Russ Mason is the Founder of The River, a Christian Church and School of Discipleship Near Richmond, VA. Russ Also Serves Churches and Ministry Organizations as a Christian Author, Preacher, and Bible Teacher.


He is Called and Passionate to:

  • Lead lost individuals into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.
  • Call lukewarm Christians back into a passionate and fruitful relationship with the Lord.
  • Ignite a deeper passion for God, His presence, and His Word.
  • Develop spiritual hunger, health, and maturity within communities and churches.
  • Empower Christians to overcome their past and live within the complete victory and freedom Christ offers.
  • Equip Christians for ministry by helping them discover their spiritual identity, gifts, and calling.
  • Partner with Ministry organizations to assist with domestic and international missions.

Ministry Experience & Vision

After being raised Catholic until the age of 14, Russ was dramatically saved and discipled throughout the mid to late 1990s. Ministering in churches and on the streets since 1998, Russ has witnessed countless miracles and he operates in the realms of evangelism, teaching, prophecy, healing, and releasing freedom over those held by bondage and addiction. His passion is to help God's people be healthy, strong, and to shine bright to the world around them. He loves to support Pastors and other ministry leaders by providing supplemental preaching, teaching, and prayer to the Body of Christ around the world.


Russ has also authored 2 books to help people move forward in their walk with the Lord - Becoming A Champion Proverbs Devotional and Making Disciples and Leading Small Groups. Currently he and his wife Shari serve as the founders and leaders of The River - a Christian Church and School of Discipleship near Richmond, VA. The River is a place where Pastors, Missionaries, young adults, and Christians of all ages and denominations can come for refreshing, healing, teaching, discipleship, and training. Russ and Shari have been happily married since 2001 and together they have 4 amazing boys.


Ministering to both youth and adults, Russ has preached and taught God's Word in churches of various denominations in America, Central America, and Europe. He is especially passionate about intimacy with the Lord, discipleship, making disciples, small groups, spiritual identity, and spiritual maturity. He has compiled over 150 Biblical Seminars to be used throughout the Body of Christ to develop spiritual maturity. To schedule Russ to minister at your church or ministry, please contact us through the booking page.

Russ' Life & Ministry Journey

Russ is on a life long journey of discovering who God is and seeking after all God wants to accomplish in his life, the Church, and throughout the world. His heart is to intimately know Jesus and make Him known to the world around him. During the first several years of his life, Russ was raised in a Catholic church and school. While that season of his life instilled a deep reverence and appreciation for God's house and presence, he often pondered whether there was more to knowing and experiencing God than what he was experiencing during a Sunday morning mass service.


After being introduced to a personal and daily relationship with Jesus in 1994, he began to read the Bible for himself and spend extended times alone with the Lord in his bedroom. This tremendous season of intimacy with the Lord constructed a foundation that to this day is what Russ' life and ministry are built upon. In 1999 Russ completed an internship at Bethany Church in Wyckoff, NJ and then went on to attend Northpoint Bible College in Haverhill, MA where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Studies with a Minor in World Missions. Russ and his wife Shari have also spent many years participating with and serving as volunteer leaders for Young Life.


Serving on staff and in various volunteer roles, Russ has been active in local church ministry and world missions since 1998. Passionate about seeing people saved, transformed, and launched into their God-ordained destiny, Russ is enthusiastic about sharing the goodness of God with individuals, churches, and ministry organizations alike.