Carl Goff was ordained to the gospel ministry on Feb. 25 in Chanute, Kansas. Goff, along with his wife and ministry partner Debbie, is currently serving as the pastor of Chanute, Fort Scott, Iola and Thayer churches.
There was strong representation from the entire district of churches as all were gathered in support of their newly ordained pastor. The ordination sermon was given by Ron Carlson, president of the Kansas-Nebraska Conference, and the pastoral charge was given by Mel Santo, vice president for administration.
Carl grew up in the small town of Easton, Kansas. As a child, Carl attended a Sunday church where his grandfather was the pastor. He has fond memories of his grandfather preaching. Carl would think, “I want to be a pastor someday.” After high school, Carl worked as a machine operator at Hallmark Cards for seven years. One of Carl’s passions was being a volunteer firefighter for the Easton Township Fire Department. Carl first heard about the Adventist message when he met his future wife, Debbie, at Kansas City Kansas Community College in January 1987. Both were enrolled in the Emergency Medical Technician course.
Carl left Hallmark Cards in 1987 and began a 25-year career with Leavenworth County EMS. He served as a paramedic and assistant chief of fire ground operations for the fire department and then as shift captain for Leavenworth County EMS.
Carl and Debbie were married on October 14, 1989. They raised six children: Donald, Diana, Dana, Ladonna, David and Aaron. They have also raised four grandchildren: Taylor, David, Dustin and Cayden. They have one great-grandson, Liam.
Debbie had been an Adventist for several years. Her father, grandfather and grandmother were also Adventists. She prayed for many years that Carl would become a Seventh-day Adventist. Finally, in September 2011, he started going to church and immediately desired to work for the Lord. Carl served as head elder for the Leavenworth Adventist Church for many years and then decided to pursue a degree in religion. Carl received his Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas.
Carl served as a student pastor in Desoto and Corsicana, Texas, for two years. He has also done missionary work in Cali Columbia, South America. Carl completed his Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from Andrews University in December 2021. Carl and Debbie continue to be passionate about doing God’s work and plan to serve as a pastoral team for many years to come.
