Pastor's Story

   Pastor Donald E. McCallister, of Inwood, West Virginia, began serving Memorial United Methodist Church in Summit Point, West Virginia, in 2020, just as churches and communities were facing the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2025, his ministry expanded when he was appointed to also serve Leetown United Methodist Church in Kearneysville, West Virginia. Today, Pastor Donald is blessed to serve both congregations as a Licensed Local Pastor (LLP) in The United Methodist Church.

Pastor Donald is a bi-vocational pastor, meaning that alongside his pastoral responsibilities, he maintains full-time secular employment. He has devoted many years to federal service and currently works in information technology with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

A Call to Ministry

   Originally from southern West Virginia and raised in the Southern Baptist tradition, Donald's desire to serve Christ began at an early age. At just 15 years old, he delivered his first sermon at Wild Meadow Baptist Church in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

   While the journey from those teenage years to pastoral ministry would take many turns, the call to serve God remained. In 2017, Donald more fully embraced the Holy Spirit's direction for his life following the passing of a beloved brother in Christ, Rev. Richard Broome of Pikeside United Methodist Church in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Rev. Broome had been a great inspiration and influence upon Donald's faith and eventual journey into pastoral ministry.

   Pastor Donald completed the United Methodist License to Preach course in 2021 and continued pursuing the educational requirements for licensed local pastors through the Course of Study (COS). He continues his theological education through Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., as part of his commitment to continually grow in knowledge, faith, and effectiveness in ministry.

   In 2022, Donald began serving as a Licensed Local Pastor, continuing his service to his congregation, community, and the wider United Methodist connection.

Faith, Service, and Discipleship

   Pastor Donald seeks to preach the Word of God in ways that remain faithful to Scripture while connecting its message with the realities, joys, struggles, and challenges of everyday life. One phrase frequently heard throughout his ministry summarizes much of his approach to faith: “Never be stagnant.”

For Donald, the Christian faith is not something meant simply to be observed from a church pew. Faith is a life to be lived.

   He encourages everyone to discover ways of serving Christ and His Church—whether participating in worship, leading or attending Bible study, serving the community, helping a neighbor, sharing one's God-given gifts, or even ringing the church bell. No act of faithful service is insignificant, and every person has something to contribute to the Body of Christ.

   Central to his ministry is encouraging Christians to continually grow closer to Christ and to offer themselves to God as a “living and holy sacrifice.” He believes the Church must continually reach beyond its four walls and enter the mission field around it, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ through word, action, compassion, grace, and service.

   The mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ remains at the heart of his ministry. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Donald encourages the congregations he serves not simply to maintain the church of today, but to continually ask how God is calling the Church to serve, witness, and make disciples for tomorrow.

Service to Country and Community

   Before entering pastoral ministry, Donald served honorably on active duty in the United States Navy during the post-Gulf War era and through a period that included numerous military operations and engagements.

   As a result of his military service, Donald is also a disabled veteran. His experiences during and following military service have given him a personal understanding of sacrifice, perseverance, and the challenges that many veterans and their families carry long after active service has ended.

   His commitment to public service continued after leaving active duty. Donald has spent many years in federal service and currently serves through his civilian career with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

   The experiences of military service, living with service-connected disabilities, and continuing to serve fellow veterans have all contributed to Donald's understanding of compassion, perseverance, responsibility, teamwork, and caring for people through difficult seasons of life. These lessons continue to influence his approach to pastoral ministry and his desire to meet people where they are.

Continuing the Journey

   For Pastor Donald, ministry remains a journey rather than a destination. Through preaching, pastoral care, worship, fellowship, community outreach, and service, his desire is for the Church and its people to continually grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and faithfully carry His love beyond the walls of the sanctuary and into the world.

   He believes the Church is at its best when its people are not merely attending church, but being the Church—loving God, loving their neighbors, serving those in need, welcoming others, and sharing the hope found in Jesus Christ.

   The journey continues at Memorial and Leetown United Methodist Churches with a simple reminder that has become an important part of Pastor Donald's ministry:

Never be stagnant. Keep growing. Keep serving. Keep following Christ.