Coming from a family of builders, Dr. Rich Denning has had the opportunity to be raised and mentored in the trade by his father, Art Denning.  Working in the family business, Denning Construction Company and Denning Land Surveying Company, from his childhood through his thirties, provided Dr. Denning not only business skills but a passion for building things.  In addition to working in the family business, he has also worked for a residential contractor and has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity framing houses.  He recalls building docks and seawalls with his dad in Carteret County as being some of his most enjoyable moments.  

Dr. Denning received the call to preach in 1993 and left for college.  He graduated from Emmanuel College, Franklin Springs, GA with two undergraduate hat degrees, Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, SC with a Master of Divinity, and earned his doctorate at Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA.  

He is licensed and ordained through the NC International Pentecostal Holiness Church and has been in pastoral ministry for the last 25 years.  Currently, he pastors Tabernacle Pentecostal Holiness Church in Goldsboro and teaches Carpentry, U.S. History, and Economics at Wayne Christian School.  He is an ACSI certified teacher entering his fourth year teaching high school.  

Dr. Denning’s wife, Teresa is the Administrative Assistant in the Elementary Office at Wayne Christian School.  They reside in Mount Olive with their children Joshua and Jessica (and their black lab, Harley).  Since Dr. Denning’s dad passed in 2019, woodworking has become a treasured hobby. You can find various woodworking projects around the Denning home.     

He is excited to be the first instructor of the new Carpentry class at Wayne Christian School.  The class covers a variety of topics and aspects of the trade including: safety, drafting/drawing plans, woodworking, framing, and service work to the school/community.  His desire is to help train students to be future carpenters and woodworkers.  Students learn skills that will assist them as homeowners, church members, missionaries, future contractors, or woodworking hobbyists!