Pastor Kenneth Dwight Foster
Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church – Kerrville, Texas
Kenneth Dwight Foster—known as “Ken” in business circles and “Dwight” among family and church—has lived a life shaped by service, Scripture, and a quiet but steady surrender to God’s calling.
Born on June 8, 1948, in Marianna, Arkansas, Dwight grew up attending church with his family, planting early seeds of faith that would one day take deep root. As a young man, he answered another call to service, enlisting in the United States Marine Corps from 1966 to 1969. His time included a tour in Vietnam, and he was honorably discharged—an experience that would mark him deeply, not only with discipline and resilience, but with a profound awareness of God’s mercy long before he knew Christ personally.
While serving in Hue City with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, Dwight experienced moments that he believes spared his life by God’s unseen hand. During the early days of intense fighting against the North Vietnamese Army, his unit was engaged in close combat—each side taking cover behind walls and buildings across a narrow street. Dwight and his assistant gunner were sent forward to fire on enemy movement through an opening in a wall. As they began firing, his gun jammed. While he worked to clear it, the enemy launched a series of grenades toward their position. Five or six grenades landed in a semicircle around them—left, right, and behind—yet none exploded. Dwight has often reflected that he did not deserve such mercy, believing even now that God honored the prayers of his mother back in Arkansas. Years later, Scripture would give words to that moment: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NKJV).
In the years that followed, Dwight worked part-time jobs while pursuing higher education, eventually studying in California at Orange Coast College and later earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University, Long Beach. His studies took him to Mexico City, where he also earned a teaching certificate.
In 1977, in an ordinary classroom after the school day had ended, Dwight encountered an extraordinary grace. There, alone with the truth of the gospel, he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, receiving salvation by God’s grace. He was baptized that same year in a Spanish-speaking church in Watsonville, California—a fitting beginning to a lifelong love for cross-cultural ministry.
That same season of life brought another profound blessing. In 1978, he met and married Martha Flores, a woman of deep faith and warmth. Dwight often jokes that while Martha is five years younger physically, she is four years older spiritually—a testimony to her steady walk with the Lord and the partnership they have shared ever since.
Dwight continued teaching across several states, including Louisiana, where he completed a Master of Education in Counseling at Northeast Louisiana University. In 1983, the Lord made His calling unmistakably clear: Dwight was called into ministry. He began Bible training at the Latin American Bible Institute and soon found himself blending education, pastoral care, and outreach in powerful ways.
From 1985 to 1991, Dwight co-founded and directed Lighthouse Christian School in San Antonio, while also serving as an associate minister and leading Spanish-language outreach. His heart for discipleship extended into mental health work during his time as a therapist with Texas Mental Health, and later back into public education—where he spent his final decade teaching adult education while continuing theological studies through Simpson Baptist Extension.
In 2001, Dwight accepted the call to pastor a Spanish-speaking Baptist church in Goliad, Texas, faithfully shepherding while still teaching full-time. During this season, he and Martha made multiple trips to Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, ministering alongside evangelical churches and maintaining strong family and ministry ties.
In 2004, Dwight accepted another pastoral invitation—this time to a rural church across the state from Martha’s hometown. The decade they spent there was deeply fruitful, marked by faithful preaching, heartfelt worship, and the establishment of a mission that continues to proclaim Christ today. Even now, they return for weddings and ministry visits, rejoicing in what God is still doing.
That same year, with a desire to be closer to their daughters in Texas, the Lord opened yet another door. While attending their grandson’s wedding, Dwight and Martha visited Calvary Baptist Church in Kerrville. Dwight was the third pastoral candidate considered. While serving their church in Mexico, they received the call to come to Kerrville. After prayerful discernment, they gave three months’ notice and began the journey God had clearly set before them.
Throughout his life and ministry, Dwight has deeply valued fellowship, accountability, and prayer partnerships. He has always sought community with believers who hold firmly to the authority of Scripture and to Jesus Christ as God in the flesh. His preaching and teaching have been shaped by faithful voices across the Christian spectrum—men and women committed to “the main things.” Influences include J. Vernon McGee, Warren Wiersbe, Howard Hendricks, Chuck Swindoll, R.C. Sproul, James Dobson, Alistair Begg, Adrian Rogers, Paul Washer, David Jeremiah, Chip Ingram, Erwin Lutzer, and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, among many others.
A lifelong student of God’s Word, Dwight has also been enriched by the writings of C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and David Wilkerson, and by trusted biblical commentators such as Matthew Henry and Matthew Poole, alongside scholars like Adam Clarke and William Barclay—always reading with discernment, humility, and reverence for Scripture.
Today, Pastor Dwight Foster leads Calvary Baptist Church with the heart of a shepherd, the mind of a teacher, and the steady faith of a man who has walked with the Lord through many seasons. His story is one of grace patiently unfolding—a life devoted to proclaiming the Bible as true, Christ as Savior, and the church as a place where all are welcomed, taught, and loved.
Watch the video below to hear Pastor Dwight talk about why he and his wife feel called to Calvary Baptist Church, what the church is here to do, and why Jesus is at the center of it all.
If you are seeking a church rooted in Scripture, rich in fellowship, and led by a pastor who has lived what he preaches, you will find a warm welcome at Calvary Baptist Church.