Scott Barrettsmith Sr. is Pastor Emeritus of River Ridge Church of Spring Grove. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1990. He started his ministry in a storefront in Round Lake Beach in 1988 after getting radically saved in 1984. After spending many years of faithful service at various ministries at different locations across northern Illinois, he planted his own church, Spring Grove Bible Fellowship, in 1998. In 2006, his church purchased the property in Spring Grove, Illinois, and built a church building. In 2020, after 32 years of faithful service in ministry and 22 years as Senior Pastor of Spring Grove Bible Fellowship, Scott retired from the pulpit and merged his ministry with the ministry of his long time friend and brother in Christ, Kerry Bauman of River Ridge Church. Scott’s greatest goal was to bring the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ into the community of Spring Grove, which will now be continued on in faith by the impactful ministries of River Ridge Church.

Scott has been married to his wife, Julie, for 50 years, and they have 4 adult children: Scott Jr., Victor, Brooke, and Leah. He also has 7 beautiful grandchildren: Grant, Neena, Elle, Ever, Shye, Jaxon and Gemma.