The New Testament is clear about those who have the responsibility of leadership, oversight, and care of the church. These men are called elders, overseers, or pastors. All three different titles are used to refer to the same spiritual office of leadership in the church and are interchangeable. Christ is the head of the church and throughout scripture we learn that He mediates His rule in the church through the loving shepherding of biblically qualified pastors. Therefore, Eastwood Community Church sees great wisdom in the biblical and practical leadership of a plurality of pastors who lead together as one.
(Acts 6:2-6; Acts 15:1-35; Acts 20:17-18, 28-31; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 3:1-7, 5:17; 2 Timothy 4:2 ; Titus 1:5-16; Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
Daniel and his wife Lisa returned to Wilmington on Easter Sunday April 2006, with Daniel serving as the senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church. Both originally from Wilmington, they moved from California where Daniel had been on staff at Grace Community Church. Daniel graduated from NC State with a BS in Math Education and received his Masters of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary in Sun Valley, CA. He recently completed a Doctorate of Ministry from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. Daniel and Lisa have four children, Jacob, Josiah, Ellie and Judah.
Kyle serves as the Pastor of Equipping and Outreach at Eastwood Community Church. He served in the U.S. military before his conversion to Christ and marriage to his wife Misty. Kyle and Misty have been married since 2002 and have four children together (three sons and a daughter). Kyle personally enjoys spending time with his family, anything outdoors (hunting, fishing, hiking), laughing with friends, following his favorite sports teams in basketball and football, and the reading of a good book.
Kyle has a genuine desire for missions and gospel outreach and has been involved in mission work to many nations and countries throughout the world. After serving pastoral roles in both Tennessee and Texas, he and his family spent four years living in Indonesia as missionaries to the persecuted and unreached there. Kyle’s passions in ministry are preaching/teaching, sharing the message of the gospel with others (evangelism), and walking others into a deeper knowledge of God’s Word (discipleship).
Scott Lykins is the Pastor of Students and Families at Eastwood Community Church. Scott and his wife Megan married in 2019 and have two daughters, Maggie and Ada. Scott spends his time being active with his family including their dog, Maya. They enjoy going to the beach, exploring Wilmington, hiking, and taking long walks in their neighborhood.
Scott has worked in student ministry for 15 years and has a passion for seeing students know what they believe and why they believe it. Likewise, Scott knows that families play a key role in discipleship and he has a desire to equip families to lead and disciple their children. Scott is a graduate of UNC Charlotte and is working on a master’s degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Matthew has called Wilmington home for all of his adult life, after coming to UNCW and never leaving. Matthew and his wife Ashley served as college campus missionaries, on staff with Cru at UNCW for 12 years before joining the staff of Cornerstone Baptist Church.
Together they have two daughters, Della and Maggie. Matthew enjoys baseball, surfing, and being a dad and husband. He loves to see the church equipped to do ministry, to share Christ, and make disciples.