Calvary's Leaders
Michael Welles
What do you do at Calvary?
My official role is Executive Pastor of Administration which primarily focuses on the role of finance and facilities in making ministry happen. I also have the privilege of working with Eric Wakeling to oversee and implement the ministry vision set by Pastor Dave and the Elder Board.
How did you come to Calvary and how long have you been here?
Josh Matlock invited me to Calvary when I was a senior at Biola University in 1997. I knew I was going to be working in Irvine and wanted to attend a church closer to where I was working. I started helping Jeff Biddle as a volunteer in High School ministry in 1998 and have been volunteering as a small group leader in Student Ministries ever since, most recently in college ministry since 2005. It has been amazing to mentor groups of students and now see them mentor others. I joined Calvary staff as the Controller in 2002 and the rest is history.
What is your educational background and training?
I graduated from Biola in 1998 with a degree in Accounting and finished my MBA from Cal State Fullerton in 2008. I’ve worked for Compaq, AT&T, and Biola in their IT departments; I’ve also worked at Biola in student government (with Josh Matlock) and as a CPA for Arthur Andersen (pre-Enron explosion). I’ve served in Ministry ever since I could talk helping my Dad in Children’s ministry and most recently here at Calvary I serve in the College Ministry.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon, but I spent 15 years of my childhood in beautiful, smoggy Sun Valley (north of Los Angeles) and two years learning to ski in Minneapolis, MinneSNOWta.
Tell us about your family..
I got married in August 2009 (finally!) to my lovely wife Kelly who works as a doctor in a local mental health practice. We both have the privilege of having parents who serve in ministry. Kelly’s parents work for Campus Crusade (Josh McDowell Ministries) and mine just founded a non-profit ministry called Children’s Ministry Resources International. Kelly has one brother and two sisters and I have one sister.
Tell us how you "popped the question," or how it was popped to you.
Kelly’s sister Heather was married on December 20, 2008 and on the 21st the entire McDowell family and friends drove down to Mexico to relax after the wedding. I told Kelly that I would be able to join her on the 23rd and spend Christmas with her family. I headed down early to Mexico on the 22nd, and the Philp family graciously allowed me to use their beach home, which was 5 minutes from where Kelly was staying. Kelly’s dad got the whole family in the car to head to dinner that night and told Kelly he had to make a quick stop to drop something off check on the way. He asked Kelly to walk up to the front door (to deliver the package) and I was there to meet her. I walked her to the back which overlooks the ocean and then asked her pretty quickly to marry me (to get the hard part out of the way). She said “Yes” before I could finish, then, we watched the sunset over the beach and enjoyed a candlelight dinner I cooked for us. The Philps then hosted a surprise celebration for us and the entire McDowell family. It was great to be able to celebrate with family that night and to spend Christmas together.
What is your favorite memory from your time at Calvary Church?
I enjoy getting to know students on all of the student ministries trips, but my favorite one was being a part of the College Houseboat trip in 2006. It was so fun to sit around beautiful lake Shasta and talk about everyone’s spiritual gifts and how they were going to use them.
Who have been the biggest spiritual influencers in your life?
Being the son of a pastor and raised in a Christian home, my family had the most influence on my faith. My friends from Biola also helped shape my view of God and it is a real blessing to be able to work with many of them at Calvary and continue to learn from them. My wife and her family have also influenced my life spiritually and provided great examples of how to follow Christ.
Favorite place you’ve been in the world and where do you want to go next?
My favorite place in the world is Bora Bora, it is beautiful and a fun place to honeymoon. My second favorite place is Orange, CA! Next I want to visit Greece and Turkey.
When I can't be found at Calvary, I can be found...
Driving back and forth between Calvary and my house, where I sleep. I also find time to watch movies with my wife, walk our dog, read books, enjoy the outdoors, and plan our next vacation.
Hidden Talent?
I wouldn’t go so far as to say hidden talent, but I enjoy photography as my hobby. I also played classical guitar as a kid and had a graphic design business in high school.
What do you count as the greatest invention of the last 100 years?
That’s easy, the electronic calculator! (doesn’t everyone love numbers?)
On what reality show would you most want to be a contestant?
The Amazing Race. I love travelling having been to 6 continents and over 30 countries, I think I would be a good pick for the token Christian team the always have (although I might not be weird enough, I’ll have to practice more).