Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhema Ehiemere.
Hi Rhema, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Dr. Rhema and Dr. Stephanie’s story is fundamentally about faithfulness in small moments that lead to bigger dreams. They didn’t set out with a master plan to plant a church—instead, they followed what they felt was a genuine call from God to invest in people and help them discover their true potential.
Over the past 15 years, they’ve been blessed to serve in ministry across multiple nations, and that global perspective has fundamentally shaped their vision. They’ve seen firsthand how the gospel transforms not just individual lives, but entire communities. They watched people experience genuine encounter with God and witnessed that encounter spill over into marriages, workplaces, businesses, and spheres of influence. That’s when something crystallized for them: the Kingdom of God isn’t confined to Sunday services. It’s a living, breathing force meant to invade every sphere of society—the marketplace, education, commerce, arts, media, and beyond.
Rhema’s background—with his doctorate in Business and Strategic Leadership, his work as a consultant, and his calling as an internationally recognized conference speaker—naturally positioned them to bridge the gap between faith and vocation. He’s passionate about raising what he calls “change agents of influence, affluence, and excellence.” That’s not just religious language; it’s a conviction that God’s people should be world-class, thriving, and leading with excellence wherever they’re planted.
Stephanie has been equally committed to this vision of empowering people to live out their God-given purpose. When they decided to plant GoodLand Church in the vibrant Greater Houston area, it wasn’t about creating another church building. It was about establishing a genuine community—a safe space—where anyone, regardless of background or story, could encounter the living God, grow in meaningful relationships, and walk confidently into their destiny.
They’re raising three incredible children—Asher, Annabelle, and Abigail—who are growing up witnessing their parents live out what they preach. That authenticity matters deeply to them. They’re not just talking about transformation; they’re modeling it.
Their heartbeat for GoodLand is beautifully simple: they want people to experience the fullness of God’s promises. Not a diluted version. Not a part-time faith. The real thing. And they believe that when hearts are renewed and lives are genuinely changed, entire cities shift. That’s the transformation they’re building toward.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If they’re being honest, no—it hasn’t been a smooth road. But Rhema and Stephanie would tell you that the struggles have been just as much a part of their story as the victories.
Planting a church in today’s climate comes with its own unique set of challenges. There’s the obvious financial pressure of launching a new vision from the ground up, competing for people’s time and attention in an increasingly secular culture, and navigating the complexities of building community in an age of digital disconnection. But beyond the logistics, there’s also the spiritual weight of it all. Leading people requires a depth of wisdom, discernment, and emotional resilience that can’t be manufactured or rushed.
One of their deeper struggles has been balancing ambition with faith. When you have a clear vision for transformation—when you genuinely believe God wants to shift entire cities—there’s an inherent tension between moving forward strategically and trusting the process. They’ve had to learn, sometimes through difficult seasons, that God’s timeline isn’t always their timeline. They’ve experienced seasons of disappointment, seasons where key relationships shifted, and moments when the gap between their vision and their current reality felt impossibly wide.
There’s also been the challenge of helping people understand that faith and excellence in the workplace aren’t contradictory. Rhema’s message about raising change agents in the marketplace has sometimes been misunderstood or resisted by those who see a false divide between “spiritual” and “secular” work. Shifting that paradigm requires constant, patient education and modeling.
Perhaps most personally, they’ve grappled with the vulnerability of being highly visible leaders. Stepping out with a clear message, a strong vision, and their names attached means opening themselves to critique, misunderstanding, and the weight of people’s expectations. That vulnerability—standing in the gap and saying, “We believe God is doing something here”—doesn’t get easier.
But here’s what they’d emphasize: each struggle has refined their faith, deepened their compassion, and actually strengthened their conviction that what they’re building matters. The struggles haven’t derailed them; they’ve deepened their roots.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The GoodLand Church desires to be a place where you can experience the fullness of God’s promises.
Our Core Values
Embrace With Love:
We welcome everyone by extending the love Christ has shown us, embracing every background, race, culture, and past with grace and acceptance.
Build Through Connections:
We prioritize building genuine, authentic and supportive relationships, fostering deep connections through love, care and encouragement.
Serve with Excellence:
We pursue excellence in all we do, going the extra mile and striving to give our very best to God and others, reflecting His glory in our service and dedication.
Celebrate With Joy:
We embrace a joyful attitude in all we do, celebrating life with excitement and having fun, knowing these moments strengthen our relationships.
Appreciate with Honor:
We show honor and respect to everyone, valuing their differences, acknowledging their worth and treating them with the dignity and love that Christ demonstrated.
Live Through Generosity:
We embrace a life of generosity, giving our time, talents, and resources freely to serve others, knowing that we are blessed to be a blessing.
Grow in God:
We create an atmosphere where people can experience God’s supernatural power, grow in their faith, and fulfill their life’s purpose.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
What might surprise people is this: even with all the collective experience—years of ministry across different nations, seasoned leadership backgrounds, and yes, even having parents who modeled ministry—Rhema and Stephanie still don’t feel fully prepared for what God has called them to do.
That admission might seem counterintuitive. After all, they have the résumé, the track record, the spiritual heritage. But they’d tell you that preparation and readiness aren’t quite the same thing. All that history and experience provides a foundation, certainly. It gives them language, frameworks, and wisdom they can draw from. But launching GoodLand Church? That’s stretched them in ways their résumé could never have anticipated.
The honest truth is that no amount of credential or prior success completely equips you for obedience to a new calling. And rather than viewing that gap as a failure of preparation, they’ve learned to see it as an invitation—an invitation to lean harder into relationship with those who’ve walked similar paths before them, to honor the shoulders they stand on, and most importantly, to cultivate an acute sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
That’s where the real transformation happens for them. They’ve had to learn that being stretched beyond their comfort zone isn’t a sign they made a wrong choice—it’s often the sign they’re exactly where God wants them. The stretching requires them to stay in constant conversation with the Spirit, to remain attuned and responsive rather than relying solely on strategy or experience. They’re learning that the most powerful leadership comes not from being fully prepared, but from being fully surrendered.
In essence, their inexperience in this particular assignment has become their greatest teacher, keeping them humble, dependent, and radically open to what God wants to do through them.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thegoodlandchurch.com/visionandvalues
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoodlandchurch/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-GoodLand-Church-61570359062254/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rhemaehiemere
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thegoodlandchurch
Image Credits
Naddy Frank Photography
