Leadership

Marvin R. Knight is the Pastor/Teacher of The Church at South Mountain (CASM). He received his education from Arizona College of the Bible, graduating with degrees in Pastoral Ministry and Theology in 1988. Pastor Knight is originally from the Phoenix area.

Marvin was the athlete's chaplain at Grand Canyon University in 1993. He served on the Board of Arizona College of the Bible in 1996. He is also a certified church planter with Urban Evangelical Mission. In 2004, he was selected to participate in the Expositor's Institute with Dr. John MacArthur. Knight is also the author of over 100 study guides, booklets, and pamphlets aimed at explaining theological truth in an understandable way with a view towards application.

Marvin and his wife, Mary, have two sons, Jordan and Joshua.

Rich Wells is the Associate Pastor who serves in the role of administration and assistant to Pastor Knight. He was ordained to this role in 1995. Pastor Wells planted The Church at South Mountain with Pastor Knight in 1994. He is originally from Roswell, New Mexico and received his BA in marketing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Wells and his wife, Amber, have five children: Jacob, Landry, Olivia, Aliya, and Trooper.

Earl Shivers is the Elder over missions, stewardship, and the Deacons. Earl has been at the church since 1999 and was ordained as elder in 2003. Earl is originally from Phoenix and received his BS in Accounting from Arizona State University. He is a CPA at Wells Fargo Bank. Earl and his wife, Renee, have four children: Alycia, Travis, Randy, and Kristin.

Ray is the Elder over the ushers and maintenance. Ray has been attending the church since its conception in 1994. He was ordained as Deacon in 1997 and Elder in 2010. Ray is originally from Phoenix and works full-time as an Engineering Technician for the City of Mesa. He and his wife, Hope, have six children: Robert, Lina, Mike, Danielle, Jessica, and Antonia.

Charles serves as a Deacon and was ordained to this role in 1997. He has been attending the church since 1994 and currently serves in our music and prayer ministries. Charles is originally from Parma, MO. He received his Associates degree in Construction Design Technology from Three Rivers Junior College and works as an architectural drafter.

Garth serves as a Deacon was ordained to this role in 2010. He has been attending the church since 2005 and currently serves on our maintenance team and as one of our ushers. Garth is originally from Phoenix. He attended Devry for A/C and D/C power and works full-time as a lead building engineer. Garth and his wife, Jeanne, have three grown children: Christy, Jamie, and Dan and have the blessing of raising their grandson, Tyler.

Greg serves as a Deacon and was ordained to this role in 2010. He has been attending the church since 2007 and currently leads our Neighborhood Outreach Ministry. Greg is originally from Oakland, CA. He received his BFA in Advertising Design from NAU and works full-time as a graphic designer. Greg and his wife, Marty, have three children: Clay, Blake, and Brooke.

Harley serves as a Deacon and was ordained to this role in 2010. He has been attending the church since 2003 and currently serves as an usher and assists with our evangelism training. Harley was born in Wilcox, AZ, but grew up in Phoenix. He works full-time as a technician.

Mark serves as a Deacon and was ordained in 2008. He has been attending the church since 2001 and currently leads our Men's Ministry and is a part of the Music Ministry and Mountaintop Resources. Mark is originally from Bloomington, Indiana. He received his BA in Journalism from Indiana University and works full-time as a software analyst. Mark and his wife, DeeDee, have one child, Benjamin.

Pert serves as a Deacon and was ordained in 1997. He has been attending the church since 1994 and currently serves as a teacher in our Children's Ministry. Pert is originally from Texas. He is a full-time restaurant owner. Pert and his wife, Charlene, have one daughter, Takeisha.

Robert serves as a Deacon and was ordained in 2010. He has been attending the church since 2007 and currently serves as a teacher for various adult ministries and in the Children's Ministry. Robert is originally from Roswell, New Mexico. He received his BA in English from Grand Canyon College and his M. Ed in School Leadership and Supervision from Loyola College and works full-time in the education field. Robert and his wife, Nicole, have two children: Gabriella and Alberto.

Rodney serves as a Deacon and was ordained in 1997. He has been attending the church since 1994 and currently serves as a part of the maintenance team. Rodney is originally from Chicago, Illinois. He works full-time as a Firefighter Captain for the Phoenix Fire Department. Rodney and his wife, Bernadette, have six children: Valencia, Abram, Nadia, Aysha, Alily, and Saul.

Yared serves as a Deacon and was ordained in 2010. He has been attending the church since 2007 and currently serves on our maintenance team and as an usher. Yared is originally from Addis ABABA Ethiopia. He received his AA in science from Pima Medical Institute and works full-time as an X-ray technician RT. Yared and his wife, Cynthia, have two children: Saba and Efrem.