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.
OUR STAFF TEAM
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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.
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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.
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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.
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PAUL WINGFIELD
STUDENT PASTOR
Paul grew up here in Kingsport and has been working in student ministry on a local and global scale for the last 7 years. He has a tremendous heart to invest in and equip young leaders to go out and make disciples of all nations, so that all young people near and far can hear the gospel of Christ. He loves utilizing wilderness adventure as a tool to help accomplish this mission locally and abroad.
Paul is married to Erin and they have three children, daughter Everly and sons River and Sawyer. Paul isn’t much for wimpy sports, but if you want to talk extreme adventure sports like rock climbing, white water kayaking and climbing extremely tall mountains, he’s your man.
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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. -
Emily Dennison
ministry assistantEmily grew up in Bristol, VA. She has a degree in Mass Communications with a minor in Business Management from Emory & Henry College, which she uses to support several areas of church ministry. Emily cares deeply about relationships, biblical truth, and clear, concise communication.
Emily lives in Blountville with her husband, Drew and dog, Tahoe. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, trying new restaurants, podcasts, and celebrating other people.
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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.
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Leslie fuller
office and financial administrator
Leslie grew up in Kingsport, TN and graduated from East Tennessee State University with a degree in accounting. She also has an MBA from the University of Texas at Tyler and is a Certified Public Accountant. Leslie enjoys helping teams understand their financial statements as well as connecting with women to help them grow in their knowledge of Christ.
Leslie loves eating sweets, getting together for coffee, and going to the park with her daughter, Reese.
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abby weaver
connections coordinator
Abby Weaver is from Kingsport and loves where she lives. She has a Psychology and Business degree from King University, but has always found ways to serve in various ministry capacities. She’s passionate about using music to point others towards Jesus and also loves building relationships to offer support and connection. Abby desires to make people feel as welcome and at home at Grace Fellowship as she does.
Abby is married to Jordan and they have a sweet dog, Jax. Some of her favorite things are traveling, warm weather, game nights, and meals with people she loves.