Pastor Louis and Linda Carsten
Pastor Carsten and his wife Linda were born and raised in Michigan. Louis worked as an electrical contractor, while Linda worked at home raising their four children. They were successful financially and happily settled into the life they 
had established. In 1979, they encountered God in a way they never had before and surrendered their lives to His service. This included a call to ministry, which they heeded by entering and graduating from Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa Oklahoma.
Their first church was in Montrose, Michigan just north of Flint. After several years, the call to move came again. Followed by several families, Pastor Louis and Linda moved to Sanford where Cleft of the Rock Family Church, formerly named Grace Fellowship, was established. They have been Senior Pastors of CRFC since its beginning in 1990. Being the second work pioneered by the Carstens, CRFC has thrived in Sanford. A new facility on West River Rd. was built in 2003 to accommodate the growing congregation. Their four children and their spouses serve together with Pastor Louis and Linda in the church in various capacities. They have six grandchildren ranging in ages from five to eighteen years old.
Pastor and Mrs. Carsten are currently the Sectional Directors in Northern Michigan for the Rhema Ministerial Association International, (RMAI). They look forward to establishing more churches in Michigan and sending out laborers from CRFC into ministry around the world.