Gary A. Lindley
Director Church Growth & Development Director
Gary Lindley has more than 37 years of ministry in the Central Texas Annual Conference. However, he answered the call to ministry at First United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Texas. He was licensed to preach while on staff at Southwest United Methodist Church in Houston. His first appointment was the Deport Charge in the North Texas Conference and in 1973 he was ordained a Deacon in the North Texas Conference. In 1973 he was appointed as the first full time pastor at Acton in Granbury.
Ten years of his ministry in the Central Texas Conference was in new church development. He was the re-organizing pastor of Covenant in Arlington. His first service at Covenant was the last Sunday that the congregation met in the school. From there, Gary held services in Vandergriff Park until they moved to the basement at First United Methodist Church in Arlington. Despite these difficulties Gary lead the congregation to build its first building and grew this congregation from 50 in worship to over 350. After seven years, Gary was appointed to start a new congregation in Round Rock. More than 200 people gathered for the first service and nearly one hundred joined that day. Gary has a passion for offering Christ to the world. Every congregation that he has served has grown both in membership and average attendance.
Gary has a heart for missions. This began at Covenant where he was invited by Dr. Jack Payne, Senior Pastor at First UMC in Arlington, to join him on a mission trip to the Philippines. The experience planted within Gary a commitment to lead his congregations to reach out beyond themselves and to support local, conference and world missions. Gary has traveled also to Bangladesh and to Slovakia.
Upon his graduation from Cleveland High School in Cleveland, Texas he immediately enrolled at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas. Here he met Eileen, the joy of his life. They were married on August 29, 1969. Gary graduated from East Texas State University in Commerce (which to Gary’s displeasure has become Texas A & M at Commerce.) He graduate from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University and in 1978 he was ordained an elder in the United Methodist Church.
Until his appointment to the cabinet Gary served the Annual Conference as Chairman of the Mission Ministry Team and a member of the Conference Executive Committee.
Gary and Eileen have two sons Jason who is married to Tammy and Daniel. Each son has given them a grandson and a brand new granddaughter: Jackson, 3yrs old and Andrew, 9 years old and Ireland 1 year old.
