Matt Albright
Lead Pastor
We are glad you’re here. I’m excited about what God is doing here at Christ Little Rock. My wife Haley and I were blessed to be called here in 2023 and loving it. Before moving to the great state of Arkansas, we lived in Blaine, Minnesota, where we were at a church where I served as Pastor and worked closely with the senior high youth group. Arkansas is a significant change weather-wise for us from Minnesota, but Minnesota was a significant change for us coming from St. Louis. St. Louis will always hold a special place in my heart because of my time spent in seminary as well as discovering mentors and finding the love of my life. We have four nephews who live in St. Louis and one who lives in Council Bluffs, IA. Haley and I often travel to Nebraska and to Missouri to see family. When we aren’t traveling, we love Cubs baseball, Bears football, Blackhawks hockey, Nebraska anything, and any Olympic Event (winter or summer). While life hasn’t always been a smooth straight path for either Haley or me, we feel blessed to call this place home and look forward to continuing to do life together with you.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” -Ephesians 2:8
John Mathis
Associate Pastor
My wife Debbie and I both grew up in Arkansas and met while serving as civil engineers at Arkansas DOT. We started carpooling together in 1989, and have been carpooling ever since! I signed up for retirement in 2015, planning on working at ARDOT for 5 more years, but within 3 months of signing the papers I had three different people tell me I should consider going into the ministry. Debbie and I decided to start walking through the doors God seemed to be opening, so I started Seminary in 2016, retired in 2017, and here we are! I completed my program of study at Concordia Seminary St. Louis in 2020, and serve here at Christ Little Rock as an Associate Pastor providing Pastoral Care to the community. It’s an honor to be asked by this amazing congregation to join this outstanding team, and I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for career number two!
Logan Brown
Director of Worship Arts and Music Education
I have been at Christ Little Rock since the summer of 2014 when my amazing wife (Ashley) and I were called here to serve with the youth, her in the classroom as a teacher, and me as the Director of Youth Ministries. Since that time I’ve gotten to see God moving in some amazing ways through this ministry - from healing and serving to playing and learning, God has had an amazing hand in it all! In October 2015 we welcomed our first kiddo into the world, Lincoln, who has been a ball of energy ever since (pray for us), and then in January of 2019 we welcomed our lovely and sassy little girl Payson.
We’ve built our personal family and have been overwhelmed by the extended family of faith that has grown around us at Christ Little Rock. My job has moved and migrated a bit as I’ve grown into my strengths, and as the needs of the congregation have arisen, which leads me to my current position as Worship Director, School Music Teacher, and Director of Little Rock School of the Arts! My family and I are so blessed to be a part of what God has done here in our past and I look forward to faithfully uncovering His plans for our community of faith in the future with all of YOU!
Linaya Kolke
Director of Christian Education
I was adopted from Vietnam and spent my early years in Washington before moving to Albuquerque, NM. My brother and I attended a Christian school with an active youth group, where I got involved in sports, worship band, and choir—experiences that shaped God calling me into ministry.
I graduated from Concordia University Irvine in 2020 with a degree in Theological Studies: Christian Education Leadership and minors in DCE and Global Cultural Studies. My ministry journey has taken me from my DCE internship in Maryland to camp ministry as the program director in WA, and now to Christ Little Rock, where I’ve served since September 2022, developing programs to help children and youth grow in faith.
Outside of ministry, I enjoy spending time with friends, hiking, and hanging out with my sweet dog, Bandit.
Donna Phelan
Central Support Director
I grew up right here in Little Rock and work only blocks from my childhood home in Midtown. Working over 25 years in public accounting - I never thought I would do anything different, but one of my favorite bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I joined Christ Little Rock in 2008 and then, almost 10 years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to be a part of the Christ Little Rock Church ministry team. Besides my passion for our mission here at Christ to "Imitate Jesus", I love to spend time with my friends and family! My favorite place in my home is the kitchen and if I could have two dream jobs, my second would be that of a chef! I share life with my precious cat, Phranky.
Randy Morgan
Property Manager
I was born and raised right here in Central Arkansas just on the other side of the river. My wife (Audra) and I have 5 amazing kids (4 boys and 1 princess) ranging in ages from 8 to 18. We absolutely love anything to do with the water from waterskiing and wakeboarding to floating down the river. We are a Rabid Razorback Family and "Call those Hogs" every chance we get. I have spent the majority of my adult life in the restaurant industry here in Central Arkansas and surrounding areas. In 2020 I took the leap and left the restaurant industry and started my own handyman business. Making this switch allowed me more family time and gave me the chance to really focus on my walk with Christ which ultimately led me to Christ Little Rock.
I am so excited to be here at Christ Little Rock Church and School as the Property Manager. The chance to be of service to both the church and the school is an amazing opportunity to share and show the love of Christ in even the smallest of tasks.
Hailey Menke
Executive Administrative Assistant
I am originally from Humble, Texas and was very involved in our family church, Lamb of God Lutheran, growing up. I attended Sam Houston State University in their dance program for several years before getting my real estate license in Texas. I then worked as an administrative manager for a small office where I developed the skills needed to assist the leadership team at CLR. When I visited Little Rock for my niece's baptism in 2019, I felt God calling me to the Little Rock area. It's a good thing I listened, as I met my future husband, Jake, at CLR! He was playing in the Praise Band with my brother, Logan. Fast forward and we now have two sweet kiddos!
We love our church/extended family here at CLR, and I'm pleased to be working with a great team of Spirit-led people here in the CLR office. I have strong organizational skills, and I love serving and working with people. I assist with Little Rock School of the Arts, so you may hear my voice if you call that number, too! I enjoy various types of crafts, reading, and spending time with family. We're happy to have our children in such a loving and learning environment at CLR Early Childhood and I'm excited to see what the Lord has planned for the next chapter in my life!