amy was born and raised in Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2006 (Go Dawgs!). She joined the StartCHURCH team in 2013 and is the Vice President of Accounting. She oversees the bookkeeping team and tax team who prepare documents for StartCHURCH services. Amy is driven in her work each day knowing that the team at StartCHURCH has the ability to play a small role in the vision God has given to His leaders. She enjoys working with the very talented team at StartCHURCH and is encouraged to work with everyone in the company.
She has been married to her husband, JV, since 2007. They have two children, Alyssa and Aaron.
Vice President of Operations
Stevonne was born and raised in the Metro Detroit area as one of eight children. Holding a bachelor's degree from Oral Roberts University and a master's degree from Ashford University, she brings a vibrant heart for ministry and business to the StartCHURCH team.
She is extremely passionate about excellent customer service, efficient processes, and quality work. Even more so, she is passionate about helping leaders effectively run their organizations so they can focus on the ministry God has called them to lead.
She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Stanton German, for 15+ years. Together they have four beautiful children.
She enjoys spending quality time with her family playing sports (i.e., basketball, cheerleading, and track and field) and staying involved with her church to build kingdom businesses and help the community.
Vice President of Sales and Business Development
Doug McBee brings an extensive background in church planting and sales leadership, with 20 years of experience meeting and exceeding sales revenue goals for several national and international companies. He has supported clients in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Doug values customer service and excellence on the sales team he leads. From a church planting standpoint, Doug knows what it means to start from scratch. Doug started a church with nine people in his living room and now leads Macedonia Church as their Lead Pastor. Doug uses that experience to help our clients start and grow the ministries God has put in their hearts. Doug serves as a pastor at his church, and his wife, Christy, loves giving back to their community.
Doug likes to golf and fish with their dog, Sophie, in his free time.
Vice President of Marketing
Meet Brandon Williams, a seasoned marketing professional hailing from the state of Maryland. Brandon kickstarted his career in the dynamic tech industry, honing his skills at the renowned Apple Inc. Brandon holds a bachelor's degree in media communications, blending his tech expertise with a deep understanding of effective communication strategies. Now, as an integral part of our team, Brandon brings a wealth of experience to drive innovative marketing solutions and elevate our brand presence.
He’s been married to his high school prom date, Imari Williams, since 2013. Together they have four children and a Goldendoodle named Oreo.
Brandon deeply enjoys serving his local church, and community, spending time with family, and writing & composing Christian music.