Grant Layman

Grant Layman grew up in Sarasota, Fla., and was raised by “God-fearing parents who modeled the Christian life and love for the local church,” he recounts. Grant says he can remember “having an awareness of God’s claim on his life and a desire to serve him at an early age.”

Grant accepted an invitation in 1980 at age 19 to move to the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., to live with his sister, Carolyn, and her husband, C.J. Mahaney. C.J. was then the senior pastor of Gathering of Believers, the precursor to what is now Covenant Life Church. Grant says the personal care and training he received by living in C.J. and Carolyn’s home for five years was invaluable preparation for ministry.

While serving in his initial position with the church as assistant administrator, Grant’s interest in vocational ministry grew stronger. After a few years of prayer, counsel, training, and evaluation, Grant was asked by the pastors to establish a youth ministry in 1983. That same year is when he met Karin Tammaru, the girl of his dreams, and they married two years later on May 11, 1985. The following year Grant was ordained into ministry.

Over the years Grant helped to build a unique kind of youth ministry where the role of parents is every bit as important as that of the kids. He states, “I had a passion to see the next generation cultivate a love for the Lord and the local church. I wanted to encourage all of our parents to embrace this privilege and responsibility to train the next generation.”

In 2006 Grant assumed additional responsibilities in his role as Executive Pastor including oversight of Sunday meetings and the various teams that support these and other meetings (Worship, Discovery Land, Production, Communication, and Ministry Teams), as well as other strategic initiatives. At that time Dave Brewer assumed leadership of the Youth Ministry and the 10:31 team of pastors.

Grant and his family share a love for sports and the outdoors. He enjoys riding the family four-wheeler and dirt bikes with his kids.

Grant, his wife Karin, and their four children reside in Montgomery Village, Md.