Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis

The Rev. Dr. Carl K. Ellis grew up in a small membership church in San Francisco California. He has served as a pastor for 36 years; 31 years in rural churches and 5 years on the Kansas West Conference Staff as Director of the Center for Small Membership Churches.

He has a deep sense of call to rural churches and supporting and training lay persons move into ministry. He graduated with a Doctorate from Wesley Seminary with an emphasis in church leadership.

Because he understands the needs of rural churches and their ability to share the Gospel, he can help lay leaders and churches grow.

The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries began as dream of Rev. Dr. Ellis in 1988 when he saw the struggles rural churches were having finding effective leadership and adapting to changing times. From 1988 to 1999 he worked on different ways to train local church leaders. In 1999 the Lay Academy for Rural Church Ministries was born. In 2021 the name was changed to The Academy for Small Membership Church Ministries to better reflect The Academy's focus and mission.

Since that time over 400 lay persons have been trained for ministry from all walks of life: nurses, teachers, counselors, business men and women, judges, mechanics, farmers, bankers, and more. Lay persons have discovered their callings and been able to serve, and churches have new hope through the help of committed and trained lay persons.