Pastors & Staff

Mike Phillips, Senior Pastor

Mike was born in Burlington, NC and raised as a Baptist. By his own admission, his eventual call to the ministry was impacted greatly by his paternal grandfather, who was himself a pastor.  Mike says "for many years I did not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ and then in 1984, I came to the end of myself.  It was then God called me and my heart was transformed."

Leaving a career in the soft drink industry, Mike pursued a call to the ministry in the Episcopal Church. Following seminary in 1991, Mike was ordained and served churches in South Carolina and Wyoming. "I am thankful God gave me the joy of being initially ordained in the Episcopal Church. It enlarged my perspective of Christ's church."

Mike recalls teaching a class on Romans in 1996, "God had been deepening my understanding of His supremacy in all of life when I came face-to-face with the all-sufficient Christ and it was for me, as Martin Luther, like being born all over again. I fell in love again with God, His Son, His Word and the Doctrines of Grace." Mike later left the Episcopal Church and was ordained in the PCA in Roanoke, VA in December, 2000. He served on staff at Westminster in Roanoke, VA until he was called by New Covenant Presbyterian Church in September, 2003. Reflecting on his journey he contends "the Lord has prepared me for such a call and I am delighted to serve the King at New Covenant."

Mike is devoted to preaching the glorious life-transforming riches of Christ. He is a husband to Julie over 20 years and the father of two grown children, Valerie and Matt, and a son John, who still lives at home. 

Shaun Spencer, Associate Pastor

Shaun was born in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, though his roots are strongly tied to Oklahoma where his grandparents lived. While his family experienced the struggles of divorce, he was always impacted by the godly influence of his grandfather, a minister in the Church of the Nazarene. The Lord used this influence to bring Shaun to a saving faith in Jesus at a young age.

As early as Junior High, Shaun sensed an inward tug toward vocational ministry and began to look for ways to test and exercise that sense of calling. During college he served as a youth pastor in the Church of the Nazarene and had the privilege of leading at camps and retreats in music and teaching. While preparing for ordination in the Nazarene Church, Shaun began to question his views of theology. Sensing that he did not have Biblical justification for some of the things he thought he believed, he resigned his position and sought to “start over” from the beginning. During this time Shaun worked in YMCA camps, as a Juvenile Probation Officer and as a Prevention Instructor at a drug abuse counseling agency.

Through a season of searching, and with the help of some friends in the PCA, he began to embrace a Reformed view of the Scriptures. As a part of this progress he and his wife (Danielle) moved to St. Louis to attend Covenant Theological Seminary. Shaun notes that the Lord took that time of intensive study to create a deeper and deeper love for Jesus and a passion to make him known.

Shaun is committed to proclaiming the ways in which Jesus and the Gospel affect every part of life. He and his wife, Danielle, are blessed with two daughters, Eva and Lily.

Cole Nickell, Director of Student Ministries

Born and raised in Aiken, SC, Cole grew up attending New Covenant Presbyterian Church. His parents led him to Christ as a child, but it was not until he was fourteen that he sensed a call to Christian ministry. During his high school years, he actively sought to make the gospel known in Aiken. Each semester of high school, he taught a different youth Bible study and occasionally, he spoke to youth groups around town. Aiken Christian School often asked him to speak for their chapel meetings.

Upon reading A.W. Pink’s book, The Attributes of God, he became fascinated with reformed theology. This spurred him on to read more about it and teach systematic theology to a small group during his eleventh grade year. The following summer, he went with a group of Covenant College students to Uganda, Africa to preach and teach. He was surprised by the willingness of the poor there to believe the gospel. The rest of that summer he was an intern for New Covenant and enjoyed the daily opportunity to evangelize in America.

While attending Covenant College, he grew close to the youth of First Presbyterian Church in downtown Chattanooga and was honored to teach on several occasions. In December 2007, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Covenant College majoring in Biblical Studies and minoring in Missions. Also in college, he fell in love with Julia, who is now his wife. Cole feels greatly empowered with her by his side.

Returning to New Covenant as a Youth Director has been a dream of Cole’s for quite some time. He is eager to share the highest mystery and yet the simplest truth—our Lord’s Gospel, to the youth and families at New Covenant.

Rich Weldon, Staff Counselor

Richard M. Weldon is a Christian counselor with more than 23 years of service as the Staff Counselor at NCPC. His credentials include a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Citadel, a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a Master of Social Work with an emphasis in individual and group counseling from Washington University in St. Louis.

As a Christian counselor he is a follower of Jesus Christ and believes that our lives should be ruled by what God has stated in the Bible. He assists individuals and couples in their efforts to be more Christ-like and has primarily been used in marriages, depression and family difficulties.

His services are free to church members and regular visitors and he has a sliding scale based on income and number of dependents for those referred to him from others. He accepts appointments in the evenings and on Saturdays.

Rich came to the Lord during college while battling with depression. He has been married to his bride, Lynne, for thirty-two years and has two sons aged 26 and 24. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and has held numerous leadership positions both in the church and in his work as a counselor at a local community college. A former athlete, Rich enjoys the time he spends as a high school football referee and in his free time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, working in the yard and on his house with his Golden Retriever – Cooper.