Dr. Jim Miller, Senior Pastor
Jim Miller grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. He is a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois and Princeton Theological Seminary. In 1989, he received his Ph.D. in New Testament studies from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. His dissertation on the Pastoral Letters of I and II Timothy and Titus was published by Cambridge University Press.
Following seminary, Jim served four years as adjunct professor of Greek at Wheaton College. He began his pastoral ministry in 1981, serving as an associate pastor at the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. While living in Scotland, he served part-time at St. Michael’s Kirk (Presbyterian Church of Scotland) in Linlithgow.
In October 1992, Jim was called to be the sixth Senior Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Tulsa, the largest Presbyterian-affiliated university in the country. He serves also on the Board of Trustees of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
Jim and his wife, Diane, have three adult children.
Rev. Dan Hutchinson, M.Div., Senior Associate Pastor
Daniel Hutchinson graduated from Princeton Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 2012. He received a B.A. in History from Wheaton College in 2007 and an M.A. in Theology in 2008. He is a third-generation pastor.
Daniel’s primary responsibilities are young adult, college and Next Generation ministries. His ministry is focused on fostering a Church environment that “would see all ages as essential members of the body of Christ, capable of taking on responsibility, growing and leading within the Church.” Daniel enjoys challenging disciples of all ages to think through the questions and implications of their faith.
Rev. Wambugu Gachungi, M.Div., Associate Pastor
Born and raised in Kenya, Wambugu Gachungi came to the United States in 2001 to pursue a faith-based higher education, graduating from the University of the Ozarks in 2007 with a Bachelor’s in philosophy, religion and sociology. He then moved to Tulsa where he attended Phillips Theological Seminary and obtained his Master of Divinity in 2011.
Wambugu’s primary role at First Presbyterian Church is fostering the community of faith known as Tulsa International Fellowship, or TIF. Wambugu leads worship, Bible studies, outreach, and offers pastoral counseling with disciples from over 12 nations. He has a passion for seeing the global Church coming together regardless of where its members reside.
In his ministry, Wambugu is also very interested in the reformed tradition, and hopes to make it accessible to 21st-century Christians as he continues to investigate what a true community of God might look like.
Wambugu loves spending time with his wife and two children.
Rev. James Estes, M.Div., Associate Pastor
James was born in Fort Worth, TX and raised in Claremore from the age of four, where he graduated from Claremore Christian High School. Following high school, he earned an associate degree from Rogers State University before completing a two-year ministry internship at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2005, James graduated from Langston University's Tulsa campus with his bachelor's degree in psychology. During his first job out of college, James was introduced to First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa at the invitation of then middle school director, Jaclyn Miles. He volunteered with Pathfinders, the middle school ministry, and became a member of FPC that year.
James graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. After completing this, he moved to Seattle to persuade Lindsey to marry him. In August 2013, James returned to Tulsa in answer to the call to serve as an associate pastor at First Church.
James has had the opportunity to take mission trips to various countries including Mexico, China, the Ivory Coast, Malawi, Nepal, Ethiopia, Holland, Kenya and Costa Rica. "I enjoy serving as the mission pastor because mission is the lifeblood of the Church.”
In future ministry James is excited to continue developing missional partnerships with fellow followers of Christ that cross cultural, ethnic, racial, denominational and national boundaries until the unity of Christ's one holy catholic and apostolic Church becomes an observable reality. "There is good work to be done around the world and around the corner."
James has been married to his wife, Lindsey, since 2012. Together they parent four beautiful children. With four children, life at home is always an adventure. James enjoys reading, music and being outdoors, whether backpacking, camping, gardening, hunting or taking the kids to the zoo or a neighborhood splash pad.
Rev. Julia Metcalf, Associate Pastor
Julia Metcalf is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary where she received a Master of Divinity in 2020. During her time at PTSem, she had the privilege of serving for a year at The American Church in Paris, FR as the pastoral intern for Youth and Young Adults along with several other field education opportunities in children's ministry and hospital chaplaincy.
Julia was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and studied vocal performance as an undergraduate at Belmont University in Nashville where she graduated in 2015. Her gratitude to the Lord for bringing her back to First Church to serve alongside this wonderful expression of the Body of Christ is overflowing, and she is thrilled to continue to deepen the beautiful relationships she has developed here over the years as we all seek to love and serve the Lord together. She is deeply grateful and honored to serve as the second female pastor in First Church’s history.
Julia is very interested in the spiritual disciplines and how they can enrich our faith journeys, as well as what personal relationship with Jesus Christ looks like for both young and old. Julia serves on the board of directors of Camp Loughridge and serves as a mentor to the Oklahoma Student Leadership Forum.
She loves her two kittens, Louis and Luna. She is an avid walker, baker and movie watcher, and hopes to one day be a master gardener!