Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis
Pastor, The Brother Van Parish
Current Ministry
Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis was appointed to The Brother Van Parish in August 2024. He now serves as pastor of the parish’s eight churches, working alongside dedicated laity and retired clergy.
Pastor Carl brings a deep sense of call to rural churches, with a particular commitment to supporting, training, and equipping laypersons for ministry. Together, the churches and Pastor Carl are developing a model in which local church leaders are prepared to strengthen their congregations and become the hands and feet of Jesus in their communities.
Education and Leadership Development
He earned a Doctorate from Wesley Seminary with an emphasis in church leadership. He is also the founder of The Academy for Smaller Membership Church Ministries, a ministry vision that began in 1988 when Rev. Dr. Ellis recognized the challenges rural churches faced in finding effective leadership and adapting to changing times.
From 1988 to 1999, he explored various ways to train local church leaders. In 1999, the Lay Academy for Rural Church Ministries was born. Since then, more than 400 laypersons from many walks of life—including nurses, teachers, counselors, business owners, judges, mechanics, farmers, bankers, and others—have been trained for ministry.
Through this work, laypersons have discovered their callings and found meaningful ways to serve, while churches have gained new hope through the commitment and leadership of trained lay ministers.
Background and Experience
Pastor Carl grew up in a small-membership church in San Francisco, California. He has served as a pastor for 47 years, including 42 years in rural churches and five years on the Kansas West Conference staff as Director of the Center for Small Membership Churches.
