Staff
PHIL TOOLE - FOUNDING/TEACHING PASTOR
Phil grew up in Florida and spent his early ministry years serving in student ministry positions in both Florida and Texas. He later served as a senior pastor for 10 years in Oklahoma City, before moving to Scottsdale, AZ in 1993 to start Mountain Valley.
As teaching pastor, Phil's passion is explaining the Bible in a way that makes it applicable to everyday life and produces life change. He is also has a great passion for spiritual mentoring/discipleship training.
Phil enjoys sports, traveling, action and comedy movies, and reading history and thriller novels (think Jason Bourne). He and his wife, Delisa, have two children. Josh is a student and worship leader at various churches in the Phoenix area. He has a worship band called Nobility Obliged. Amie is a college student, attending school in NYC.
MIKE HANCOCK - STUDENT MINISTRIES PASTOR
Mike grew up here in the valley and has been a Youth Pastor for the past 11 years. He has a degree in Biblical Studies from Southwestern Bible College. Mountain Valley is his third church in which he has led students. He joined the MVC team in Oct 2006. On the side he writes curriculum for a nationwide organization that provides a student teaching strategy to hundreds of other churches. Mike says his goal is to "help students move beyond information about God to an actual experience with Him - one that incites wonder, discovery, and passion".
Mike has been married for 9 years to Kirsten and has a 3 year old daughter, Elizabeth. When he's not hanging out with students he enjoys playing in-line hockey and cheering for the Coyotes!
JONATHAN FOSTER - CREATIVE PROGRAMMING PASTOR
Jonathan has been in the valley for 13 years planting two churches. He’s a graduate of Mid-America Nazarene University in Kansas City and is currently working on his masters degree at Phoenix Seminary.
He’s recorded and written songs that are being sung in churches around the country and he writes periodically for such magazines as Worship Leader and Technologies for Worship Magazine. You can find more of his writing at his blog, www.theproblemwithreligion.com <http://www.theproblemwithreligion.com/>
Most importantly, he’s been married to his wife, Johnna, for 20 years and has three children, Quincy, Shay and Evan. As such Jonathan spends most of his spare time at soccer, football, basketball games, band and choir concerts!