ABOUT US

Who We Are and Why We Are Here

OUR MISSION

To make disciples of Jesus.

The vision of FirstNSB is to be a multigenerational disciple-making church that is growing in our love for God and all people and that is raising up the next generation of disciples to reach our community and the world for Jesus.

FirstNSB Statement of Faith

"Everyone has been friendly and welcoming."

- Judd Peterson

"Friendly, family-oriented."

- Elizabeth Baiyewu

"Great music, great teaching, great people."

- Darryl Kuykendall

OUR STRATEGY

The Four "G's"

Our strategy for making and maturing disciples is to
GATHER for corporate worship,
GROUP for discipleship,
GIVE to support the mission of the church, and
GO as everyday disciples of Jesus.

"They are so very welcoming...especially to my kiddos who are special needs."

- Dee Dee

"Great family church that preaches the Gospel."

- Mark Severance

"This is a place where lives are changed."

- Steve Zeh

OUR TEAM

Meet Luke McKinney, Lead Pastor

Luke has served as our lead pastor since 2008 and is the leader of our Governing Elder Team. He and his wife Racheal have three sons—Isaac, Noah and Andrew. Luke enjoys running, trips to the beach, Alabama football, pickleball, softball, traveling and time spent with his family. Luke is a graduate of Samford University (Bachelor of Arts), Biola University (Master of Arts) and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, Master of Divinity).

Meet Ryan Flynt, Discipleship and Administrative Pastor

Ryan began serving as discipleship pastor in 2022. Ryan and his wife Casey have two boys. He received his B.A. from Gardner-Webb University (in Discipleship Studies) and an M.A. (Church Ministry with a focus in Student Ministry) and M.Div. (in Church Ministry and Discipleship) from Liberty University. Ryan's interests include basketball, football, and anywhere he and his family can spend time together!

Meet Nick Pellar, Student Pastor

Nick Pellar began serving as our student pastor in 2023. He moved from Oviedo, FL where he was serving as a Student Ministry Associate. He has a BA in Christian Studies from the College at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He likes to read, play tennis, racquetball, ultimate frisbee, and spikeball. He also likes to stay home on the weekend and just relax. Nick is excited to be part of the family at FirstNSB and hopes to faithfully disciple students to be more like Jesus each week.

Meet Josh Howland, Family Pastor

Josh Howland has served as our family pastor since 2025. He and his wife Amy have two kids, Pippa and Sully. He holds a B.S. of Business Administration from Tennessee Temple University and a Master’s of Ministry degree from Temple Baptist Seminary. When he’s not at church, Josh loves spending time with his family, enjoying the beach, and being outdoors.