OUR PASTOR

The Rev. Gordon Lindsey began his ministry as Pastor of Scottsville Presbyterian Church on March 1, 2007, shortly after his ordination as Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), He came to his ministry after a wide and varied background as a Presbyterian layman.

The son of an Army chaplain, Gordon has lived in both the United States and Europe. He graduated in 1966 from Wheaton College with a major in history. He studied theology at Oxford University for one year in 1968, then finished his theological studies at Yale Divinity School, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1972.

After completing his theological studies, Gordon entered into a business career in New York City in the field of corporate communications and public relations. In 1982, he joined the J.C. Penney Company, with whom he served for the next 22 years. He took early retirement in 2004 to pursue his call to Christian ministry.

Gordon joined the Presbyterian Church in 1976, when he joined Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. It was there that he met his wife, Ginny. They were married in the church in 1988 and then moved to Dallas, Texas, as a part of the relocation of the J.C. Penney headquarters that year.

Gordon and Ginny lived in Dallas for 18 years, where they were active members of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. Gordon served as an elder, adult church school teacher, chair of adult education, and participant on two pastoral nominating committees. In 2006, he co-authored a history of the church as part of its 150th anniversary celebration.

Gordon served the wider church from 1996 to 2002 as a member of the President's Roundtable at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. On his board he provided advice and counsel to the seminary from the perspective of an active layman in the church.

Over the last 25 years, Gordon has developed an extensive ministry in adult education in churches. He specializes in in-depth Bible studies. He has also done many short-term educational events for adults, including series in theology, spirituality, church history, and world religions.

Key Theological Issues

As the Christian church enters into the 21st century, many issues demand its attention. Gordon, however, believes that three will have the greatest impact on the future of the church. They are as follows:

How do Christians maintain the proper balance between God's judgment and God's grace, between God's intolerance for sin and God's love for the sinner?

Both are real, and God unites them in God's being. But Christians err often by over-emphasizing one over the other. Maintaining the balance requires spiritual sensitivity. Yet, it is so critical as churches debate the many theological and ethical issues that agitate their life today.

How do we confess Jesus as Lord and Savior in a world of religious and moral pluralism?

Modern thought asserts that all beliefs are personal opinion and all ethics are personal preference. Gordon believes Christians must respect diversity, but also be faithful to core Christian beliefs. Our calling is confidently to confess the lordship of Christ along with the truth claims that entails without becoming close-minded.

What are the defining characteristics of a healthy Christian spirituality?

Spiritualities abound today. Not all are consistent with Christian convictions. Gordon especially abhors spiritualities that ignore the communal character of the Christian life, that pit spirit against body, or overlook the role of service in the spiritual life. Learning to pray has changed his life, moving his faith from his head to his heart. He seeks to help Christians today reclaim our many rich traditions of prayer.