David Woolverton
Pastor David has been in full time ministry for over 35 years. He began here at Saint Paul’s in 2016—and has been blessed immeasurably by the overwhelming support and love he has received from this church family. David has been married to his best friend, Kristine, for over thirty-three years. Kristine is a recently retired public school educator—having spent 33 years teaching both fifth grade and then, for the past 15 years, English as a Second Language. Both David and Kristine love to travel, hike, and make music together. They also have fun trying to keep up with their Bernedoodle, Sophia.
David is an ordained United Methodist pastor, and has served in churches facing turn-around ministry situations for most of his ministry. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Religion from Albright College (Reading, PA), a Masters of Divinity with a concentration in pastoral care and crisis intervention from Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton, NJ), and a Doctor of Ministry in Conflict Leadership (Trinity Theological Seminary, Newburgh, IN). David also has had intensive clinical training in hospital chaplaincy with a focus on emergency and trauma care.
In 2003, David founded a non-profit Christian counseling agency to address mental health needs by providing high-quality, Christ-centered counseling at below-market cost to the under-served population in Western Lancaster County, PA. He has served in leadership positions on non-profit boards and committees, as well as district and conference level committees. He is the 2011 recipient of the Harry Denman Award in Evangelism.
In addition to serving as a pastor, David is an Affiliate Professor at Kairos University—a global system of theological education that has locations throughout the United States and Canada, partnerships with organizations around the world, and students from nearly every continent. He is a sought-after workshop leader and church consultant in conflict leadership, and has coached clergy and churches for well over twelve years. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and a Spiritual Care Provider of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. He has volunteered within the larger community in a variety of ways as well—for example, serving on the Professional Consultation Committee in the Pastoral Services Department at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital, where for over 30 years he has resourced the chaplaincy ministry at the hospital; and also as a founding member of the Board of Directors for Elizabethtown Community Housing & Outreach Services (ECHOS).
In 2021, David published his first book—Mission Rift: Leading through Church Conflict (Fortress Press). He recently completed his second book and is awaiting a publisher. He is passionate about seeing lives changed by the Good News of Jesus. His personal mission is to “mentor and multiply”—coming up alongside of individuals, groups, congregations, and organizations and empowering them to live out the gospel in ways that multiply Jesus’s kingdom movement. He really believes that when Jesus is present, healing takes place and lives are transformed.