Licentiate Preacher: Phillip Taylor
Phillip Taylor has been co-laboring as a church planter at Salina PCA alongside Brad Irvin since 2024. He grew up in Southern California where God transformed his heart as a teenager. His passions include serving the body of Christ in practical ways, the expositional preaching of the gospel, and discipleship of new believers.
Phil joined the military directly after high-school completing four years in the Marine Corps. He moved to Sterling, Kansas to attend Sterling College where he earned a B.A. in Theology and also met and married his wife, Emily. His ministry training includes Westminster Theological Seminary, Gateway Seminary (M.A. in Theology), and Puritan Theological Seminary (Th.M). He plans to sit for his ordination exam in early 2026.
Phil has been married to Emily since 2013 and they have four children: Felicity, Annabelle, Bennett, Elizabeth and Baby #5 due in January of 2026. His hobbies include reading, writing, listening to podcasts, surfing when there is an ocean available, ultimate frisbee and home renovations.
Licentiate Preacher:
Dr. Brad Irvin
Brad Irvin was the instigator for Salina Presbyterian Church, and is so humbled by the specific work God has been doing with Salina Presbyterian since 2022. Brad grew up in Garden City, KS and has been Presbyterian the entirety of his life. Brad is passionate about theology and has a special place in his heart for church planting in Western Kansas. He believes strongly in the importance of biblical fidelity, Christian education, both theological and otherwise, and dedication to the Church.
Brad completed his undergrad at Washburn University (Bachelors in Biology with a minor in chemistry), medical school at the University of Kansas, (Doctorate in Medicine). He briefly left Kansas for his family medicine residency training at Clarkson Family Medicine. He has been working as a board-certified family physician for the last 9 years in Salina. He is currently working on a Masters of Theology through Covenant Theological Seminary. He is also a founding member and current President of Haven Academy and is well-known by the children around Salina as "Dr. Science".
Brad married his wife Emily in 2014, and they have four fantastic children: Lyla, Lincoln, Brogan and Kalina. Brad's hobbies include writing- both theological and fiction. He loves to hike, is a voracious reader, a better than average singer and a worse than average dancer.
Session:
As a mission church, our session is led by the Manhattan Presbyterian Church's Session (or Elders). We are extremely grateful for their leadership, assistance, and experience as they planted Manhattan just 11 years ago!