
Dr. Douglas O. melton
Pastor
Pastor Doug came to Southern Hills in January, 2000, his first pastorate, having previously served as an administrator at Oklahoma Baptist University for 14 years, the last 7 as Dean of Students. Born and raised in Seminole, OK, he placed his faith in Christ at the age of twelve and surrendered to the ministry the next year. An ‘83 graduate of OBU, he earned his Master of Science and PhD degrees in Higher Education from the University of North Texas. Doug and his wife, Lana, were married in 1984 and have four sons and daughters-in-law and five grandchildren. Doug has had the opportunity to serve on the associational level and as president of the Oklahoma Pastors Conference and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, as well as the BGCO Board of Directors, the SBC Executive Committee and the IMB Board of Trustees. Doug and Lana enjoy traveling to Shawnee, Florida and North Carolina to visit their three granddaughters and two grandsons. He has led trips to Israel and been a part of mission work in several countries. His favorite verse is Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet, not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Nathan Coats
Minister of Missions & Evangelism and College & Career
Nathan was born in Amarillo, Texas and was raised in Tuttle, Oklahoma. At the age of
thirteen, he placed his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and shortly after followed the Lordin baptism. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Cross-Cultural Ministry, Pastoral Ministry emphasis. He is currently in seminary at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical Counseling. Nathan began serving at Southern Hills in August 2020 and currently serves as the Minister of Missions & Evangelism and College & Career.
Nathan met his wife Rebekah on an international mission trip in 2017 and they were
married on December 15, 2018. In June 2021, the Lord blessed them with their first
daughter, Elsie Ann Coats. Nathan’s passion in ministry is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) who will prioritize the fulfillment of the Great Commission above all else (Matt. 28:18-20). Nathan enjoys reading, running, history, interesting conversations, and playing volleyball.
thirteen, he placed his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and shortly after followed the Lordin baptism. He graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2022 with a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Cross-Cultural Ministry, Pastoral Ministry emphasis. He is currently in seminary at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary pursuing a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical Counseling. Nathan began serving at Southern Hills in August 2020 and currently serves as the Minister of Missions & Evangelism and College & Career.
Nathan met his wife Rebekah on an international mission trip in 2017 and they were
married on December 15, 2018. In June 2021, the Lord blessed them with their first
daughter, Elsie Ann Coats. Nathan’s passion in ministry is to make disciples of Jesus Christ who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30) who will prioritize the fulfillment of the Great Commission above all else (Matt. 28:18-20). Nathan enjoys reading, running, history, interesting conversations, and playing volleyball.

Daniel Foster
Students
Daniel has been the Student Pastor at Southern Hills since October 2020. Prior to that, he served as the youth pastor at First Baptist Muskogee for 4 years, and Youth Pastor at High Pointe Baptist Church in Cedar Hill, Texas for almost 8 years. Daniel and his wife Kirsten have 5 children, Benjamin, Zayda, Joshua, Rachel, and Layden. Daniel loves getting to work with students! The 3 pillars of his student ministry are creating a culture of family and a love for Jesus, facilitating and encouraging students to use their gifts to do the work of the ministry, and developing servant leaders. In his free time, Daniel enjoys playing golf, disc golf, and watching movies with his wife after the kids get to bed. He loves serving at Southern Hills because of the incredible team he gets to work with, who work hard, enjoy being around one another, and love the Lord.
Jacqui Gingerich
Preschool
Jacqui became our Director of Preschool Ministries in January 2020. She was also raised here at Southern Hills from an early age; having been baptized and married here as well! Jacqui is married to her husband, Troy, and they have three children; Phillip, Emerson, and Sawyer. After staying at home with her children for many years, Jacqui began feeling the Lord's call to ministry in early 2011. She served here at Southern Hills for three years as our Journey Coordinator before moving to FBC Mustang where she served as Director of Preschool Ministries for six years. Her favorite part of Southern Hills is the strong legacy that it holds. So many people have served almost their entire adult lives here in some aspect; whether that is as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, being a part of the quilting ministry, choir member, or teaching children's choir. In her spare time, Jacqui enjoys spending time with family, reading, and watching her children at just about any sporting event.

G.D. Hardy
Financial Administration
Don was born in Oklahoma City, and grew up in Altus, Oklahoma. He and his wife Deborah are graduates of Oklahoma Baptist University. Deborah is a retired elementary school teacher and a master quilter. They have two married daughters and five grandchildren. After serving in a church in Sulphur, Oklahoma for about eight years, Don came to Southern Hills in 1977 and has served in several staff positions. He enjoys reading, trying new restaurants, and travel. Don and Deborah have visited all fifty states, all of the presidential libraries, and about half of the national parks. They have visited several European countries, toured New Zealand, taken many cruises to various parts of the world and multiple trips to New York City. Don frequently uses scripture and hymn texts to express his testimony. These would include: “How firm a foundation…is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! ‘Fear not I am with thee; O be not dismayed’ …When thro’ fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not desert to his foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never forsake!” He continues to be grateful for the opportunity to minister to the people of Southern Hills.

Clint Hayes
Administration
Clint was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He grew up in church and at the age of thirteen, he turned his life over to and accepted Christ to be his Lord and Savior. Clint was a teacher and a coach at Muskogee High School for nine years before following the call to full-time ministry. He served at First Baptist Church, Muskogee in different roles until following the call to Southern Hills in 2012. He completed a Master of Arts in Christian Education degree in 2009 from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His desire is to see people grow in their relationship with the Lord and for them to become disciple-makers. His life verse is John 15:5. Clint and his wife, Julie, were married on July 22, 1995. They have two boys, Parker (Oklahoma Baptist) and Cooper (Westmoore HS), who are active in ministry here at Southern Hills. Julie is a sixth-grade teacher in the Moore Public Schools. Their family enjoys attending sporting events, going to the movies, and just hanging out. They are fans of the Oklahoma Sooners, OKC Thunder, and the Dallas Cowboys.

Jeremy Johnson
Media & Community Outreach
Jeremy was born and raised in Seminole, Oklahoma. At the age of eight, he accepted Christ into his life, and at the age of fourteen, God confirmed a call for him to pursue full-time ministry. He graduated from Seminole High School in 1996 and then went on to earn a youth ministry degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2001 and a
Master of Theological Studies degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in 2019. He is now pursuing a doctoral degree in Executive Leadership. Jeremy accepted the call to ministry while attending Super Summer Oklahoma and has been serving in the local church in Texas and in Oklahoma since 1999. In 2011, he and his family moved to Oklahoma City to serve as Minister to Students here at Southern Hills. In 2020, Jeremy transitioned into a new role as our Associate Pastor for Media and Community Outreach. Jeremy and his wife, Courtney, met at Falls Creek in 2001 and were married in 2002. They are blessed with two daughters, Logann and Merritt. In his spare time, Jeremy loves taking his daughters fishing and watching them play volleyball. He also loves the Chicago Cubs and OU football.
Master of Theological Studies degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in 2019. He is now pursuing a doctoral degree in Executive Leadership. Jeremy accepted the call to ministry while attending Super Summer Oklahoma and has been serving in the local church in Texas and in Oklahoma since 1999. In 2011, he and his family moved to Oklahoma City to serve as Minister to Students here at Southern Hills. In 2020, Jeremy transitioned into a new role as our Associate Pastor for Media and Community Outreach. Jeremy and his wife, Courtney, met at Falls Creek in 2001 and were married in 2002. They are blessed with two daughters, Logann and Merritt. In his spare time, Jeremy loves taking his daughters fishing and watching them play volleyball. He also loves the Chicago Cubs and OU football.

Tommy Merritt
Senior Adult
Tommy was born and raised right here in South Oklahoma City. He went to Westmoore High School, earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2016, and completed a Master of Theological Studies from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2018. Tommy has been a member of Southern Hills since 2006 and began serving on staff in August of 2013 as an administrative assistant. He also served as our College Associate before becoming our Minister to Senior Adults in January of 2020. Tommy has always had a deep love and admiration for the local church and especially for senior adults. It was often senior adults who were loving on him, teaching him, encouraging him, and rebuking him. Although his family was not always active in the local church, it was his favorite place to be as a child. His involvement in the church from an early age was only possible because of bus ministries and neighbors who were faithful to take him to church…many of whom were senior adults. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with Winston, his Chinese Pug. He is a fan of the Oklahoma Sooners and the Denver Broncos. He also eats chicken at least once every day.

Daniel snow
Discipleship & Young Adults
Daniel grew up in Tulsa, Washington State, and Oklahoma City. As a child he grew up in a home hearing and seeing the gospel of Jesus early on and began trusting in Christ when he was seven. As a sophomore in high school, Daniel sensed a calling from God into vocational ministry. Jenny is his wife and best friend and they got married in 2002. The Lord has graciously given them three little yahoos: Hannah, Thomas, and Lydia. Daniel was privileged to serve as a youth pastor for almost twenty years in Kentucky, Arkansas, and New Mexico before he and his family came to Southern Hills in 2016. Daniel serves as pastor of discipleship and young adults, overseeing discipleship church wide and giving special focus to college & career, young professionals, and young families. He has a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and a master’s degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He enjoys hanging out with family and friends, golf, disc golf, Oklahoma Sooners, reading, movies, chocolate chip cookies, and almost anything with green chili. Daniel’s life verse is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Ruffin snow
Member Care & Prayer
Ruffin and his wife, Melissa, have spent more than fifty years serving churches across our country. He came to Southern Hills in 2014 after having served as Senior Pastor at the Tri-City Baptist Church of Conover, North Carolina. Ruffin serves here as our Pastor for Evangelism and Member Care. This includes outreach, new member assimilation, and prayer. Realizing that evangelism is caught more so than it is taught, he loves training God’s people to share their faith. Ruffin is blessed to be married to Melissa for more than half a century! They have three children and eleven grandchildren. Their daughter, Jennifer, is married to a university professor is Birmingham and is the mother of four, including a precious special needs child. Both of their sons are ministers. Joel serves at Second Baptist, Houston and Daniel serves here at Southern Hills. Ruffin believes that serving the Lord here at Southern Hills is “more fun that shootin’ rats at the city dump!”

Pablo Villa
Spanish - Speaking Pastor
Pablo was born and raised in the north of Spain. His family moved to the United States in 2014. He went to Westmoore High School, earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in 2020, and is currently working on completing a Master of Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Pablo has been a member of Southern Hills since 2014 and began serving in 2017 as an intern. He also served as our College Associate before becoming our Pastor to the Spanish-Speaking Ministry in January of 2021. Pablo loves theology and discussing the questions and truths about God, but he also loves the local church´s love, passion, and family environment. Pablo was raised in the church and believes the church is essential to the growth of any believer. Pablo is married to Caitlyn Villa, who he met while going to OBU. They don´t have any kids yet, but they have a Border Collie-Blue Heeler dog named Charlie. He is a fan of the Oklahoma Sooners, Real Madrid, New York Giants and New York Islanders. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer, rock climbing and playing board games.
Pablo nació en el norte de España. Su familia se mudó a los Estados Unidos en 2014. Atendió Westmoore High School, consiguió su título de Ministerio Pastoral de la Universidad Bautista de Oklahoma, y está en el proceso de obtener su Master de Divinidad a través de el Seminario Teológico Bautista de Midwestern. Pablo ha sido un miembro de Southern Hills desde el año 2014, y comenzó a servir en la iglesia en 2017 como interino. Él también sirvió como muestro Ministro Universitario antes de comenzar a servir como Pastor Hispano en Enero de 2021. A Pablo le encanta la teología y poder conversar acerca de quién Dios es. Pablo también ama la iglesia local, su amor y pasión familiar. Pablo se crio yendo a la iglesia y cree que la iglesia local es esencial para el crecimiento espiritual de cualquier creyente. Pablo está casado con Caitlyn Villa. Los dos se conocieron en su tiempo en la universidad. Todavía no tienen hijos propios, pero tienen una perrita llamada Charlie a la cual ellos quieren mucho. Pablo es un aficionado del Real Madrid, Oklahoma Sooners, New York Giants y New York Islanders. En su tiempo libre, Pablo disfruta jugar al fútbol, la escalada, y jugar a juegos de mesa.