Full Time Staff and Pastors

SLBC Staff

Pastor                  Mark Choate       (pastor@slbc.org)
C.E. Pastor           Jim McGowan      (jim@slbc.org)
Youth Pastor        Michael Taylor     (youth@slbc.org)

Administrator        Hans Meinardus
Secretaries           Melanie Stafford(Melanie@slbc.org)
                            Carol Henry      (Carol@slbc.org)

Pastors' Biographies

Mark Choate, Senior Pastor

Pastor Mark holds a Th.M. degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and a BBA in Accounting from U of H. Prior to pastoring Sugar Land Bible Church, Mark worked for eight years (1989 – 1997) as a Seminary Professor in Guatemala. His résumé also includes work with the A.D. Players (a Christian drama company), a local CPA firm, and as a staff member of another Houston area church. He is married to Rosa Maria and they have five children, ranging from middle school to college age. Pastor Mark has been the Senior Pastor at SLBC since March of 1997.

Jim McGowan, Christian Education Pastor

Pastor McGowan graduated from Houston Baptist University with a B.A. in Secondary Education. After graduation, he taught Spanish and coached football, basketball, and softball at two of Texas' most prestigious private schools - Houston's Kincaid School and Allen Academy in Bryan, TX.

In 1995 Pastor McGowan realized a life long dream when he enrolled at Tyndale Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. After successfully completing the required coursework for the Master's Degree in Theological Studies, he immediately enrolled in the Doctoral Program and three years later received his Th.D. in Systematic Theology from Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary.

In 2006, AMG Publishers released his first book entitled, "The Gospel of Mark: Christ the Servant," part of the Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series.

Before joining the SLBC family, Dr. McGowan served as an associate pastor in the Houston area and as a short-term missionary to Africa, Bolivia,Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. He is a member of the Conservative Theological Society and the Pre-Trib Study Group. Dr. McGowan is also as Adjunct Professor at Tyndale Theological Seminary and one of their regular conference speakers.

In his spare time, Dr. McGowan enjoys flying (he is an FAA Certificated Flight Instructor), riding his Honda GL1800, and cycling. Dr. McGowan and his wife, Sandra (also an educator), have two grown daughters and became grandparents in August 2007. "Pastor Jim" has been on staff at SLBC since 2002.

Mike Taylor, Youth Pastor

Mike joins SLBC from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL. As a pastoral Studies major He has a passion for Gods word and its truth. His prior experience includes internships with several ministries and churches in the Chicago area beginning in 2003. Mike also had several opportunities to serve in St. Louis, Mo where he is originally from. Mike recently married his bride Lacey in 2006 and looks forward to serving with her in the Sugar Land area. Mike's interests include many kinds of sports (particularly volleyball), listening to and performing a wide variety of music, and riding his Honda Shadow.