Dr. Phelps grew up in a pastor’s home in West Virginia. He graduated from Bob Jones University with a degree in Bible, earned a Master of Divinity degree from Central Baptist Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and completed his Doctorate of Ministry degree at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. He served as youth pastor for four years in Owatonna, Minnesota, and Denver, Colorado before accepting the position of pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Concord, New Hampshire in 1989, where he served until coming to Maranatha for the 2007-08 academic year. Linda (Erickson) Phelps grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and graduated from Bob Jones University with Dr. Phelps. Dr. Phelps and Linda were married in 1980 and have five children: Rachel, Sharon, Chad, Caleb, and Daniel.
Dr. Phelps serves on several boards, including Baptist World Mission, and teaches as an adjunct professor at numerous colleges and seminaries. He speaks at conferences, youth retreats, on college campuses and on the mission field. A third-generation Christian, his passion is the expository preaching of God’s Word and the discipleship of believers. To foster ongoing spiritual growth, he authored Footsteps of Faith, a manual for local church discipleship. He preaches that every believer needs to be serving the Lord. In Concord, he served in a local church that exhibited unusual dedication to Christian service; Trinity Baptist Church sent out hundreds of students to Christian college and scores into ministry under Dr. Phelps’ leadership.
Dr. Phelps exhibited that same passion during his two years as President. Enrollment remained steady in spite of difficult economic times. The Global Encounters missions program expanded to include more than 100 students. Plans for Maranatha Baptist Seminary were finalized. Several key faculty and staff members were added. The dormitory society format for student ministry was adopted. Maranatha became the caretaker of Pillsbury Baptist Bible College's records, and 32 of its students, when that school closed in December of 2008. Dr. Phelps presided over the celebration of the college's 40th anniversary.
On May 26, 2009, Maranatha's Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Phelps would not be returning that fall.
Read the Board's statement here
Read the letter from Dr. Phelps here
Read an interview with Linda Phelps here