Dennis Wingate is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church.  He has served in this capacity since February 2005.  He has been married to his wife Sharon for over forty years, and they have two grown sons, Adam (Katie) and Dustin (Brittany).  Dennis and Sharon are now proud grandparents to three wonderful grandchildren.

Dennis accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord at the age of twenty-four, surrendered to the gospel ministry at thirty-one, and entered full-time ministry at forty.  The Lord has called Dennis specifically to serve Him as pastor; that is, to shepherd the flock of God through teaching His sheep His Word while leading His church toward righteousness and protecting His children from harm.  Dennis’ ministry passions are in the spheres of preaching/teaching, evangelism/missions, and church administration.  Before entering the pastorate, he worked as a research chemist for a Fortune 500 company in North Carolina.

Over the years, Dennis has faithfully served churches in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia through significant leadership positions.  He is a two-time graduate of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  Dennis holds a Master of Divinity degree (M. Div.) and a Doctor of Ministry degree (D. Min.) from the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry.  Sharon, his wife, is a life partner in ministry with him, and they are fully committed to serving God wherever and however He may lead them.