Our Team

Keith Whitfield joined Temple as Senior Pastor in September 2024. Before moving to New Bern, he and his wife, Amy, lived in Wake Forest, NC. Married for 24 years, they are proud parents of two adult children. Keith’s passion lies in building a vibrant church community dedicated to making disciples and sharing the love of Christ with the world.

His pastoral journey has taken him through church planting and pastoring in Nashville, TN, and southeast Virginia. Most recently, he served at The Summit Church in Durham, NC, where he focused on Theological Development and held the position of Associate Professor of Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. In his time at Southeastern, he took on various administrative roles, including Provost and Vice President of Academic Administration.

An accomplished author, Keith has published works on trinitarian theology, Islam, and spirituality, and is currently writing a book on the doctrine of the Christian life. His diverse background, which began in non-profit management within the media and publishing industries, enriches his teaching and pastoral work, helping others explore and deepen their faith.

Keith looks forward to fostering a welcoming and dynamic environment at Temple, where together they can grow in faith and impact their community for Christ.

A member since 2021, Tony has been attending Temple since he moved from the Chicago area late 2020. He currently serves as the Minister of Production after first serving as their Storyteller beginning April of 2021. Tony also has a passion for music, serving as an occasional member of the praise band. "I love serving alongside the amazing people at Temple. This place has felt like home since day one, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for this church." Tony and his wife Jaime, have a beautiful new baby girl which he completely adores, Charlotte "Charli" Eleanor.

Marion has been a member of Temple over 24 years. She has served as the Weekday Preschool Director for 19 years and the Minister of Preschoolers for 11 years.
Her greatest passion is teaching little ones about Jesus and being the director of the preschool has been "one of the greatest gifts she has ever been given!"
Marion is also very passionate about Temple's Africa Outreach Ministry, where she has served in Tanzania as the Children's Ministry Leader for 7 years.
The opportunity to impact the lives of so many African children has been a high point of her ministry.
Marion and her husband Steve enjoy traveling and spending time with their 3 granddaughters Brynley,  Amelia, and Andie. 

Donna and her family moved to New Bern in 1996, where they joined Temple. Through the years the Daniels family have served volunteering with youth, pre-schoolers, nursery, and in the kitchen. Donna married a retired Marine Officer, Rich, and have 2 biological children, one adopted daughter, four grandchildren, and one dog. God has given the family a passion for His children that are hurting.  They have fostered 39 children and they adopted the 40th. For the past five years God has had Donna serving as Manager of the Kingdom Cafe, serving coffee and loving on our congregation. Her hobbies are quilting and reading.

Melody Davenport is the Minister of Service and Membership at Temple Church.
She helps assimilate visitors, new members, and existing members in their service roles at Temple Church. She and her husband, Randy, have been the ministry leaders for Temple Recovery since 2015. Melody is a certified Chaplain with the American Chaplains Association; she is from Upstate, South Carolina, where she attended Presbyterian College for education. She loves spending time with her horse, Cash, and at the beach.

Sally has been a member of Temple Church since 1994 and has served on staff as the financial manager since 1996. Sally has been married to her husband, Tom, for 41 years.  They have two wonderful children, Maghan & Rhett and six beautiful grandchildren. In her spare time, Sally loves to read and spend time with her family.  "The time I spend with them brings me joy beyond measure!"

Brittany and her three children have called Temple home since 2014. Brittany has volunteered in many areas of the church over the years. In 2021, as she entered into a new season of life, she was able to come on staff as an assistant with Temple Weekday Preschool; where her faith was able to grow and she could see God's purpose for her. During the last few years her position has evolved into Brittany finding a true desire to help others in all areas of ministry here at Temple. This has led her into her new role as Discipleship Ministry Assistant. She is thrilled to be able to serve the Temple Church family in this new capacity.

Alex is a graduate of Liberty University and is now working on a Master’s Degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has a passion for teaching God’s Word in a way that students can understand and apply to their lives. He currently serves as the Student Minister here at Temple Church. His heart is to help students understand and experience victorious Christian living and learn what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

Jessica graduated from East Carolina University in the spring of 2018 with her BFA in Theatre Arts and moved to New Bern a few days later, saying “Yes” to an unexpected invitation from the Lord into full-time ministry. She now serves as the Family Ministry Associate, leading within the Student Ministry through discipleship, worship, and teaching. Her heart is to lead students into a revelation of what it is to have a thriving personal relationship with Jesus, in order for them to experience the fullness of life that he died and rose again for.

Bennett Holloway and his wife, Lauren, came to New Bern, North Carolina in January of 2017. They have three sweet children and have thoroughly enjoyed their time experiencing God move through Temple Church. Bennett received his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and his Masters of Divinity from Liberty University. He is currently pursuing his doctorate from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  

 While originally from Upstate New York, Cody spent about 10 years in Lynchburg, Virginia where he and his wife, Leah, completed their masters degrees in Christian education, started a family, and worked on building up the online programs at Liberty University and Houston Christian University. God brought their growing family to New Bern with a call from West Craven High School, where Cody worked with the administration as a School Counselor, and was directed to also consider administrative roles throughout the district. Cody and Leah, who are members of Temple Church, have five children of their own: Aris, Eva, Ellie, Evie, and Asher.

 Karyn and her husband of over 30 years, Tim, "escaped" California in the fall of 2020, sadly leaving behind their beautiful 26 year old daughter Kasandra. Karyn worked for almost 20 years with Deaf children and adults, also as a Christian Counselor since 2015 before retiring in 2020. Karyn has an Associate degree in ASL Interpreting, a bachelor degree in counseling, and is a certified Chaplain with ACA.  She is currently teaching ASL at Craven Community College, counseling at the Hope Center and working afternoons as Temple's receptionist. Karyn loves helping people and crochets with Loops of Love to donate all kinds of things to various charities.

Tim and his wife, Karyn, moved out to North Carolina in the fall of 2020 from Ventura, California. They have been attending Temple Church for about three years now and are feeling quite at home. Tim is currently the Vice-Chair of the Deacon’s Ministry, a Small Group Leader and was recently brought on staff as the Facilities Director. Tim and Karyn will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in late October. They have one daughter that lives in Vista, California who is planning a wedding in October of 2024. They are still getting used to the North Carolina way of life, but are enjoying being here. 

 Dan is originally from Ohio (GO BUCKEYES!) and moved here to start working with NC Wildlife Resource Commission from which he recently retired. Dan started attending Temple Church over 20 years ago. He met his wife, Aimee, in the singles ministry here at Temple Church. Dan has two sons, Jamie and Trey, their wives, and four grandchildren. Dan loves anything to do with the outdoors. He also loves serving alongside the praise team as he plays drums and guitar occasionally. Dan recently joined the staff as Facilities Manager and looks forward to serving Temple in this new capacity.

Claire and her husband, Thomas, came to Temple in 2017, shortly thereafter beginning their family and becoming more involved in church life at Temple by plugging into a Small Group. They have two children, Samson and Sloane. Claire has a bachelor's degree in History from Bob Jones University and is a former teacher and office manager.  She chose to stay home for a few years with her children and is getting back into the workforce by joining the staff at Temple Church. Beyond being a wife and mother, Claire's passions include running, painting, and all things coffee and tea related. She is excited to be serving Temple in the capacity of office manager.

Darryl Radford has been with Temple 20 years & has served in many roles in that time. He currently serves as Pastor of Discipleship. Having been saved at age 27, Darryl’s life changed big time. He has been married to the love of his life, Jenny for over 32 years, and they have their three daughters: Hannah, Holly, and Haley. They now have a new son in law in the family named Trevor who just married Haley. Darryl attended ECU and Johnston Community College with a focus in Intermediate Education. He worked in retail and as a corporate manager, but the best experience he gained was his days growing up on the family farm in JoCo! Darryl looks forward to helping you grow as a student, as a leader, and as a disciple in Christ as we seek the Kingdom of God together.

Kathy Reinhardt moved to North Carolina in 2003 with her 2 children.  She married her husband, Douglas and they became members of Temple Church in 2004.  They have 8 grandchildren and a 5lb Shih Tzu named Molly.  She started working at Temple Church in 2012 and became the Hope Network Director in 2015.  With a passion for helping others, Kathy completed her Master's Degree in 2018 and has become a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC).   She actively supports her husbands ministry to Tanzania.  Kathy is also an International Speaker, bringing the Women Of Value Conference to the Tanga region since 2020.  "I have been blessed to bring the concept of Identity in Christ to not only women in Africa but also the clients who come to see me.  I love helping women to find their full potential in Christ."

Lisa has worked at Temple Weekday Preschool for 15 years. She served as Assistant Minister of Preschoolers on Sundays for 3 years during that time. "Working with small children has always been my passion, and I am so blessed to be able to fulfill that passion by serving God in ministering to these children. They are such a blessing and it is a joy to see their smiling faces each day." Temple Weekday Preschool is a loving environment for children not only to prepare for Kindergarten, but to do it with Jesus in their heart.

Darryl was saved as a college student in campus ministry, and felt called to full-time ministry during his junior year at East Carolina University. He is passionate about helping people come to saving faith in Jesus. 4 years as a student pastor trained him in sharing the Gospel to a wide audience, and in his new role, he strives to inspire the church to be daily witnesses for Christ.