Pastor Max Carmichael Leaves a Gospel Legacy in Leon

An Evangelist to the Lost

“There have been a lot of people that Max has touched with his life,” said Pastor Jerry McFerron, the current pastor of Calvary Leon. “He was a great evangelist and a lot of people have come to know the Lord through Max.”

“When Max was called into ministry, he put his heart and soul into it,” said Ed Gregory, BCI Pastor & Church Support Staff. “He had a love for the lost. He was very humble, kind, and caring. He loved the church, but not just as an institution, he loved the people. It didn’t matter who you were, Max was there for you.”

A Servant to the Community

Max was well-known for going out into the community to visit people. He loved them, he cared for them, and he became a “go-to” spiritual leader for the whole region. “Max was really a pastor to the whole community. Anywhere I would go in the community, people knew Max,” said Pastor Jerry. “He had a servant heart for the community and he performed many weddings and funerals and if people were sick, they would ask him to come visit them in the hospital.” The community of Leon recognized his impact last year when they gave him the “2019 Citizen of the Year” award.

A Pastor to the Church

Max was also a great pastor at Calvary Baptist Church. “Max had a unique balance of personal evangelist and pastor/shepherd,” said Ed Gregory. In fact, Max was recognized by Lifeway in 2003 as an “Outstanding Smaller Church Pastor of the Year.” Although that was awarded back in 2003, it was true of his ministry up until the end.

“Max was a great mentor,” Pastor Jerry shared. “I recall one experience that clearly illustrates this. I had not been a pastor long and I had not done any hospital visitation. Max got sick and went into the hospital so I went to visit him. Knowing he had done this many times, I just asked him, ‘What do I need to do?’ and he walked me through it. He told me some good scriptures to use and reminded me that I always needed to pray with them at the end.”

A Lifetime of Ministry

In addition to being firmly committed to his local church, Max was also very engaged in both the Baptist Convention of Iowa as well as local association work. He served on the BCI Executive Board and he was an active leader in the South Central association. Even after the association formally ended, Max would host the area pastors for impromptu gatherings for fellowship and encouragement.

In 2012, Max retired as pastor of Calvary Leon but he did not retire from ministry. Even after retiring, Max would often conduct the Sunday evening service. He was involved in ministry up into his 90s and left a legacy of love and faithful service to Jesus Christ.