About

Michael Craft is a Christian, a husband, a daddy, a ‘papa’ (grandpa), a buddy, a lover of the marginalized, a counselor, and a teacher. He has been a pastor since 1989, and is ordained with Calvary Chapel. Michael has a sincere passion for God, a passion for people, and a passion for creating a platform to bring the two together.

Michael grew up as a pastor’s kid and felt a call on his life to be a pastor at an early age. He attended Vanguard University (then called Southern California College) and met Kelli in a study group while attending there. He quickly fell in love with her and after a bit of convincing, she fell in love with him. He dropped out of college for a short season and lived on a tour bus and played bass guitar for the Christian Rock group, Destiny. He married Kelli Dotson in August of 1990. Michael earned his undergraduate degree in pastoral studies/theology at a small Bible College in Central Oregon. He was a crazy youth pastor for eight years and then started a church just outside of Kansas City, Missouri. Michael continued his education, working towards his Master’s degree, at a Messianic Jewish Institute in Kansas City where he learned to love, read, and teach the Bible in new and transformative ways.  He is also currently enrolled in Andersonville Theological Seminary working on finishing up his Master’s degree. The church he pastored grew bigger than he could have ever imagined and began making a loud noise for the cause of Christ in the small suburb.

As the church grew, Michael felt his passions for people and helping them come to walk in genuine relationship with God and others come alive. These years were a highlight. Michael’s wife then became very sick, and after a brain-surgery, multiple trips out of state to specialist doctors, and a rough season of on-and-off hospital stays. After 18 years Michael needed to resign his position and move his family to a different climate for his wife’s benefit and on doctor’s orders. Michael and Kelli moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2013, where Michael was hired to serve on the staff of Calvary Worship Center, as an Equipping/Executive Pastor, overseeing: missions, children’s ministries, youth, young adults, a satellite campus, benevolence, and the counseling department.

Michael was then invited to be the Senior Pastor at The Alpine Chapel in the beautiful town of Telluride, Colorado. For five years the church experienced incredible growth and became known for their love of God, their community, and the in-depth, passionate, verse-by-verse teaching Michael did each and every week. After 5 years in the resort town, Michael and Kelli began to miss pastoring people that were not always on vacation. They began to pray for a local church family that desired to have a ‘pastor/shepherd’. God answered their prayers and in February of 2023 they moved to Pennsylvania! He is now honored and humbled to be called the Lead Pastor at Palmyra Grace Church in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, where he continues to teach verse-by-verse each and every week.

Michael and Kelli have three sons (Conor, Kolten, and Caleb), two daughters (Michaela-Rayn and Merci),  three daughters-in-law (Amy, Diana, and Jocelyn), one son-in-law (Jonah), five granddaughters (Lovely, Ember, Luna, Posie, and Elah), and five grandsons (Ki, Honor, Zadok, River and Israel). Michael and Kelli’s oldest son, Conor, is on staff at The Alpine Chapel as the Next Generation Pastor. Their second son, Kolten, is an incredible website-designer (check out some of his awesome work here: Web Design Kansas City). And their third son, Caleb, is in full-time ministry as the Institute Director at Rev 5 alongside his awesome wife Jocelyn. Michael and Kelli’s oldest daughter, Michaela, is a wonderful full-time mama and married to Jonah Hoe who is a young adults pastor in Mountain Home, ID. Their youngest daughter, Merci, adopted from Haiti, is currently in her freshman year at Lancaster Bible College. This means that Michael and Kelli are (basically) empty-nesters!

While all of this is factually true, it somehow misses describing an actual person. Michael lives for Jesus first, and for his awesome wife second. He loves to give hugs, ride his Harley Davidson motorcycle, watch old movies, scream during NFL football (“Go Chiefs!”), listen to classic Christian rock, grill outdoors, eat, hang out with each member of his incredible family, and much more. He has some Scripture tattoos, a ssssslight ssssslur, and uses the expressions “dude” and “awesome” a bit too much.

To listen to Michael’s ‘Burning Hearts‘ podcast click HERE. (To hear on SPOTIFY click HERE. To listen on Google Podcasts click HERE.)

Click here to view Michael’s YOUTUBE PAGE.