Sovereign Grace Ministries’ leadership consists of a Leadership Team and a Board of Directors. Each of the men who serves on one of these teams is based in a Sovereign Grace church.
The men on our Leadership Team come alongside pastors and churches to provide counsel and pastoral support.
Our Board of Directors consists of nine members, all of whom are pastors in Sovereign Grace churches. This Board has appointed a Polity Committee to further define governance structures, both for our ministry itself and for the relationship we share with local churches. Read more about the Board and the Polity Committee on our blog.
Leadership Team
Executive Committee
- Paul Buckley Chairman
Paul Buckley has a PhD in material science and an M.S. in material engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He has served in pastoral ministry for eleven years. For the last ten years he has served as the founding pastor of King of Grace Church in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Being in the Boston area Paul has had opportunity to teach at Gordon Conwell Seminary and serve as a pastoral mentor for M.Div. students.
- Ron Boomsma
Ron Boomsma moved from the Midwest to California in 1990 to work at The U.S. Center of World Missions, which reflected Ron’s heart to see people reached with the gospel. He became a member of Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena in 1991 and joined the leadership team in 1997, eventually becoming senior pastor in 1999. In keeping with Ron's heart to reach people with the gospel, Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena has planted churches in San Diego, Kansas City, and Orange County.
- Mickey Connolly
Mickey Connolly has served in pastoral ministry for 26 years and has a B.S. from the University of Maryland. He served as senior pastor at Solid Rock Church in Riverdale, Maryland, from 1989-96 and then moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, to serve CrossWay Community Church. Since 2002 he has served as senior pastor. Mickey serves SGM as their regional representative in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. In addition he has taught various courses at the Pastors College since its inception in 1999.
- Ian McConnell
Ian McConnell has an M.A. in pastoral theology from Bob Jones Seminary and has twelve years of pastoral ministry experience. Ian replanted Grace Bible Church in northeast Philadelphia in 2005 where he continues to serve as lead pastor.
- Ken Mellinger
Ken Mellinger has been a part of SGM since its inception and has 20 years of pastoral ministry experience. He has served as senior pastor of Living Hope Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania since 1993.
- Al Pino
Al Pino has an M.A. in theology from Reformed Theological Seminary and has served in pastoral ministry for the past 27 years. For the last 15 years he has served as the founding pastor of Palm Vista Church in Miami Lakes, Florida. He had been approved for a PCA church plant in Miami but was then introduced to SGM through Larry Malament in 1994. Al also serves SGM in the Caribbean, currently working in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
- Phil Sasser
Phil Sasser has more than 30 years experience in pastoral ministry. He also has a B.S. from Ohio State University and has completed graduate work at Ashland Theological Seminary. Before joining SGM, Phil served as an elder in an independent charismatic church in Ohio from 1976-89. Since 1994 he has served on the pastoral team of Sovereign Grace Church in Apex, North Carolina, where he became senior pastor 2001. Phil has taught apologetics at the Pastors College since 1999 and will teach a course on Christian ethics this coming year.