OUR STAFF TEAM

Grace Fellowship is an elder-led, staff-driven church.  Team is one of GFC's core values.  Our staff and elders strive together to lead our body to fulfill our mission, vision, and core values.

  • Joel Owen

    Lead pastor

    Joel grew up in Morristown, TN, and graduated from Tusculum College with a degree in business management. He then went on to earn a Master of Arts at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Striving toward godliness together is a major part of how he views his ministry.


    Joel loves cheering for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Texas Rangers. He’s married to Heather, and they have two sons, Josiah and Grayson. He says yard work is a hobby, so be sure to call him up when you need help with yours.

  • Andy Malcolm

    Small groups & connections pastor

    Andy grew up right here in Kingsport and has a business degree from Furman University. He also has a master’s degree in teaching and counseling from East Tennessee State University. Because God’s very nature is relational, Andy seeks to help believers connect more deeply and genuinely with God, with fellow Christians, and with the unchurched.


    Andy is married to Julia, and they have two daughters, Ellie and Analia. He’s a soccer fan who cheers for Liverpool and Barcelona. He also loves to hike and travel.


  • Ryan McCullough

    Worship & Creative Arts Pastor

    Ryan, a Southern California native, brings over 20 years of full-time ministry experience to the table. He has passionately served as both a youth pastor and associate pastor in San Bernardino, CA. 


    Alongside his cherished wife Ashley, Ryan is a devoted father to three boys: Ezra, Caleb, and Levi. His love for music has driven his active participation in worship ministry since the age of 16. Ryan is also a skilled Graphic Artist with extensive experience in design and media.

  • ASHLEY MASTEN

    CHILDREN'S MINISTER

    Ashley grew up in Elkhart, IN, and after receiving her degree in counseling from Grace College, she felt called to full time ministry. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and developed a passion for disciple making, evangelism, and training others on how to share their faith. She yearns for children and families to meet Jesus and grow in their relationship with them by seeing how fun and exciting it is to follow Jesus. 


    Ashley enjoys superhero movies, golf, jigsaw puzzles, baking, and Notre Dame football.  

  • KYLE Mcholland

    STUDENT PASTOR

    Kyle grew up in Southern California and has been in ministry for over 8 years. Kyle has served in different ways in church and has a passion for youth ministry. He has had a heart to see young people discipled in Christ and believes the time is ripe for a youth-lead revival.


    Kyle is married to his wife Julia and has 3 beautiful children, Parker, BaileyAnn & Colter. Kyle grew up playing sports of all kinds, but his favorite sport is football. Kyle and his family moved to Kingsport in January of 2022 and could not be happier to call Tennessee their home!

  • Joy Martin

    Joy martin
    ministry assistant

    Joy was born in AL and raised in MS and NC.  She earned a Bible Certificate from Columbia International University where she met her husband, Dan, a Youth Ministry Major.  They married and served in full time Christian ministry for 18 years.  They have 2 adult children, Matt and Madi.  They have led and served on many mission trips both domestic and internationally.


    They moved to TN ten years ago from Atlanta. Music has always been a big part of her life and she serves in the worship ministry and is very involved in their life group.  Joy has a passion for serving and caring for others in a variety of different ways.  She enjoys photography, hiking, kayaking, sports "Go Braves!" and anything to do with the mountains.

  • Teresa Coleman

    Business & financial administrator

    Teresa grew up in Church Hill and attended ETSU for pre-pharmacy and then the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences in Memphis to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy.  Following graduation, she spent 31 years working in the healthcare field in Memphis and Kingsport, first as a retail pharmacist and assistant store manager then as a hospital pharmacist and student pharmacist preceptor.

    Teresa has been married to Tim for 41 years and they have three adult daughters and three granddaughters. She enjoys spending time with family, gardening, antiques, traveling and being outdoors, whether hiking or working on the family farm! 

  • Nelson BUTTERWORTH

    worship production coordinator

    Nelson was born in Lindsay, CA, and grew up in Illinois, Oregon, California, and New Mexico. He has a degree from the University of Phoenix. His ministry is behind-the-scenes, and he desires to support the morning worship with as little distraction as possible. If you don’t notice he’s there or what he’s doing, it’s going well.


    He’s married to Karen, and they have two daughters. He doesn’t follow sports but is a fan of all things technological. Computers, cool gadgets, video games, and home automation systems all ring his geeky bell. Talking about cars will also work.

  • aisha ward

    connections coordinator

    Aisha was born in Toledo, OH. She was raised in CO and MS before landing in Memphis, TN. After attending The University of Tennessee in Knoxville, a job in Foster Care brought her to the Tri-Cities. She has worked in Foster Care for over 12 years. Serving this community has become her mission in life. She enjoys watching college football, March Madness, and playing board games. 


    Aisha is married to Justin and has 4 children. As a family, they enjoy drawing, playing tic-tac-toe, throwing the football and showing no mercy in an endless game of Uno.  

  • Debi Porche

    Debi PorchE

    women's disciple Making coordinator

    Debi was born in TN, raised in MS and LA, and has made her home in Kingsport for the last 35 years. She has served as a youth pastor, worship leader, small group leader, children’s minister, and executive administrator through her years in ministry. Debi is a certified biblical counselor through the Association of Biblical Counseling. She desires to intentionally equip women with the Word of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit through accountable relationships to know and follow Jesus and then watch those women replicate that relationship with others.

     

    Debi has been married to Joey Porche for 39 years. They have three adult children and three grandchildren (pictures and videos available upon request). You may see them with a “bonus child” from time to time as they are also foster parents. Baking, cooking, hosting, kayaking, concerts, playing with the grands, and the privilege of being an “older woman teaching the younger” are things that she enjoys.