Kevin Grant

Pastor Kevin was raised in Memphis and put his trust in Jesus Christ just days before his 9th birthday. He attended Briarcrest High School.

After graduating from Asbury University, he worked in commercial radio for 5 years before he began training for the pastorate. Kevin attended Dallas Theological Seminary where he received his ThM degree.

He married Jennifer (a staff journalist for Campus Crusade for Christ) and they moved to Oklahoma where he pastored a church for 14 years.

While in Oklahoma, the Lord blessed the Grants with 5 wonderful children: Matthew, Jonathan, Andrew, Priscilla, and Benjamin.

Nine months after the birth of their fifth child late in 2017, Jennifer was diagnosed with colon cancer. After battling this cancer for 3 years and 8 months, Jennifer died in August of 2021. This has been a tremendous loss to the Grant family. Yet God has faithfully sustained them throughout this painful journey.

Before Pastor Starbuck retired, Kevin was asked to consider becoming the next pastor at Open Door Bible Church. He preached at Open Door in June 2022 and again in October 2022. The church voted to call Pastor Kevin in October 2022 and he joyfully accepted the call and relocated his family to Memphis to begin his current role in January 2023.

The Grants are delighted to be back in Memphis surrounded by loving Christian friends at Open Door.

Shane Blackburn

Originally from Memphis, TN, Shane & his family currently live in Hernando, MS.

Shane’s grandparents started coming to Open Door along with his Mom before he was born. She continued to attend later as an adult, so Shane has been coming since he was born.

One evening, Shane was spending a night with the same grandparents who attended Open Door. He had heard the message of the Gospel growing up, and after a discussion about it, and a few questions with his grandmother, he made the decision to place his faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Shane is married to the wonderful Ruth Blackburn, and they have three (also wonderful) children: Ethan, Norah, and Esther. His favorite way to relax is playing music (when he has the opportunity). He plays the guitar, bass, and drums.

Shane loves to travel and try local food.

Stephen W. Dee

Steve Dee was born in Iowa City, IA, and has lived in Philadelphia, PA, Davenport, IA, Denver, CO, and Toledo, OH. Steve and his family first attended Open Door in 1988, and have been members ever since.

Steve was saved as a Sophomore in college while being discipled by a fraternity brother at Miami University, Oxford OH. He later transferred to the United States Air Force Academy, and there met many members of the Navigators, plus Air Force Chaplains who helped him mature in Christ.

Gloria and Steve were married in the Chapel at USAFA in February of 1978. They have 3 children—Jonathan, Elizabeth (married to Greg Lesley), and Matthew (married to Rachel). And they are blessed with three grandchildren.

Steve is a member of many groups oriented toward aviation: The Experimental Aircraft Association, (local Chapter 182), The Auxiliary Powered Sailplane Association, The Soaring Society of America, and The Soaring Safety Foundation. His favorite ways to relax are riding mountain bikes and flying light aircraft and gliders.

A fun fact about Steve that you might not know is that when he was 14, he could legally fly long before he could legally drive!

Daniel Jones

Daniel Lee Jones Jr., Elder at Open Door Bible Church, was born in Memphis, TN. He first came to Open Door in 2002.

Daniel came to faith in Christ on a Sunday morning in Sultan, WA, after a sermon his Dad preached that morning. Growing up in church, he knew he was a sinner, but something was different that day. He had the head knowledge his whole life, but that day he asked Jesus to save him. Daniel is the oldest of 9 children, and he and Brandy have 5 of their own: Isaac, Caleb, Bella, Elliott, and Kesler.

Daniel enjoys playing soccer and other sports, working out, and eating! He is the only person to coach a winning season of the Open Door softball team.

Don LaCroix

Ray Lewis

Harvey Matheny

Bill Moss

With his usual humor, Elder Bill Moss, when asked what his position was, gave this: “far right, Elder, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, Tigers fan, Republican, heterosexual, Protestant, Caucasian, pathologist.”

Bill is a Memphis original, born at Methodist Hospital, 658 Stonewall St., and first came to Open Door Bible Church in 1954.

Bill was saved at a Billy Graham Crusade in 1952 at Crump Stadium. He and his mother both went forward and received Christ as their Savior.

Bill’s father and mother were Thomas C. Moss (also a pathologist) and Ernestine Parke Moss. He remembers his mother as a nurse and housewife, church organist, secretary and Sunday school teacher.

Bill and his wife, Kathryn A. Moss, were married in 1960. She was raised in Illinois, and is descended from two outstanding Christian families — the Hillyards and Brocketts.

Bill & Kathryn have three sons. Their oldest son, Bobby Moss, graduated from LeTourneau College. He was beginning an airline pilot career, when he was hit by a drunk driver in 1985 at the age of 24. He passed into the presence of Jesus and is now in heaven. Their second son, David W. Moss, graduated from MSU on a baseball scholarship. He is now an optometrist, and has 4 children: Amber D. Toulson, Britany A. Lewallen, Aaron Moss, and Britany N. Moss (adopted). The Moss’ third son, Steve Moss, is a computer programmer. He also went to MSU on a baseball scholarship. He and his wife, Renee, have two children: Baylor Moss and Sydney Moss.

Bill enjoys relaxing with a good game of golf. He also enjoys yard work, and is a fan of Tigers football & basketball.

Fun fact about Dr. Moss: he is a Facebook commentator, specializing in off-beat humor and an occasional serious theological treatise — and he admits that he is a “world class snorer.”

Richard Toland

Richard, Deacon at Open Door Bible Church, was in Memphis until age 24. After that he was in the Air Force based in Illinois for three years, before moving to Arkansas, where he lived for the next 35+ years. Around June or July of 2017, he moved to Memphis.

He was brought up in church since nursery age and heard about Jesus very early. When he was seven he knew he had done some bad things and was a sinner. He prayed to accept Jesus but it is a little fuzzy now, he says. He wishes he had had a very dramatic salvation experience to have more of a testimony to tell, but he realizes that he is so hardheaded that if he had not received Christ at an early age his chances of being saved might not have been very good.

Richard is part of the Memphis Heritage Foundation and West Tennessee Historical Society. He and his wife, Linda, have four children — three girls and a boy, who are all married. They have five grandchildren and the oldest of them is in heaven. He would be two and a half. The other four range from 18 months to 6 months.

Richard’s favorite way to relax is to read but he doesn’t have enough time to do that (in normal times)

One interesting fact that most might not know about Richard is that he used to be a cowboy.