Reverend Carl Peterson has been serving in ministry for the United Methodist Church since July 2005. He served 11 years as a Licensed Local Pastor and was ordained as an Elder in Full Connection in 2018. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity, and as Chaplain for the Payson, AZ Police Department for five years. The Boy Scouts of America presented Pastor Carl the God and Service award in 2003, and the Silver Beaver award in 2007.
Before entering into ministry, Pastor Carl served ten years as a Cryptologic Linguist (Russian, German) in the U. S. Air Force and as a technical manager and solutions architect in the software engineering services industry after his military career. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) and is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree.
Pastor Carl and his wife, Bonnie, have been married since 1981 and are the proud parents of three adult children, Josh, Victoria, and Heather, all of whom live in Arizona. Bonnie describes herself as having been “mostly a stay-at-home Mom and wife,” but she worked the last three years as a reading paraprofessional for the Payson Unified School District. Josh owns and operates a small Information Technology company in Tucson. Heather is currently the office manager for a small company of electricians and is studying Early Childhood Development for Education at ASU with plans to become a teacher (K-3) after graduation. Victoria lives with her parents and is looking forward to participating in the life of the church and community.
