Senior Pastor – Matt Kruse

Pastor Matt was born and raised in Owatonna, MN.  He was born into a Christian family with a Dad and Mom that were committed to raising their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  He professed Christ at the age of 4 and has seen God’s confirmation of this profession throughout the years as God’s grace continually pulls him closer and closer to Christ.  As a young boy he felt the pull of God on his heart to serve the Lord full-time in some kind of ministry, and this desire led him to attend Clearwater Christian College in Clearwater, FL.  He studied for a Church Ministries degree there and graduated in May of 2000.  He married his wife, Julie, in July of 2000 and headed off to attend Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, MN.  By God’s grace, he graduated from Central Seminary in May of 2004 with a Master of Divinity degree.  During his seminary training he had the privilege of working as a part-time Assistant Pastor at First Calvary Baptist Church in Inver Grove Heights, MN, and served in that position until March of 2005 when he moved into a full-time Assistant Pastor role at Highland Baptist Church in Parkesburg, PA.  During his time in Pennsylvania God blessed Matt with the opportunity to gain valuable experience and tools for ministry as he served in many different roles in the church.  He was installed as the Sr. Pastor at Newton Bible Church in July of 2011, and his main responsibility is to lead the congregation through the teaching and preaching of the Word of God and to care for God’s people through personal shepherding.  He is thrilled to work alongside Godly leadership who love Christ and who are committed to His truth.

God has also blessed Matt & Julie with four children and they love the ministry that Newton Bible Christian School provides for their family as they seek to raise children who know and love God.

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Associate Pastor – Bob Clark

Pastor Bob has served almost continuously in some capacity at Newton Bible Church since 1986. Much of that time was spent as a lay leader while teaching at Berean Academy. He was our Youth Pastor from 1986-1988, taught Bible and the History of Christianity at Berean Academy in Elbing, KS from 1990-2002, and returned to the pastoral staff as Associate Pastor in 2002. Bob grew up in Maryland and came to the Midwest to attend Calvary Bible College. His wife, Jodi, grew up in Washington State and also attended Calvary, where they met. They have two sons who attend Newton Bible Christian School. Bob is a teacher at heart and has preached regularly in our Sunday evening service. In September 2010, his staff hours were reduced so that he could pursue doctoral studies. In addition to general pastoral leadership, his current part-time responsibilities include occasional preaching and directing our music ministry. Bob holds a B.A. in Bible/Theology from Calvary Bible College, an M.A. in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in History from Wichita State University. He is a graduate teaching assistant in the History Department at Kansas State University where he is working toward the PhD in American Religious History.

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Associate Pastor – R. J. Krystowiak

R J grew up in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, in a Christian home. His parents have been involved in Christian education for many years, and he praises the Lord for the privilege of having such godly examples to follow. He trusted in Christ for salvation at a young age, and around the age of 11 he accepted God’s call to ministry. Mentors along the way have been crucial in helping him to develop in his relationship with Christ, and R J has a burden to contribute in such a way to other believers. In 2002, he started college at Northland Baptist Bible College in Dunbar, WI (now Northland International University). At Northland, R J first met Erica, and they were married in 2005. R J finished in 2006 with a degree in Biblical Languages, and shortly after graduation they had their first child, Ashley. They then spent one more year at Northland so that R J could attend grad school. During this time R J taught two Bible classes at a Christian school, and Erica taught piano lessons at Northland and music and piano lessons at the Christian school. In the summer of 2007, their family moved out to the Minneapolis area so that R J could attend Central Baptist Theological Seminary.   He graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from Central in 2012. God blessed R J and Erica with two more children during their time in school: J T and Daniel. While in Minneapolis, R J and Erica served in various aspects of ministry at Southview Baptist Church of Richfield, MN. R J joined the staff here in July of 2012 as Associate Pastor of Church and School Administration. He praises God for the privilege of serving Christ in this church.