Who We Are

The Mission

We are committed to connecting people to God and each other for the transformation of Southeast Texas. 

The Vision

From the moment you walk through the doors of The Temple we want you to feel welcome.
We believe the church should be a safe and loving environment where people from all walks of life should feel at home. 
We want your students and children to enjoy coming to church as much as you do and have designed a safe and loving environment for you and your family to grow and experience Christ together.

Teaching Team

Phil Chamberlin

Senior Pastor
The passion of Pastor Phil’s heart is to see people get connected to God and to each other. 
His vision is to see the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas transformed by the incredible love and grace of Jesus Christ.
For the past five years, Phil has served as the Senior Pastor of The Temple. When he arrived, the church had been devastated by Hurricane Harvey and needed rebuilding. After working with an incredible team of people, The Temple was restored better than ever.  Since then, the church has experienced exceptional growth as people are getting connected to God and to each other. He gets to lead a PHENOMENAL staff who are the best in the world (they wrote this).
A native of Kentucky, Phil is a graduate of Berea College with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, History, and Political Science, and a Master of Divinity from Asbury Seminary. Originally, his desire was to work in Mergers and Acquisitions as a corporate turnaround specialist, but God had something else in mind. After a short stint in Washington, D.C. working in the U.S. Senate, Phil surrendered to the call of God to pursue ministry. In ministry, Phil has founded or restarted five churches in Ohio, Colorado, and Texas.
Pastor Phil is married to the love of his life, Danna. Danna is a regulatory chemist and environmental engineer who serves alongside her husband as a Bible study teacher and lead worshipper on the praise team. A third-generation worship leader, Danna sings and plays the keyboard. In her teaching, she loves to show how science and the Bible are compatible, and how God uniquely designed the universe with us in mind. Her Bible studies are fascinating for people who are interested in how everything in the Old and New Testaments point to Christ.
Together, Phil and Danna lead a small group for couples in their home. They have four children: Jordan (25), a worship leader and university student majoring in nutrition and dietetics in Louisiana; Kelsey (24), a worship leader and restaurant manager in Florida; Megan (22), a Pre-Kindergarten teacher in East Texas; and Adam (15), a sophomore in high school.
In their spare time, they love playing with their two dogs Zoe and Daisy, traveling to the beach or the lake, and hanging out with friends at the pool. They enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra, old (old?!) 80’s music and watching comedies (where they usually—annoyingly-- know all the lines). Some evenings, they can be found in the backyard smoking a cigar and enjoying a concoction they just threw together. 
Phil and Danna love The Temple and the people of Southeast Texas and are proud to call it home.

Kurt Ervin

Executive Pastor