The Reverend Richard D. Phillips was elected senior minister by the congregation of Second Presbyterian Church, on April 15, 2007. He came to Greenville from First Presbyterian Church of Coral Springs/Margate, FL, where he served as senior minister since 2002. Previously, he served as minister of preaching at historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA. He and his wife, Sharon, have five children: Hannah, Matthew, Jonathan, Ellie, and Lydia. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BA), the University of Pennsylvania (MBA), and Westminster Theological Seminary (M. Div. with first honors).
Rev. Phillips served in the US Army for 13 years, holding command and staff positions in a number of combat units. While gaining his M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia, he was converted to faith in Christ through the preaching of the gospel at Tenth Presbyterian Church. A few years later, while serving as assistant professor of leadership at West Point and holding the rank of major, he and his wife were persuaded of God’s call into the ordained ministry. Resigning from the Army, they moved back to Philadelphia to attend seminary.
While still in seminary, Rick became minister to a large inner-city outreach to singles and within a few years was preaching weekly at Tenth Presbyterian Church in downtown Philadelphia, the very church in which he was earlier converted and where he had met Sharon. During that time he also served on the staff of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, a radio and publishing ministry led by Rick’s mentor and senior pastor, James Montgomery Boice. He remains on the board of directors of that organization, currently serving as vice chairman. He also chairs the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, founded by Dr. Boice in 1974 and passed on to Rick’s leadership after Dr. Boice’s death in 2000. Rev. Phillips’ preaching is heard nationwide on the radio program, God’s Living Word.
Rev. Phillips focuses his ministry on what he refers to as the “3 P’s”: preaching, praying and pastoring. Additionally, God has called him to a writing ministry and he regularly authors books and articles. Among his twenty-one books, his most recent include a commentary on Zechariah, Jesus the Evangelist, and most recently What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace. Rev. Phillips frequently speaks at conferences on the Bible and theology and is active in overseas missions, especially in East Africa. In addition to his ministry duties, Rick likes to spend time with his wife and children and is an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox.
