My name is Brian Johnson, and beginning this summer, I’m going to be the new Lead Pastor of Williamsburg United Methodist Church.
As we step into this season of transition – saying goodbye and saying hello – I want you to know that I’m praying for y’all. One of the gifts of church is that God weaves our lives together with the lives of other people who we’d never get to know if it weren’t for Jesus. And, when a pastoral transition comes, it’s hard to say goodbye. I’m so deeply grateful for the ministries of Pastor Dave and Pastor Meghan – and I hope that these coming weeks are an opportunity for you to celebrate them and to thank God for the love and ministry that you have shared together with them.
I feel very blessed by the opportunity to be one of the pastors of Williamsburg United Methodist Church. I’ve heard amazing things about the work God is doing in and through Williamsburg UMC, and I am really looking forward to seeing it for myself and joining you in it.
Since I’m going to be your pastor soon, I figured y’all might want to know a little about me. I’m a lifelong United Methodist and a lifelong Virginian. I have served as a pastor in rural and suburban settings, in small, mid-size, and large congregations. I’ve served a church that was nearly 250 years old (and whose building seemed to be almost as old!) and I’ve served a newly-planted church that worships in an elementary school. I’ve served in Northern Virginia, the Richmond area, and Mathews County (on the Middle Peninsula). I’ve led worship in a variety of styles and settings, and I am very excited to begin worshiping and being in ministry together with you soon.
My first passion in ministry is proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ – telling the story of his death and resurrection, and how it changes everything. I believe that the church is called to proclaim that story through both our words and our actions. I believe that we do that through worship, preaching, mission, service, caring for each other, loving like Jesus, practicing radical hospitality, and so much more – and I’m excited to get to be part of all that essential work with y’all soon.
I am also passionate about helping churches connect with their local communities (something I hear y’all do really well!) and helping churches reach new people and invite those new people to find their place in the story of love that God is writing in our world. The story we have to share as the church is the most important story in the history of the universe – and I’m passionate about helping as many people as possible encounter that story and be transformed by it. I’m excited to get to join in that work together with you.
You can learn more about me in the welcome videos that the church has shared. A quick summary: I’m married to an amazing woman, Kim, who is a ministry professional who specializes in youth ministry, church communications, and strategic consulting. She’s particularly passionate about helping churches connect with their communities and tell their stories better. We have two sons – Jeremiah and Ezekiel – who will be in high school and middle school in the fall. (We are a food allergy family – one of our sons has a severe peanut allergy, which means that we keep a peanut-free home to keep him safe.) As a family, we love lots of stuff – from Tex Mex to sports to Star Trek to taking long walks together – and we are particularly excited to spend lots of family time at Busch Gardens in the years to come.
I look forward to meeting all of you – and to learning about all the work God is doing in and through Williamsburg United Methodist Church. I’m praying for you – and for Williamsburg UMC. And I’m blessed that I will get to be your pastor.
God is up to something in our world. I’m thankful we will get to join in God’s work together.
See you soon!
~ Pastor Brian