Dr. Carl Bentley is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. He met the Lord as a child, and was baptized at the High Street Baptist Church in 1956. Years later, Pastor Bentley was called to the Gospel Ministry in 1975, and preached his initial sermon at the Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Hampton, Virginia. He entered seminary at Howard University in Washington, D.C. With a concentration in Religion and Pastoral Counseling, he earned the Master of Divinity Degree in 1982. After completing the M.Div. degree, he worked as a geriatric chaplain at Saint Elizabeth's Psychiatric Hospital in Washington, D.C. A few years later, with a concentration in Religious Education curriculum, he returned to Howard University to earn the Doctor of Ministry Degree in 1988. His dissertation was entitled "A Study in Religious Education to Improve the Self-Concept of Rural Minority Children Who Attend Integrated Public Schools. After having served as Youth Pastor at the Living Word Church of God in Christ in Landover, Maryland for two years, Pastor Bentley was called to pastor First Baptist Church of Woodford, Virginia in 1985. At First Baptist, Pastor Bentley leads in the teaching, broadcast, and music ministries. Dr. Bentley is also an educator. He earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Hampton University, and a Master of Science Degree in Adult Education/Human Resource Development from Virginia Tech. After having taught elementary, middle, and junior high school in Hampton City and Fairfax County, Virginia, Dr. Bentley earned full retirement from the teaching profession, and now pursues ministry as a solo vocation.