Pastors, Deacons, and Staff

Pastor Team

Pastors are those called by Christ and the local congregation to teach, shepherd, and care for his people in the local church (2 Tim. 2:2, Eph. 4:11-12). In the New Testament, this office is referred to interchangeably with the terms pastor, elder, overseer, and shepherd (Acts 20:17, 27-28).

Philip Van Steenburgh | Lead pastor

Philip serves our church as a staff pastor. He grew up in Albany, NY, and then Greenville, SC. After college, he moved to Washington, D.C. to work in congressional politics. During that time, he began attending Capitol Hill Baptist Church where he grew more and more excited about the Gospel, the church, and helping others know and understand God’s Word. After leaving politics, Philip began pursuing pastoral ministry by participating in a pastoral internship program and work on staff at that church. In 2010, he married his wife, Katherine, and moved to Louisville, KY where he earned a Masters degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. They then moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where Philip took an Associate Pastor position for the Redeemer Church of Dubai. From 2017 to 2021 Philip served as Senior Pastor of Grace Harbor Church in Cape Cod, MA. In August of 2021, WRBC called Philip as a staff pastor. In February of 2023, he became the 17th Lead Pastor of WRBC. Philip and Katherine have three children and are happy to be part of the life and ministry of Wornall Road Baptist Church.

Email Philip

chris atkins | Pastor

Chris serves our church as a non-staff pastor. He is married to Andrea and they have five kids. Chris was born in Missouri and grew up mostly in St Louis, as well as Ohio and California. He grew up in a home deeply rooted in the gospel and heard of his need for Jesus early and often. He and Andrea were married in 2006 and have lived in St Louis, Denver, Austin, Houston and now Kansas City. They have been members at Wornall since early 2018. Chris attended Liberty University for his undergraduate finance studies and then The University of Texas at Austin for his MBA. His career focus has been primarily around financing growing businesses. In his free time, Chris enjoys sports (watching and playing), playing with his kids and reading.

Geoff Chang | Pastor

Geoff serves our church as a non-staff pastor. He grew up in a Christian home. His parents immigrated from Taiwan to Brazil (where he was born), then to Houston, TX (where he spent most of his years). By God's grace, he was saved during middle school through a church summer camp. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a business degree and he worked in consulting for several years. However, during those years, he began to sense a call to ministry and eventually took an internship in his home church, Houston Chinese Church. He then attended Southern Seminary for his M. Div., and then he went to Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC), where he served as an intern and then a pastoral assistant. There, he met and married his wife. In 2010, they moved to Portland, OR, where he served as an associate pastor at Hinson Baptist Church for a decade. In 2020, he finished his Ph.D. at Midwestern Seminary in Kansas City and accepted an invitation to serve on the church history faculty at the seminary. He is also the Curator of the Spurgeon Library at MBTS. He is married to Stephanie and they have three kids.

Andrew evans | Pastor

Andrew serves our church as a non-staff pastor. He grew up in a Christian household in Raleigh, NC. By God’s grace, he heard the gospel from a young age and has followed the Lord ever since. He attended North Carolina State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Business Management and a Master of Accounting. He currently serves as the Executive VP of Finance for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He has been a member of WRBC since 2018. He is married to Jessica and they have two children. In his free time, Andrew enjoys reading, working out, and playing with his kids.

Deacons

Deacons are those called by Christ and the local congregation to serve a practical need and thereby preserve the unity of the church (1 Tim. 3:8-13, Phil 1:1, Acts 6:1-6, Rom. 16:1).