Steven attended Southeastern Bible College from 1999-2003 where he focused on Theology and Biblical Studies and minored in Education. After Southeastern, he went on to work in the music industry for a while as a local DJ in the Gulf Shores area and slowly built up some experience and networking opportunities for himself. He later served as youth pastor at Clearview Baptist Church in Birmingham, where he worked closely with the junior high students and assisted with outreach, mission trips, camps, Safe Harbor, and other various ministry venues. 

Steven was previously the owner of two successful entertainment production companies and is now working for All Pro Sound, owned by Sweetwater, where he does audio/video/lighting integration. 

The original call to ministry came for Steven in 1998 after some deeply personal experiences and an intimate encounter with Christ, one which would place him on a long and hard journey as a prodigal. By 2008, he had moved to Mobile and was working with music artists before things turned around at the Home of Grace in 2018. From 2012-2015, he worked in recovery ministries at the Mobile Metro Jail and later served as interim pastor at The Cross At Clay in 2019. 

Steven first met Stan after Memorial Day 2019 at a Testimonies On The Lawn event and told him that he really enjoyed the service at Northside because it didn't put him to sleep. "That was big for me," recalls Steven with a smile. "I immediately knew God was working at Northside when I showed up. I knew I wanted to be a part of what God was doing there. I told Stan I was looking for a church where I could dig in." 

In his spare time Steven enjoys watching The Office, mixing music, and drinking venti caramel macchiatos. He is married to Rachael Gormandy Mathews. 

Radically saved in 2017 when he heard the full Gospel preached at the Wings of Life in Mobile, Ryan has been faithfully serving the Lord in ministry ever since. He picked up his cross and hasn't looked back. After graduating the 90-day program at the Wings of Life, he remained for the year-long Bible school/servant leadership program under Pastor Chris Patrick. During this time, Ryan studied God's Word at every available opportunity and began his journey down the road of reconciliation. He would later go on to lead weekly Bible studies at the local Boys & Girls Clubs and weekly morning prayer sessions with the students of Williamson High School and Williamson Middle School. Ryan also participated in several community outreaches during his 15-month stay at the Wings of Life. 

After graduating the Dove Program at the Wings of Life, he began to pursue the vision God had given him for Agape Life Gardens, a 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofit ministry that brings gardens to cities and communities in order to share "the Truth of the Bible and the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ." Agape Life Gardens' mission is to "reach poverty stricken communities right where they are by teaching them to plant, cultivate, and harvest physical, as well as spiritual, food." A community garden was originally built in Prichard, Alabama where the team began their Gardening God's Way program, which was open to the public. Meanwhile, they also started the Spirit of Unity youth camp as an outreach for kids who would normally not have the opportunity to attend youth camps. Agape Life Gardens also feeds and clothes the homeless and engages in street evangelism, open air preaching, and inner city missions. 

In addition to his various outreaches and ministries, Ryan works full-time in the substance abuse recovery field as a certified Peer Support Specialist with P.E.I.R. (People Engaged In Recovery). He is currently serving as the outreach trainer/supervisor for southwest Alabama and attended Coastal Community College where he pursued a degree in small business management and entrepreneurship. 

Ryan first met Stan in the backyard of a mutual friend's house where — while standing around the campfire — Stan spoke about King Saul and David. Ryan remembers immediately knowing that the Spirit of God was evident in Stan's life and they steadily began to build a friendship. It wasn't long before God drew Ryan into attending Northside, where he now considers it an honor and a privilege to "be a Timothy under Pastor Stan, who is very much a Paul to me." 

In his spare time Ryan enjoys camping, hiking, gardening, traveling, and anything involving water. And he'll never pass up the opportunity to take a quality nap. 

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Saved at the tender age of five, Josh has grown up in and around church ministry his entire life. His childhood is filled with memories of A.W.A.N.A. Bible clubs, faith-based sports leagues, homeschooling activities and field trips, kids church, summer youth camps, missions trips, leading worship alongside his dad, and building lifelong friendships in various ministry venues. 

Josh received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in broadcast journalism from the University of South Alabama in 2010 where he also minored in classic English literature. In 2008, he spent a year at Valdosta State University in Georgia studying international media and public relations, as well as web and graphic design. While in Valdosta, Josh was blessed to serve with Northside Baptist Church, playing on the worship team and working with the student ministry. 

He is currently a feature journalist for popular local publications like Mobile Bay magazine and has also written for Faithlife's Ministry Team Magazine based out of Bellingham, Washington. 

At Northside, Josh is responsible for designing and managing our weekly worship service and sermon media, our website, social media accounts, Faceboook livestream, blogs and our podcast. He also serves as lead acoustic rhythm guitarist for our worship band on Sunday mornings. 

He is also the full time Communications Director for 6.14 Ministries, a church revitalization nonprofit organization he and his dad founded together in 2018. At 6.14, Josh designs and maintains the official ministry website, Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram, and digital media presentations, as well as all marketing and promotional materials, and helps several churches and pastors with their various digital and social media needs. He's also the host of Rescuing Churches, a weekly podcast on church revitalization and pastoral life featuring 6.14 Ministries Executive Director Stan Givens and occasional special guests. 

Josh writes regularly at his official blog site The Josh Givens Blog, covering all things Church Communications. If you'd like to request Josh to speak at your next conference, seminar, or retreat event, you can fill out the speaking request form on his site by clicking here. 

In his spare time, Josh enjoys playing guitar, reading, watching classic films, nature walks, and drinking grande vanilla lattes.

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Originally from the Northwest, Anastasia grew up in a military family and was blessed to travel overseas to Okinawa and the Philippines as a child. She subsequently came to Alabama to visit her dad and fell in love with the south. In June of 2002 she moved here and hasn't left. She met and fell in love with her husband in 2003 and through him found a personal relationship with Jesus Christ before eventually being baptized in February 2005 at a small church in Chickasaw, Alabama. Anastasia is proud to say that she has been seeking the Lord ever since!

In 2011, she felt a call from the Lord to plant a garden, a ministry which would soon turn into a vision much larger than she could have ever imagined. Anastasia started an outreach called Tender Gardener committed to helping those who want to grow their own food but may not physically be able to do so, as well as those who simply don't have the time, knowledge, or money. The organization is dedicated to helping these individuals plan, plant, tend, and harvest their gardens. 

Anastasia is also the Project Director for Agape Life Gardens, a local nonprofit organization all about feeding people spiritually and physically just like Jesus did. She enjoys gardening and showing others how they can grow their own food. Through her program Gardening God's Way, Anastasia teaches biblical principles and fulfills her own personal ministry calling to love Christ and His people through the efforts of teaching and gardening. 

At Northside, Anastasia serves faithfully as our Administrative Assistant, handling secretarial duties, answering calls and e-mails, managing multiple projects, keeping our pastors in check, and going above and beyond the call of duty on multiple occasions. We are blessed to have her as part of our regular staff. 

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A native of "The Bayou," Kendall hails from Louisiana and has been with Northside as an elder, teacher and shepherd for a number of years. With theology degrees from Springhill College and Oklahoma Wesleyan Christian University (formerly Bartlesville Wesleyan College), Kendall is well-versed in an array of biblical subjects ranging from New Testament church history to New Testament contextual theology. His insight, knowledge and wisdom has become an indispensable part of Northside's ministry. He is married to Sarah Rogers and together they have two children. 

Brother Al is a longtime teacher of the Merry Makers seniors ministry class on Sunday mornings and also works as an administrative financial accountant with the Mobile County Public School system.