In the world of business we tend to think of leadership as coming from the top down. Jesus, however, gives us a different picture… an upside-down picture. He was the greatest leader our world has ever known, and he modeled leadership that comes from underneath. He came, not to be served, but to serve others. This is the picture we are striving for here at the Calgary Church of Christ. Our elders, staff, and ministry leaders are not here to be served by the church, but to serve the church. The goal of each leader of this congregation is to serve the church in the fulfilling of our mission: To Reach the World for the Lord Jesus Christ One Person at a Time.
Kelly Carter
Lead Minister
Kelly Carter has been our Lead Minister since 2006. He possesses a passion for the church in Canada, for the Bible, for Christian scholarship and for the nurturing of all people to become the disciples of Jesus that God desires all His children to be. Special biblical interests include anything NT and Trinitarian theology. Having grown up in Oregon, and having lived most of his adult life on the West Coast (including 15 years in Victoria), Kelly loves the outdoors, is an avid runner, and religiously follows the playoffs for baseball, hockey, and both NCAA and professional football. Being a husband and father has been for Kelly, an absolute joy, and wife Robin, along with his now grown children Adam, Ryan, and Meghan, continue to be at the center of his life – along with the additional blessing of five wonderful grandchildren who live in Arkansas and Texas.
Jonathan Straker
Associate Minister
Jonathan serves as our Associate and Worship Minister. He has a passion for cultivating worship services that sustain lives of service in the community as worship. He believes worship should be communal and participatory. It is a kind of ‘thin place’ where our ordinary lives encounter a little more of the really real. Worship, fellowship, and service with each other and the community are all pieces of participating in the Kingdom life exemplified by Jesus. Jonathan loves the cultural diversity in our congregation and sees it as also reflecting God’s Kingdom. And he strongly believes in the missional concept that the church is God’s agent for whole life redemption and positive community transformation.
Jonathan grew up in the Churches of Christ and is grateful for many aspects of where we’ve come from while also looking forward to where God is leading us. He has been involved with Japanese missions since 1997, on the field full time for 10 of those years. He is currently working on a Doctorate of Ministry at Lipscomb University in Nashville. He and his wife, Michiko, have been married since 2004 and have three children, Hijiri, Minori (Kaitlyn) and Shiori (Eli).
Other interests include: Asset-based community development, the great outdoors, literature, music, art, and home roasted coffee.
Ryan Carroll
Youth & Family Minister
Ryan Carroll has been serving as our Youth and Family Minister since late 2022. Ryan was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and grew up in the Churches of Christ heritage. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Text at Abilene Christian University. After working as a minister in Plano, Texas Ryan served as both a short and long term missionary for 7 years in Estonia. Ryan met his wife Dayna (Aasen) while serving together at a children’s Bible camp during his early years in Estonia. They were married in 2016 and lived and served together in Estonia before moving to Calgary. Ryan and Dayna welcomed their daughter Camrie in 2022, and becoming a father has been the greatest experience of Ryan’s life.
Ryan is passionate about investing in the spiritual lives of our youth and loves connecting with people through deep conversation about Jesus. He has worked to create a safe, welcoming atmosphere at our church that nourishes the spiritual development of our young people. Some of Ryan’s interests include being an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, cooking barbecue on his smoker, and playing both Fantasy Football and computer games with friends.
Christine Bailey
Administrative Assistant
Elders
- Myles Rippenhagen
- John Casella
- Ron Bailey