Senior Leadership
Meet our Executive Leadership Team & Elders

Growing up in Northern Indiana and accepting Christ at an early age, Pastor Shawn experienced a solid Christian, but personally traumatic, childhood. You can read his 2016 memoir, All But Normal: Life on Victory Road to see how God used his mother’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) to develop a pastor’s heart in Shawn.
After completing a B.A. from Appalachian Bible College in 1989 and a Master of Divinity degree from Capital Bible Seminary in 1992, Shawn’s home church, Twin Branch Bible Church in Mishawaka, IN, ordained him to the Gospel ministry. During his nearly thirty years of ministry, Shawn has served as an assistant pastor in the Philadelphia area, taught Bible and New Testament Greek at his undergraduate alma mater, and for over ten years led Bible Center Church in Charleston, WV, as its Senior Pastor.
In September of 2008, Pastor Shawn became Calvary’s third Senior Pastor. As our lead pastor, Shawn serves as: 1) the primary voice of the pulpit, 2) the main vision-caster, and 3) the shepherd of shepherds. In addition, Shawn currently serves on the boards of Awana Clubs International, the Joni & Friends Foundation, and Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, CA.
In 1990, Shawn married his college sweetheart, Lesli and they have three young adult children: Jon, Katie, and Megan. The Thorntons love traveling, serving, and doing life together.

Brian has been on staff since 2010 and first joined our team as an intern in our high school ministry. Currently he serves as the teaching pastor where he preaches regularly in the adult, young adult and high school ministry services. Brian also continues to oversee high school and young adult ministry, providing leadership, vision and direction for the teams that serve in these areas. Brian graduated with his Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2015 and in 2016 was ordained by the elders of Calvary Community Church. Brian and his wife Dani have been married since 2013 and have three children, Grace, Noah and Hope.




In 2020, Dick joined Calvary’s staff to minister to our senior adults. After serving five years at a church in North Palm Beach, Florida primarily among seniors, Dick believes our Seasoned Adults Ministry has a mission to “leverage the wisdom of adults 60+ to live and love like Jesus.” Dick also served as senior pastor at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Westlake Village for 19 years. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (1981) and has a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary (1980) and a Doctor of Ministry degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary (1994). Dick has been married to Suzanne since 1976 and loves to hang out with their daughter and grandson.


Gina is passionate about making sure individuals and families affected by disability are welcomed and integrated into the life of our church. This includes providing one-to-one buddy support, self-contained programs, community engagement through special events, and parent support groups. Gina joined Calvary’s staff in 2014 with over 17 years of experience in the special abilities community after earning her degree in Child Psychology with an emphasis on Special Education at Loyola Marymount University. She became a licensed pastor in 2019. Gina also serves as a resource for other churches seeking to start, strengthen, or revive Special Abilities Ministries. Gina’s husband Dennis, and their two children share her commitment to families with special abilities and often volunteer together.

Michelle Tumes joined the Calvary staff in 2015. As Worship Pastor, she is responsible for assembling musicians, executing and overseeing the musical elements for all worship services, Calvary Center Stage, and special events. Michelle is passionate about creating worshipful environments where the Holy Spirit can move, heal, and breathe life into people. Originally from Adelaide, South Australia, Michelle was a touring Contemporary Christian artist and songwriter for many years. She has been awarded ASCAP songwriter of the year, won a Dove Award, and has recorded 7 CCM #1 radio singles, gold, and platinum albums. She and her husband Doug have three children who love the expressive arts.
Calvary is governed by an elder board made up of the following people:
Rick Bartlett (Chairman)
Ryan Liljegren (Vice Chairman)
Mark Davis
Harry Frum
Craig Hardy
Doug Hume
Warren Johnson
Bert Overholt
Dan Smith
Shawn Thornton
email: elders@calvarywestlake.org