Leadership

Dr. Mel McKinney, or Pastor Mel as he's affectionately known, leads our congregation. Mel has been in the Chappell Hill area since December 2017. He is a man of God who cherishes Scripture and seeks to preach it well. He leads with a shepherd’s heart towards the congregation always putting others above himself. He loves his family and seeks the best for them in all things. We truly are blessed with a wonderful pastor.

Mel has served for 23 years in ministry. He has pastored several other churches since his ordination, as well as serving as Bible teacher and campus pastor for 7 years at Trinity Christian Academy in Willow Park, TX. Before and during that time, for 8 years, he was also the pastor of Hilltop Baptist Church, a multi-ethnic, multi-generational congregation in Fort Worth TX. Before surrendering to the ministry, Mel worked 7 years as a conductor and yard foreman for the Union Pacific Railroad.

Mel has an advanced degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Masters of Divinity with a concentration in Biblical languages from Southwestern and has received his Doctor of Ministry with a specialization in Church Health from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Mel and his wife Pamela have been married 30 years on March 12, 2024. His wife, Pamela, works for Oracle Corporation. Their four children are Sean, Julia, Emily, and Matthew. Sean graduated from the University of Arizona, Julia attends college at Texas State, and Emily is a student at Texas A&M University. Matthew will attend the University of Arizona in the fall. Mel testifies to his salvation in 1994, the year he was married, and he was ordained to the ministry of the Gospel in the year 2000.

pastor@chbiblefellowship.com

Keith serves as Pastor of Worship and Ministry Development. In addition to leading the worship and music ministries, he is instrumental in implementing and facilitating new and existing ministries at CHBF.

Keith has been singing the gospel of Jesus Christ for over thirty years. He has served as a touring musician and vocalist and has served as worship pastor at various churches over the years.

Along with being a singer, Keith is also an accomplished musician. He plays several instruments including the guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, and keyboards. He is also proficient at songwriting, having written several songs which have been signed by various publishing companies and recorded by several groups over the years.

He is passionate about using his talents and abilities to lead others in authentic worship. It is his desire that no matter how large or small the venue, those who hear will be led to have a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Keith holds a degree in music from Louisiana Baptist University and was licensed as a Southern Baptist minister in 2002. He is currently working on pursuing a degree in Christian Counseling with the hope of becoming a licensed counselor.

Keith has two sons, Justin, who lives in McKinney, TX and Ryan, who lives in Oklahoma City, OK. He has two adorable grandsons and a beautiful granddaughter. Being “Pop” to them has become his greatest passion next to serving Christ.

His hobbies include being an avid baseball fan and a fan of the Oklahoma Sooners. He admits to having a love- hate relationship with the Dallas Cowboys. He also enjoys learning the art of audio engineering. On a side note, Keith is also a licensed cosmetologist. He graduated from Toni & Guy Academy of Hair in 2003 and owned and operated his own salon in the Dallas area for many years.

music@chbiblefellowship.com

Hutson was raised in a small town (Huffman) outside of Houston, Texas, and came to faith at about the age of 12 through the ministry of First Baptist Church of Huffman. But it was several years later before he began a deeper walk with the Lord. Hutson met his future wife (Tabitha) in high school and after graduating, planned to be a mathematician. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, and Tabitha graduated with a Bachelor's degree in education, in 1993 from the University of Houston. They were married in the summer of 1993 and relocated to College Station. There, Hutson completed a Master's Degree in Mathematics in 1994, and Tabitha completed a Master's Degree in education in 1995. That year, their first child, Kayla, was born. Hutson would go on to complete a law degree from the University of Houston in 1999, and it was during this time at law school that he and Tabitha began attending

church regularly and Huston began seriously studying the Bible for the first time. Through the ministry of good people at a small Assembly of God church Hutson developed a passion for studying God's Word that remains today. Fast forward. While working full-time as an attorney, Hutson completed a Bible college degree from the College of Biblical Studies in 2007, and a seminary degree (MABS) from Grace School of Theology in The Woodlands in 2013. Hutson and Tabitha now have seven children (Kayla, Kylie, Kari, Keaton, Kenzie, Kacee, and Kymber - then they ran out of K names) and two grandchildren. Hutson continues to work as an attorney, has published several Christian books, and is also an adjunct professor at the College of Biblical Studies. Tabitha teaches in the first grade at Hempstead I.S.D.

The disciples on the Emmaus Road remarked of Jesus' interaction with them that day, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32) The primary focus of Hutson's ministry is to teach the Bible with clarity, depth and conviction with the goal of seeing others obtain and maintain a heart that burns to know Jesus Christ more and more. He is committed to seeing Chappell Hill Bible Fellowship be a place where people are cared for as family, equipped in God's Word, and encouraged to live their faith with a contagious enthusiasm for what God is doing today.

ElderHutson@chbiblefellowship.com

Prior to moving to Chappell Hill, Carl and Lexa attended Spring Bible Church in Houston for 19 years. It was at Spring Bible that Carl was introduced to church leadership. He served as an elder for 15 years and taught a high school Sunday school class for 14 years. Carl and Lexa moved from Houston to Chappell Hill in June of 1992. The following year they joined Brenham Bible Church. Carl became an elder that same year and began a high school Sunday school class. He continued as an elder and a high school Sunday school teacher for 12 years. About five years later, they left Brenham Bible and started a Sunday night Bible study group. After a few months the decision was made to start a church. In October of 2010, Carl was part of the group that organized and began Washington County Bible Church. Washington County Bible Church continued the next 12 years under a teaching ministry designed to make disciples of Christ. In 2022 Washington County Bible Church closed its ministry. Carl and Lexa started attending CHBF in July of that same year.

Carl and Lexa grew up in Houston and lived a block and a half from each other. They went to the same schools, elementary, junior high and high school, only one grade apart, but never dated. They both started their college education in 1964 at Texas Technological College 530 miles from home. They began dating the next year and were married in 1966. After Carl graduated in 1969 with a degree in chemical engineering, they moved back to Houston where Carl started work in the petrochemical industry. His career in Houston over the next 43 years covered a wide range of jobs including design engineering, process engineering, technical sales, forming his own manufacturing sales representative company, vice president of two different gas gathering and storage corporations and finally as a senior consultant to the gas storage industry.

Carl and Lexa have five grown children with families consisting of 21 grandchildren most all of which live in Texas. They also have three great grandchildren. Carl and Lexa enjoy God’s blessing of family with great delight.

The Junior High School and High School stage of Bill's life was spent in Indonesia, after which he returned to the U.S. and attended Texas A&M University (Whoop!). He graduated from A&M with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1985 and began a career that would soon take him back overseas for another 12 years. First to Venezuela where he met his wife of thirty years, Angelica. Then, with their children, their family moved to Hong Kong and Singapore. The Rigsby family relocated from Singapore to Brenham in 2005 when Bill started to experience the undeniable pull of the Holy Spirit in a different direction. After years of reading the primary texts of the world's major religions during his travels, he was led to realize that only one, the Bible, is complete in its truth - and it changed his life. It was at this point in 2004 that he says he stopped living the Christian faith he was born into and actively claimed it as his own. He then divested himself of all business interests and enrolled in seminary to learn more. Now a Master's level graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary since 2019, Bill is dedicated to ministry for God's Kingdom.

Bill has a heart for people and tries to embody the teaching of Galations 6:2 of bearing our brother's burdens. He doesn't know a stranger and has a heart for helping others in need, especially those responding to the call that our Father places on us. Through Christian apologetics and Bible exposition, he feels called to disciple others in God's truth.

Angelica is a fitness instructor in Brenham and the five adult Rigsby kids are Danielle, Kristofer, David, Michelle, and Christina all of whom are established in life on their own. Danielle, Michelle, and Christina graduated from E&M, Kris from Baylor and David has a thriving farrier business here in Washington County. Bill's testimony is a clear manifestation of the movement of the Holy Spirit in his life.

ElderBill@chbiblefellowship.com

Daniel McCracken has been working with kids and youth for nearly 25 years. Previously, he led weekly children’s sermons as well as taught children’s church. Though it was not something that he ever thought would be on his radar, teaching God’s word eventually became a part of him that he has continually felt compelled to do.

Born in Missouri, his family moved around for a while before settling in Brenham TX. There he started going to Independence Baptist Church where he found Jesus and became saved. His ministry didn’t start until he was asked to temporarily fill in for the children’s ministry 'until a new teacher could be found'. Members of the church were impressed by the quick connection he was able to make with the children, and how he brought complicated topics down to their basic understanding. They asked him to continue working with the children’s ministry. Daniel also has served as a Bible study teacher for young adults, a youth minister, and as part of a worship team.

Daniel keeps himself busy through many hobbies, including Tae Kwon Do where he met his wife, Katie. They have been married for over twenty years. She has also assisted in previous church ministries by working in VBS, singing in choirs, and volunteering in the nursery. They have two sons, Daven who is planning on joining the U.S. Coast Guard, and Jack, who attends Brenham High School.

Pamela McKinney serves as Children's Ministry Director at Chappell Hill Bible Fellowship. She has had the privilege of serving the Lord in children's ministry over the last 20 years and loves teaching children about Christ and His amazing love for them.

During the day, she is a manager at Oracle Corporation where she has worked for 8 years. She enjoys spending time with her husband, four children, two dogs (Huck and Ella), and "crazy" cat, Nala. For fun, Pamela enjoys crafts, traveling, and reading missionary biographies.

children@chbiblefellowship.com