Roger Thompson is pastor of Calvary Chapel Maricopa. Photo by Mason Callejas

People have differing views on what motivates them to move from one place to another.

For Pastor Roger Thompson of Calvary Chapel Maricopa, it was a matter of following divine guidance. When asked how he came to be in this desert town he simply smiled and said, “God.”

Thompson arrived in Maricopa last May via what he considers “the grace of God.” He has been tending the pulpit at Calvary Chapel since, delivering their nondenominational Christianity through “conversational preaching.”

“It’s called ‘expository Bible teaching,’” Thompson said. “We teach through the Bible, not from it.”

This type of contextual learning is coupled with a sense of autonomy that is meant to give patrons a more personal relationship with their faith.

“Every Calvary Chapel stands alone,” Thompson said. “We don’t tithe into Calvary Chapel. Calvary Chapel doesn’t [financially] support us.”

At some point on his long and winding road to Maricopa, Thompson, or Pastor Roger as he prefers, developed a strong belief in the personal relationship with God. However, he didn’t begin his life so pious.

Growing up with a somewhat typical life in Riverside, California, Thompson raced dirt-track motorcycles, having his fair share of Southern California fun, and almost never attending church. When he was 17 his parents separated, launching him on a rough path that eventually led to profound self-discovery and the development of his faith.

Finding himself unable to fill the void of a broken home, Thompson dropped out of high school, taking one of the few jobs someone without a diploma could get – pouring concrete.

He continued to race motorcycles and even did so professionally from 1983 to 1988, racing in the American Motorcycle Associations Flat Track series. In 1989, he and his junior-high sweetheart, Denise, both gave their hearts to God and married.

Thompson spent those early days in California learning about concrete industry and eventually went into business for himself. After several years of success in California, he and his family visited a friend and former employee of Thompson in Alabama. While there, they fell in love with the South.

A year or so later Thompson sold his California concrete business and relocated his family to the Cotton State, where he continued to work with concrete, eventually starting another successful concrete business in Huntsville.

“We moved to the South, and God really began to use us,” Thompson said.

In 2002, Thompson sold his business and took his faith to the next level, entering a three-year discipleship program just across the state line in Tennessee. He was ordained in Chattanooga and started the Calvary Chapel in Crossville.

Though his profession changed, Thompson never stopped riding. In 2007 the odds caught up to him and he suffered a life-altering leg injury. Seven years, 12 surgeries and one terrible infection later, Thompson could again walk normally.

Roger Thompson reveals an impressive scar on his leg from a life-altering, dirt bike accident. Photo by Mason Callejas
Roger Thompson reveals an impressive scar on his leg from a life-altering, dirt bike accident. Photo by Mason Callejas

After recovering from his injury and handing off the church in Crossville, Thompson and his family went back to Alabama to start another church. This time, however, Thompson claims God had yet another plan for him.

The concrete business he sold prior to starting his discipleship was floundering. So, in 2013 he bought back in and helped turn it around.

In January 2016, on a trip to California, he learned of Calvary Chapel Maricopa’s need for a new pastor.

After a few months of prayerful consideration, Thompson was approached by another contractor offering to purchase his business. He took it as a sign.

Thompson applied for the Maricopa position and, after several interviews and a test sermon, was offered the job.

Calvary Chapel Maricopa is one of 1,400 Calvary congregations worldwide.

Calvary’s current congregation is around 140 strong, and though Thompson is happy with the size of his flock, he is always trying to share the good word.

“We want to reach the community through the transforming word of God’s love,” Thompson said.


This story appears in the April issue of InMaricopa.