Derek is the Lead Pastor of NewGrace in Baldwin, GA. After trusting Christ for salvation at the age of 18, he surrendered to preach the Gospel just six months later. His plans and dreams of playing professional baseball faded from view as he moved to North Augusta, SC, and attended Victory Baptist College under the leadership of Dr. Larry Brown. During his sophomore year at VBC, God began opening doors for Derek to travel, preach and evangelize. Having pastored a very successful church plant in Athens, GA, later worked as Director of Growth for a large retail corporation in Atlanta and then starting a very successful retail business, Derek felt God was positioning him for another level of ministry in Commerce, GA. He and his wife, Ashley along with their four children, moved to Jackson County, GA, and launched NewGrace in a movie theater, reaching hundreds of people and quickly outgrowing the location. After renting a shopping center for a few years, NewGrace has moved to a new location in Baldwin, GA and the church continues to see tremendous growth with plans for expansion. Derek stays very active in preaching and speaking engagements from revivals, conferences, ministry, and leadership consultation, as well as diverse evangelistic opportunities. He has been privileged to serve on nonprofit and charity boards while serving as an instructor in Refuge Bible College and a guest instructor at Athens College of Ministry. Derek is currently developing a strategic plan for launching some new personal ministry endeavors to serve the local church body. His role as an instructor at Trinity Bible Institute is one of his favorite ministry opportunities by far. He is proudly married to his best friend Ashley and is a devoted father to Hannah, Mason, Ava, and Landon.
