"He's not a polished politician that can get up on the stump and capture your heart and mind that way. But when you do sit and talk with him … it's like, 'Ok this guy gets it,'" said Michael Phillips, 41, pastor of the 2,000-plus member Kingdom Life Church. He met Warnock when the candidate approached him about buying the church's building on Hilton Street for Green Street Academy. In an effort to win the pastor's trust, Warnock started attending services.