Grant Layman says he can remember "having a genuine fear of the Lord early in my life that went beyond fearing consequences from my parents." Grant 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 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. He was ordained two years later at age 25.

Over the years Grant has 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 have a passion to see the next generation cultivate a love for the Lord and the local church. I want to encourage all of our parents to embrace this privilege and responsibility to train the next generation."

To that end, Grant now leads the team of pastors who care for the teens of Covenant Life and their parents. He also serves as one of two Executive Pastors (the other is Kenneth Maresco) with responsibility for facility planning and other strategic initiatives.

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.

Dave assists Grant Layman in the leadership of Covenant Life's youth ministry.

Dave graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1998 with a degree in secondary mathematics education.  He began pastoral training as an intern in the youth ministry at Lord of Life Church in Indiana, Pa., one of the first in Sovereign Grace Ministries’ family of churches.

“I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian home where I was taught the Gospel,” Dave says. “I made a profession of faith in Christ at a young age, and God continually revealed himself to me throughout my childhood.

“It was over a few years [in college] that God began to draw me in this direction.”

Dave was born in Silver Spring, Md., and grew up in Columbia, Md., where he graduated Hammond High School in 1994.  His parents attended the weekly TAG meetings of the early ’70s in Washington, D.C., where a young C.J. Mahaney preached before becoming a founding pastor of Covenant Life.

Lord of Life sent Dave here as part of the 1999-2000 class of the Pastors College, and he stayed after graduating. He taught math for two years at Blake High School in Silver Spring, also coaching baseball and soccer, before being asked to join our pastoral team in 2002.

Mike says he "began to understand the gospel of grace" only after his family came to Covenant Life when he was 12.  

"It was at this time that I believe I trusted Jesus as both my Lord and Savior," he says.
Born in Pontiac, Mich., Mike was 5 when his family moved to Gaithersburg.

"I grew up in a Christian home with godly parents who laid the foundation of the gospel in my life at an early age," he recalls. "[But] I believed that God would judge me based on my merit, and not Jesus'. I'd often run into my parents' bedroom in the middle of the night and confess sin to them, out of fear that I would go to hell."

In God's grace-filled plan, Mike would grow up to become a pastor here in April 2005, after graduating from our Pastors College in June 2004.

"The Pastors College began when I was a 10th-grader at Covenant Life School. I would often run into the men enrolled in the college during lunch breaks and between classes, since both schools shared the same building. I began to feel a sense to explore a calling as a pastor.

"I attended Montgomery College for two years, then pursued a finance degree at the University of Maryland. In senior year, I interviewed with financial firms and nearly took a job. As I began to wrestle with my vocational calling, [singles pastor] Eric Simmons pulled me aside after church one day and offered me an internship with the Singles Ministry. That fall during my last semester, I left the university to attend Pastors College."

Mike married Janelle Mahaney, daughter of Covenant Life's founding pastor, C.J. Mahaney, in June 2003. Mike and Janelle first became friends as students at Covenant Life School.

Mike's pastoral duties include Sunday programming, curriculum, and special events for children up to age 12. He also is responsible for volunteer training and oversight for children's ministry.

"I am most passionate about my role in coming alongside parents to teach our kids the old, old story of the gospel so that their lives might bear fruit of repentance," he says.

"I can't believe I am able to serve at this church with these men. It is a privilege I do not deserve."

Adam first visited Covenant Life as a non-believer in early 1998, when he and his wife, Linda, attended a marriage retreat centered on the Song of Solomon in hopes of repairing a relationship that was "not healthy." The couple found "love and acceptance," Adam recalls, and began to attend the Sunday meeting.

Linda recently had become a Christian; Adam came to Christ while attending the church's Alpha class that summer.

Adam, was born Oct. 17, 1962, in DeLand, Fla., and grew up in Columbia, Md. He has an undergraduate degree in management and 20 years of experience in information technology, including senior management.

In 2001, pastor Kenneth Maresco began to help Adam determine whether he was called to pastoral ministry.

"Over the next year and a half," Adam says, "I was placed in positions of leadership—greeting team, care group, Children's Service Brigade—where God appeared to be bringing fruit."

He joined the pastoral team in June 2005 after graduating from our Pastors College. His responsibilities include overseeing 20 care groups of parents with at least one child in high school.

Adam and Linda, who were married Oct. 6, 1984, moved to Gaithersburg from Frederick. They have four children and enjoy the outdoors and amusement parks. Adam is an avid golfer.

Adam says he is most passionate about "seeing God transform, reconcile, and build strong marriages and families."

Matthew left a position as senior pastor of a church in East Brunswick, N.J., to move his family to Gaithersburg and become part of Covenant Life. He joined the pastoral team after graduating from our Pastors College in May 2005 and currently serves in the youth and parenting sphere. Matt was born and raised in Flanders, N.J.

Matthew grew up attending Bethlehem Church in Randolph, N.J., and was an active member of the youth ministry there. He says, "I heard the gospel as a child from faithful, believing parents. I responded to the gospel as a young boy and experienced an awakening as a junior in high school."

Matthew first sensed a calling to pastoral ministry in 1988, at age 19. He decided to attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where he received a bachelor's degree in biblical studies in 1992. He later studied at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, N.Y.  

He served as a youth pastor in Long Valley, N.J., from 1996 to 2000, then as senior pastor in East Brunswick until he joined Covenant Life in 2002.
 
Matt's first encounter with Sovereign Grace Ministries was a seminar that was part of a Joshua Harris "True Love Tour." "The gospel centered teaching and Spirit filled, doctrinally rich worship were like nothing I had ever experienced before," says Matt. Several years of relationship building followed with Covenant Life pastors like Jeff Purswell and Bob Kauflin. Matt states, "Throughout this process my view of my sin, the church and the Savior was radically altered."

Matthew says he is most passionate about "serving the people of Covenant Life. What a joy to care for such humble people who desire to serve and love the Savior with all of their lives."

Matthew and his wife Elsabeth were married June 20, 1992. They have three daughters and a son. Matthew enjoys beach vacations and playing with the children. Other interests and hobbies include fishing, biking, running, triathlon, weightlifting, and woodworking.

Greg moved to Gaithersburg and joined Covenant Life Church in 1987, eventually leading a Care Group and being encouraged by Robin Boisvert and others to explore a calling for pastoral ministry.

Greg served eight years with what is now Sovereign Grace Ministries, editing its magazine and “The Pursuit of Godliness" book series. He came on staff at CLS in 1995 to oversee development of the high school and, within two years, accepted C.J. Mahaney’s invitation to become a pastor. He served as head of Covenant Life School from 2001 to 2007, overseeing the accredited day school (grades K-12) and home school programs.

Greg’s greatest passion in his ministry is "coming alongside parents as they disciple their children and strive to magnify God and the gospel through their lives.” He and his wife Suzy have six children.