Our Staff

Pastor Roger and Denise Thompson – Senior Pastor

Pastor Roger is the Senior Pastor at Calvary Chapel Maricopa. He has been following Jesus since April 1989 where he and his wife, Denise (at the time girlfriend) went forward at a sunrise Easter service through Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California. Roger and Denise met in junior high school in Norco, CA and will be celebrating 30 years of marriage this October (2019). They have two beautiful children, Ty 24 and Lauren 21. They have also been abundantly blessed with two amazing grandkids, Ryder James 5 and Josephine Lennox 6 months. Roger and Denise grew up in southern California and moved to the south July 1996.

During the six years they lived in Alabama, they whole heartedly embraced the south, the people and the culture. Roger and Denise would attend the leadership conferences at Calvary Chapel Stone Mountain each year but were really longing for expository bible teaching that they were rooted in at Harvest through Pastor Greg Laurie and being very active in the men and women’s studies. The Lord began to give Roger a heart and calling to become a pastor – in 2001, they moved to Soddy Daisy, Tennessee (suburb of Chattanooga). Roger began a three year pastoral internship program (modeled after The School of Ministry at CC Costa Mesa) at Grace Calvary Chapel, under pastor Tim Millsaps. In 2005, Roger graduated the program and was ordained a Calvary Chapel Pastor. Roger was asked to come on staff at Grace and he served there for two years. He and Denise moved to Crossville, Tennessee July 2007 to plant CC Crossville. He served as Senior Pastor there for over six years and handed the ministry over to Bryan Burke and his wife Ruthie who moved from Maine. After moving back to Huntsville, Alabama, Roger was expectantly waiting to see what the Lord had in store for them. In January of 2016, he received two messages from two pastor/friends within an hour about Calvary Chapel Maricopa. They came out in February and had an immediate love for the church and the area. A few weeks later, they received the call from Pastor Pat Kenny from Poimen Ministries (the interim pastor), that the church board was unanimous to have Pastor Roger lead CC Maricopa.

Pastor Roger and Denise did not grow up in a Christian home, so experiencing how God has radically transformed their lives and many others has become a huge passion for them. Roger has a heart to see people give their lives to Jesus, be discipled and live Spirit filled victorious lives for the Kingdom. “That is a life that is contagious to others!” Roger’s life verse is Isaiah 41:9-10, “You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, you are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”