Pastors and Staff
Phil Sasser, Senior Pastor
Phil is Sovereign Grace Church’s senior pastor. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 1972 with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy. Before moving to North Carolina in 1989, he served in pastoral ministry in Ohio for 13 years.
Phil has been a member of the church since its inception in 1992 and on staff since 1994. He became the senior pastor in 2001, and teaches regularly at the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastors College in Gaithersburg, MD. He and his wife, Cassie, have five children and fifteen grandchildren.
Daniel Baker, Associate Pastor
Daniel is one of Sovereign Grace Church’s associate pastors, overseeing corporate worship, the home school support and Royal Rangers ministries. He graduated in 1994 from Kenyon College with a B.A. in Music, after which he served as a pastoral intern in Ohio. While there he received an M.A. from Ashland Theological Seminary.
Daniel has been a member of the church since he and his wife Anne moved to North Carolina in 1998. He has been on staff since 2000, after having attended the Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Pastors College. He and Anne have five children.
Jim Martin, Associate Pastor
Jim is one of Sovereign Grace Church’s associate pastors, overseeing the parent-teen ministry (Mission 10:31), and family life ministries, and handles occasional Sunday morning preaching responsibilities. He graduated in 1991 from The State University of New York at Geneseo, after which he worked for over ten years in the business world.
Jim was converted while at Sovereign Grace Church soon after he and his wife Colleen moved to North Carolina in 1993. He has been a member of the church since 1994 and came on staff in 2003, after having attended the Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Pastors College. He and Colleen have six children.
Walt Briley, Pastoral Intern
Walt is currently serving as a pastoral intern at Sovereign Grace Church, overseeing Children’s Ministry, Family Life ministries, and Evangelism/Outreach. He graduated in 2005 from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a B.A. in Biblical Studies and Philosophy.
Walt and his wife Amy have been members of the church since 2006. After working for over 24 years in the business world, Walt joined the staff in 2008, and attended Sovereign Grace Ministries’ Pastors College. He and Amy have four children.
Christa Hobbet
Financial Secretary
Tuesday to Thursday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
chobbet@sovgracenc.org
Ashley Schlax
Pastoral Secretary
Tuesday to Friday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
aschlax@sovgracenc.org