Philip Douglass

Philip D. Douglass, is a graduate of Washington and Lee University (B.A.—Sociology), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.—New Testament) and St. Louis University (Ph.D.—Educational Theory). Upon graduation from seminary in 1974 he served as an associate pastor in a Presbyterian Church—United States congregation in Alexandria, Virginia area for five years ministering in youth work and evangelism.

In 1979 he began planting churches for the Presbyterian Church in America in the Washington, DC area. From 1979 until 1986 he was the organizing pastor for the "mother church" in Gainesville, Virginia and two "daughter churches" in Manassas, Virginia and Warrenton, Virginia.

From 1981 until 1986 he served as the chairman of the Mission to North America Committee of the DelMarVa Presbytery (which included the metropolitan areas of Washington, DC; Baltimore, Maryland and Wilmington, Delaware). Through his leadership the committee planted six additional churches in the Washington area, three in the Baltimore area and one in the Wilmington area.

In August 1986 he was appointed to the position of Professor of Church Planting, Growth and Renewal at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He is presently serving as the Rosalie Outlaw Cassels Professor of Evangelism and Church Planting. In that position he teaches courses in church planting theology and methodology, leadership development, evangelism and assimilation, discipleship, spiritual formation, conflict management and development of small groups in the church. In addition he has successfully served as the organizing pastor of two new churches in the St. Louis area, training students as churches were being planted. From 1992 to 1997 he served as the Director of the Doctor of Ministry program for the Seminary. He has served a term as president of the Association of Doctor of Ministry Education, a professional organization for D.Min. Directors of the 105 member seminaries across North America. In addition, he was appointed in 1995 as chairman of the Practical Theology Department at Covenant Seminary.

Douglass has served on the PCA General Assembly Committee of Mission to North America for 20 years with special involvement in Anglo and Multi-cultural church planting. He has served five years as chairman of the MNA Committee. In addition, he developed the PCA's organization of the Midwest Regional church planting efforts and supervised that ministry from June 1989 to January 1991. He has been involved in the development of the PCA’s Church Planter Assessment Center and has served as an Assessor on several occasions. He initiated and participates in the Readiness for Church Planting Training program, an annual assessment of potential church planter couples and individuals among the students at Covenant Seminary that then encourages those qualified student couples to focus on being trained for PCA church planting. In 1988 he was a founding member of Presbyterian Missions International, which sends Covenant Seminary's international students home to their native countries to plant churches. He served two years on the board as President. In March, 2008 his first book is to be published under the title of "What is Your Church's Personality? Discovering and Developing the Ministry Style of Your Church"

From 1996 to 2002 he served on weekends in the position of Pastor at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Wildwood, Missouri. He recruited and trained over ten Covenant Seminary students as he led the church through the process of renewal.

In September 1995 he was awarded the Ph.D. degree at St. Louis University in the School of Education. His dissertation topic was, The Effect of Mentoring Behaviors and Leadership Styles upon Church Planters in the Presbyterian Church in America. This study conclusively proved the necessity of church planters being mentored as they begin their first church if they are expected to bring the church to self-support within three years of the first worship service.

He is also the founder and the primary consultant at Douglass & Associates, a consultancy that assists churches.

Personal Life
Douglass has been married to Rebecca Love Douglass since 1972. They have four children and four grandchildren.

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