David Phillips, a native of Arkansas, was saved at eight years of age. After graduating from high school, he attended Ouachita Baptist University for one year. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1970. Following college, he served two years in the U. S. Army; then he worked for two years in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

Heeding God’s call, Phillips graduated from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary with a Th.M. in 1976 and a Ph.D. in 1982. After serving as a youth director and pastor of two churches in Mississippi, Phillips joined the faculty of Luther Rice Seminary in 1987. For fourteen years during this time, he also served as a bi-vocational pastor. He and his wife Susan have three children: Christopher, Anna, and Ashley.  Presently, he and Susan are members of Grace Baptist Church, Monroe, Georgia, where he teaches a Sunday school class.