Phil & Bekah Stotts family: Philip Stotts was born in Webb City, Mo. in 1980 to a family with substance abuse issues. During his childhood years, Phil remembers often being around drugs and alcohol. Some weekends he and his brother had to endure wild drunken parties with adults who would abuse drugs right in front of them. Phil recalls witnessing scenes of domestic abuse, as well as feeling abandoned and alone.
As a teenager, Phil remembers looking through a bedroom door and seeing a family member sticking a needle into their arm, shooting up with meth. Despite being raised around a family of addicts Phil felt a calling into Ministry at the age of 13. Phil went on to spend his high school years playing football and embracing his drug addict, friends and, though Phil never struggled with drugs or alcohol, he felt a connection with his peers who battled addiction.
Phil went on to meet his wife Rebekah at Tri State Full Gospel Youth Camp the summer of 2002. Phil and Bekah were married in 2003. Shortly after, Phil went on to graduate from Messenger College May of 2004, and Bekah graduated from Pittsburgh State University in 2006. Phil & Bekah served several years as youth pastors and worship leaders at a traditional church. It was during this time that Phil and Bekah felt a disconnection from the politics and judgmental attitudes of traditional churches.
In 2005 Phil and Bekah felt a call to start their own ministry reaching out to drug addicts, and homeless in a non- traditional manner. In October 2005 The Road Church held it’s first meeting in Webb City Mo. The vision of The Road was to create a loving non traditional church where everyone felt welcome. Their slogan became, “No Judgment, No Politics, Reaching out in LOVE.” The Road Church now has a membership of over 100, whereby ninety percent of their members were unchurched and unsaved before joining The Road. It is Phil and Bekah’s belief that a church’s mission isn’t to house the “healthy” but it is the spiritually sick that need life. Therefore, Phil and Bekah have built their ministry on reaching lost souls and not church shifting. One of the biggest ministries of The Road is it’s faith based treatment center, in which men live at the ministry complex and take part in daily Bible training and sobriety mentor-ship. The Road also has a weekly day-care operation for low income children. Phil and Bekah themselves have 3 children Elcee (6), Edyn (3), and Jett (1).