The Pastor Nominating Process at First Church Tulsa

Allison Biggs

Allison joined First Church Tulsa in March 2020 and quickly became involved in the church’s COVID-related outreach ministries. She has served as an Elder and has participated in the Missions, Strategic Planning, 8:10 Council, and Financial Task Force committees. Allison and her husband, Trey, have three adult children and one granddaughter.

Joel Donohue

Joel and his wife, Sarah, have four children, ages 13–17. Their family has been actively involved at First Church since joining in 2013. Joel is an Elder who has served on the Next Generation and Strategic Planning committees, and most recently as the Clerk of Session.

John Frame (Alternate)

John first joined First Church in 1968, later moved away for his education, and returned in 1984 with his wife, Kitty. They have two children and three granddaughters. John is an active member of the First Church Chancel Choir and has served as an Elder. He is currently serving his second term on the First Church Tulsa Foundation Board of Trustees.

Gary Johnson

Gary and his wife, Cindy, have been members of First Church for 39 years. They have two grown sons and two grandchildren. Gary is an Elder who has served on Session multiple times. He currently chairs the Session Finance & Stewardship Committee and also serves on the Personnel Committee. Gary was a member of the recent Mission Study Team. He and Cindy have been members of the Harbingers Sunday School class since they joined the church. Gary also enjoys serving as a Lunch Buddy at Anderson Elementary, First Church’s partner school.

Patrick Kirunda

Originally from Kampala, Uganda, Patrick came to Tulsa in 2005 and joined First Church in 2012. He and his wife, Nicolate, have three children. Patrick serves on the committee of Tulsa International Fellowship (TIF) and has previously served as both a Deacon and an Elder. During his time on Session, he served on the TIF, Discipleship, and Missions committees.

Nicole Pugh

Nicole and her husband, Jason, have attended First Church since 2010. They have a daughter in middle school and a son in elementary school. The family regularly attends the 11:00 a.m. traditional service and actively participates in church life. Nicole volunteers with Awana and recently served on the Mission Study Team.

Ben Peterson

Ben began attending First Church in 2019 and became a member in 2021. He has participated in three First Church mission trips and has served on the Young Adult Leadership Team for the past two years. Ben also occasionally plays the trumpet in worship services.

Kate Swan

A fourth-generation member of First Church, Kate has served in many roles over the years. Her involvement includes the Board of Deacons, the Young Adult Leadership Team, the Hospitality Committee, and Children’s Ministry.

Jacob Thompson

Jacob and his wife, Holly, have two daughters, ages 17 and 21. They joined First Church in 2017. Jacob is an Elder serving his third year on Session and currently chairs the Strategic Planning Committee. He also serves on the Discipleship Committee. Jacob and Holly lead a Bible study in the UKirk Ministry at First Church.  

Amy Tingleaf

Amy and her husband, Clark, have been members of First Church since 2003 and have two children. Amy, an Elder, has served on several committees, including Mission, Strategic Planning (as Chair), and the 8:10 Project Council (as Chair). She has contributed extensively through volunteer work at First Church.

Pastor Nominating Committee media resources 

Watch the overview by Joel Donohue from February 16, 2025 on YouTube.

Pastor Nominating Committee Congregational Update from Jacob Thompson
March 30, 2025

Good morning First Church. I am Jacob Thompson, the vice-chair of our Pastor Nominating Committee. I want to take this opportunity to give you a brief update on the progress of the PNC thus far. But before that, on behalf of the entire PNC, I want to extend our great appreciation for all the words of encouragement and all the prayers and support you, as a congregation, have passed along to the PNC. 

The PNC has been meeting on a regular basis and are progressing through the process with guidance from the Holy Spirit. We began by growing as a group and equipping ourselves with the knowledge and skills for the task that God, through this congregation, called us to do. 

This month we completed the process of officially posting the position for FPC Senior Pastor on the PCUSA’s CLC (Church Leadership Connection). This posting includes 3 items we have put together: 

1. A link to the FPC Mission Study Report that was completed in the fall.
2. The Senior Pastor job description that was primarily harvested from the personnel committee’s description, and bringing it up to date with a few additional items.
3. The 5 MDP (Ministry Discernment Profile) narratives. These are 5 questions that we answer to describe our vision of ministry and mission, and how we see the new senior pastor filling the role of leadership in that vision. The MDP narratives were taken almost verbatim from the Mission Study Report that you, as a congregation, helped create. And we thank you for that. 

The CLC posting is open for anyone to view on the PCUSA’s CLC website. We posted the opening on the 17th of this month and have already received over 30 candidates from the process. We are currently reviewing each candidate, as a committee, and looking for candidates that align theologically with First Church. Some may ask: “Do all applicants have to come from the PCUSA denomination?” The answer is no. There is an avenue for applicants outside the PCUSA to apply for the position of FPC Senior Pastor. We are working diligently to search out the senior pastor that our sovereign God has already selected for us. We are exploring various “best practices” from other large churches who have walked this same path in recent years. Let’s face it, it has been over 30 years since we have performed this task, so some things have changed a bit. But what has remained constant is that this is God’s church, God’s work and we are called to prayerfully discern God’s will and timing. 

The PNC invites the congregation to keep both the committee and the process in prayer. Please consider these specific prayer items:

1. Pray that the Holy Spirit will be at work in our PNC, that we will be receptive to the Spirit’s direction and guidance.
2. Pray for our conversations, that they would be glorifying to God
3. Pray for protection for us from the enemy. He is real and is always at work.
4. Finally, pray for our next senior pastor that God is nudging and preparing to lead us into the next era of FPC. 

We want to thank you again for your prayers and support. 

In Christ, FPC Pastor Nominating Committee ‘25

Learn more about the Pastor Nominating Committee by listening to these episodes of The Transition Podcast with Rev. Julia Metcalf:

Episode 15: Denise Rounds Watch on YouTube

Episode 16: Joel Donohue Watch on YouTube

Episode 17: Kate Swan Watch on YouTube

Episode 18: Jacob Thompson Watch on YouTube