Lead Pastor: Kirk Shelton

I was born in my grandparents’ home in Mt. View, Arkansas to a young single mom. It wasn’t until shortly before I started school that my mother married and I was adopted by the man who became my dad. By that time we were living in Little Rock where I attended school, graduating from Central High.


Largely due to the prayers and influence of my grandparents, I was saved at the age of nine and surrendered to the ministry at sixteen, just before my junior year in high school. To prepare for ministry I attended Central Baptist College in Conway where I met Toni Greer. We married during our sophomore year in college.


Toni and I have been blessed to serve in various ministries and in a variety of places including the Yakima Indian Reservation in Washington, a university campus in Texas, an international missionary radio and television ministry based in Arkansas, as well as several churches in Texas and Arkansas. We have three grown children and three incredible grandchildren. 


We came to Calvary in 2013 with a desire to invest our lives in a church needing a new vision for God and His glory. We love the Calvary family and are excited about what God wants to do in and through this church. 


My hope for Calvary Church is that we would know and worship God with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength and that we would be shaped into the image of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.  


You can contact Kirk at Kirk@calvaryfayetteville.com


Pastor of family ministries: 

Dan Carson

“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” No, that’s not right. Okay. How about? “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…” No that won’t work either. I guess that we all want to have amazing stories and introductions, but some of us have to settle for the more common place. My story isn’t full of amazing powers, but it is one of God’s Love. And, that alone makes it amazing and something above the common place.

 

I was just a boy when I accepted Jesus at White Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church of Potosi, Missouri. I didn’t know much, but I knew that God loved me and wanted to have a personal relationship with me. Since that time, God has worked and pointed me into a life of worship through service. I surrendered my life to the gospel call in March of 1991 while attending Central Baptist College. I met my wife, Temple there and we married shortly after my third year of college. I went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Bible with a Pastoral Studies emphasis in May 1995. Shortly after college, I went to the Baptist Theological Seminary of Jacksonville, Texas where I received a Master of Arts in Religion in May 1998. Currently, I am working on my Doctor of Ministry with a concentration in Church Revitalization at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary of Kansas City, Missouri.


Since that time, I have served as a Minister of Church Growth, Church Planter, Pastor, Youth Pastor, Worship Pastor, and Education Pastor. I am very excited to be serving at Calvary Baptist Church of Fayetteville as the Pastor of Family Ministries. In 2009, my wife graduated from John Brown University with her Master of Science in Counseling. It was during her graduate studies that God cemented a vision in our hearts to help families experience wholeness. She works that vision out through our ministry time as well as her counseling with Fresh Roots Family Counseling.

 

While not at church, I love spending time with my family. I have two crazy talented kids who love to sing and play instruments. I also enjoy taekwondo, mountain biking, running, and playing video games.

 

God placed a burden on my heart to help pastors experience Health and Balance in their personal and professional lives. That vision led me to professional coach training in 2015. Now, I serve as a Life, Leadership, & Ministry Coach to those that need help through my coaching business, www.BalancedLifeConcepts.net.

 

In addition to coaching, I work with student ministry workers through Student Ministry Matters. We provide coaching, connections, and continuing education for student ministry workers in Arkansas and beyond. We also provide a weekly podcast for those that work with students, The Student Ministry Matters Podcast.


If I can help you and your family into a deeper walk with Christ, please let me know.  


You can contact Dan at Dan@calvaryfayetteville.com

SHEPHERD Leaders

The Shepherd Leaders are the Elders of our Church.  Our Shepherd Leaders include David Bentley, Justin Swope and David Cook.

Worship Leader: David Bentley

I have lived in NWA since 1972 when my family moved here after my father retired from the Air Force. Little did I know, the cute blonde haired girl I met in Mrs. Park’s 4th grade class would one day become my wife. Jamie and I met again at the University of Arkansas where I studied music for a year. Jamie and I were married in 1985. We have been blessed with three children and two grandchildren. I work full-time as a Consumer Safety Inspector for the United States Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service.


Even though I had been in church since I was a small child, I truly trusted Christ as my Savior at the age of 26 and was baptized at Little Elm Baptist Church in Farmington, AR. I later served there as Music and Choir Director for 2 years as my wife played piano. Jamie and I joined Calvary Church in 1996. Jamie and I have been involved in Calvary’s music ministry in some way for the last 20 years. We love the Lord and our church family.    


Music has always been a big part of my life and God’s music is the pinnacle. It has been and will always be more about worshipful song lyrics than a pretty melody. At Calvary Church, we strive for music to minister to everyone, no matter where you are in life. We look forward to God’s next chapter for your life and His church.   


You can contact David at Music@calvaryfayetteville.com

Administrative Assistant: 

Toni Shelton