Mark Minnick - Senior Pastor

After completing an M.A. in Bible from Bob Jones University in May 1977, Mark was burdened to continue his education. While continuing to pastor a small church in North Carolina, he began pursuing a doctoral degree. During this time, he accepted a call from Mount Calvary Baptist Church (Greenville, SC) to serve as a part-time associate pastor along with then-Pastor Jesse Boyd, a man with 40 years of pastoral ministry experience whose influence on Mark had already been formative. Soon he began teaching full-time at BJU, eventually teaching both Bible and Homiletics on the undergraduate and graduate levels. After three additional years, he completed a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation in 1983 with a dissertation on “The Matthean Genealogy and Birth Account of Jesus Christ."

For the next five years, he taught full-time and faithfully assisted Pastor Boyd as one “who poured water on the hands of Elijah” (2 Kings 3:11). In May 1989, Pastor Boyd handed over to Mark the reins of the ministry of Mount Calvary Baptist Church. At this point, he greatly reduced his University teaching role and became the first full-time pastor in the church's 27-year history.

Since that time, God has expanded Mark's ministry and provided even broader opportunities of service for him. He and his wife, Linda, have raised three daughters, all of whom are now married:  Abigail, who is married to Dr. Nathan Crockett; Esther, who is married to Sam Arnold, and Lydia, who is married to Ethan Hamilton.

Mark is not only a pastor to his congregation. He regularly visits international mission fields to aid and encourage missionaries, serves on the boards of Gospel Fellowship Association Missions and the Foundations Baptist Fellowship International, and serves as a member of The Committee on the Bible’s Text and Translation.  

The Lord continues to use Mark's pen, as well as his voice. He served as a contributing editor to the Biblical Viewpoint (published by the Bible faculty of Bob Jones University) and currently serves as a contributing editor to FrontLine Magazine (published bi-monthly by the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship), where his “First Partakers” column encourages and challenges men in the ministry.

Mark's philosophy of ministry places a priority on serious attention to the precise, systematic exposition of the Word of God, coupled with an emphasis on faithful, systematic community evangelism—taking the Word to the world. His passion is to seek and to display the glory of God revealed, through the Bible, in the face of Jesus Christ.

Jerid Jones - Facilities & Pastoral Care

God graciously intervened in my life early, drawing my parents to Christ shortly before I was born. My growing up years are stamped with the memories of my young Christian parents’ efforts to follow Christ. When God later led my father into pastoral ministry, He used that influence to grow a desire for ministry in my own heart. I eventually pursued training at Bob Jones University, graduating with a degree in Bible in 2000. In the ensuing years, the Lord postponed my own immediate plans for seminary and church planting in Maine for a very different school in the business world of construction. For ten years, I owned a framing company and then began a new phase as a project developer for a major builder.

I married Michelle in 2001, and we have spent the entirety of our married lives at Mount Calvary.  The next 16 years proved spiritually formative for me. God used those years to humble and grow me in needful ways. Ultimately, He used those years to kindle in me a fresh appetite for pastoral ministry, all the while preparing me without my knowing it for the ministry role I have today.  

God has given our family eight wonderful children to rear for Him:  Makenna, Michael, Molly, Madelyn, Mark, Megan, Macie, and Max. 

Jeff Rush - Youth & Children's Ministries

The Lord saved my parents during my infancy, and He used my godly young parents to turn my heart toward Himself at an early age. As I grew, the Lord clearly impressed on my heart His desire for me to pursue Christian ministry; and before the age of ten, I had publicly surrendered my life to this end. As I grew older, my father’s influence on me was profound. He served God faithfully in our western Pennsylvania church and was my lay youth leader for five years. Then my father surrendered to preach and moved our family to Greenville, SC, so that he could attend Bob Jones University. His obedience paved the path the Lord had chosen for me. I also attended BJU, graduating with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Bible.

In 1983 my father led us to attend Mount Calvary Baptist Church. In 1986, I became a part-time youth pastor at the church. Coupling my seminary training with the opportunity to labor alongside the pastoral staff was an immense blessing. After 10 years of part-time ministry, the Lord opened the door for me to begin laboring full-time. I am thankful for the Lord’s graciousness in placing me in the ministry here and for giving me the privilege of serving the families of our church as they rear their children to be faithful servants of the Lord.

My wife Becky and I have five children, all of whom are now adults and who faithfully serve in the ministry of our church:  Jason (Emily), Ashley, Jared (Meg), Josh (Anna), and Jesse (Rebecca). 

Eric Newton - Church Education & Outreach

Because of God’s lovingkindness I was born into a multi-generational Christian family. I professed faith in Christ at a very young age but was truly converted by grace alone at the end of my junior year of high school. The following year (1997) I enrolled at Bob Jones University to begin preparing for ministry. Partway through my freshman year a friend persuaded me to attend Mount Calvary with him. For over twenty years now the Lord has overflowed my cup through this church.

My wife, Cherith, is God’s favor to me. We have been married since 2001 and have the blessing of raising our four children: Adelyn, Ezra, Evie, and Allie. The Lord directed my steps to stay at BJU for seminary education (M.A., Ph.D.) and to grow through various opportunities teaching history, serving in Student Life for twelve years, and teaching theology at BJU Seminary.

Throughout this time we have been privileged to sink roots deep into the soil of Mount Calvary. In May of 2021 I responded to God’s humbling call through the congregation to serve on the pastoral staff. My burden is the charge that Paul gave Timothy: “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13).