October 2, 2026
TIFTON, Ga. — Northside Baptist Church in Tifton called Stacy Phillips as the successor to Pastor Fred Evers in October of 2021. Consider the fact that Phillips moved to a new church when the Centers for Disease Control considered the COVID-19 a public health emergency. Four different variants of the illness had been discovered by then. His father-in-law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and before the Phillips had been in Tifton one year his wife, Melissa, was diagnosed with breast cancer and continues to undergo treatment to resolve her health issue.
One might have thought that succeeding a well-established, beloved pastor with a long tenure like Fred Evers who succumbed to cancer himself, would be a challenge, but Stacy and Melissa have handled it all with “amazing grace.”
Scott Sullivan, catalyst in the Discipleship Ministry of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, recently ministered to the men of the church in a retreat and then preached on Sunday morning to a large congregation. He described the Northside pastor as calm, purposeful and consistent. Sullivan explained, “Stacy never gets rattled. He is the same every time you see him. He loves Jesus, and he loves people. He also preaches the Word of God unapologetically.”
Sullivan continued, “The people of Northside loved Fred Evers. The church grew under his leadership. However, when he got sick, their love was manifested in an unfailing compassion and care for their beloved pastor. Anyone who became the pastor after Pastor Evers would face a great challenge, but I am convinced that Stacy has won the hearts of the people of Northside, and they would fight for him. In fact, the long-term investment of Fred Evers in the lives of the people at Northside paved the way for his successor to have a fruitful ministry.”
Good things are happening at Northside under Phillip’s ministry. He is committed to discipling his people and consistently exhorts them to build relationships and engage people in Gospel conversations. In fact, he has asked the membership to have 2,000 Gospel conversations in 2023. In the worship services the Northside pastor recognizes members who have invited guests to be present.
Phillip’s strategy is working because, at the Men’s Retreat and in recent worship services those in need of Christ’s redeeming love have begun to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit. The recent inquirers and responders could very well be a portent of a great harvest of souls.
The pastor also believes in both event and mass evangelism. He is joining other pastors in Tifton in planning a Good Friday Service at Brodie Field (a.k.a. the Devil’s Den), the home of the Tift County football team. Mark Richt, former UGA and University of Miami football coach, will be the guest speaker for this Good Friday gathering. All should join the participating churches in praying for this evangelistic event that could have great spiritual significance for Tift County and beyond.
Stacy Phillips was born and raised in the town of Flowery Branch, the site of the Atlanta Falcons’ headquarters and training facilities in North Georgia. For six years he worked in the industrial maintenance field, but in 2004 he earned a bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministry with a minor in Pastoral Ministry. In 2016 he received a Master of Divinity Degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to being called as pastor of Northside, he was a student pastor and then served two churches as pastor, the last one was Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Gainesville.
Stacy and Melissa were high school sweethearts and have been married for 26 years. They have two daughters, Hope and Hannah. He enjoys spending time with his family, riding his motorcycle, playing golf and tennis, and just being outside enjoying the beauty of God’s creative genius. The Phillips have two dogs, Lily and Lamont, and a cat named Lennon.
You have got to appreciate a pastor who is devoted to evangelism, discipleship, and alliteration.
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