Rev. Dr. Ryan LaRock

The Reverend Dr. Ryan LaRock is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and has served as a pastor in the Virginia Conference since 2016. A native of Virginia Beach and a lifelong United Methodist, Ryan responded to God’s call on his life as a first-year student at the University of Virginia, where he was a worship leader at the Wesley Foundation and lived in their residential community for two years. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in both religious studies and French. His call led him to Duke Divinity School, where he earned his Master of Divinity and experienced God’s abundant grace in the classroom. He served as a youth pastor at a new church start and a pediatric oncology chaplain at Duke University Hospital. For four years, he served as the Associate Pastor at Christ UMC in Fairfax County, VA, providing pastoral care and counseling, preaching, leading Pub Theology, and helping co-launch a ministry for persons with disabilities. In the height of pandemic lockdowns, Ryan left Northern Virginia to shepherd a medium-sized congregation, Deep Creek UMC, through a difficult rebuilding season. Ryan received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Duke in 2025.

Ryan is passionate about campus ministry because of his roots. He most recently chaired the Virginia Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry, where he focused on fostering a renewed narrative around the vitality of campus ministries as an extension of our wider church.