McKenzie Methodist Pastors

Pastors Listed in our Church History
Barbara Caffee,
Ed.D.

 Plans for the Honey Grove Union Church were made on May 12, 1855.  A. M. McClellan was elected trustee to represent the Methodist congregation in the Union Church (shared by four denominations within the Honey Grove area).  M. E. Roberson served as presiding officer for the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The Methodists had the last Sunday of the month in the rotation schedule.  

In the 1860 Census for the City of Honey Grove, J. W. Piner was listed as a Methodist Minister.  He was born in Kentucky about 1820.  He was married to M. J. and they had three children listed in 1860.  (At that time, there were two individuals listed as ministers in Honey Grove.)  Note that J. W. Piner is not listed as the circuit rider for this church until 1869.  He may have served as a teacher for a school or a circuit rider for a
different area.  More information on this individual is needed.

The Methodists left the Union Church sometime in the 1870s.  The Rev. John Witherspoon Pettigrew McKenzie came from Clarksville and preached for us one Methodist Sunday in 1874.  In 1875, the North Texas Methodist Conference built the Paris District Honey Grove High
School here, at a cost of $10,700.  It was a two story brick building.  

Circuit Riders/Ministers Serving the Honey Grove Church – 1857 – 1880​

1857               R. A. Wooten (membership was not reported) 

1858                Calvin Cooke (214 white members, 13 probation members, 7 colored members) 

1859                Archibald C. McDougal (244 white members, 43 probation members)

1860               J. W. Chalk, with supply preacher Archibald C. McDougal (244 white members, 43 probation members) 

1861               Preacher to be supplied (274 members, 14 probation members) 

1862– 1866    The Civil War years: no records  from the Honey Grove church, although other churches in this district were reported. 

1867               No preacher (322 white members) 

1868                T. W. Mitchell (320 members; 6 local preachers) 

1869                John W. Piner (339 members, 8 local preachers) 

1870                John W. Piner (369 members) 

1871                David M. Proctor (387 members, 7 local preachers) 

1872                David M. Proctor (384 members) 

1873                Richmond N. Brown (384 members)  

1874                John W. Piner (568 members – following the visit of the Rev. J. W. P, McKenzie) 

1875                John W. Piner (244 members) 

1876– 1878       No records for the Honey Grove church; other churches in this district were reported. 

1879                W. H. Moss (455 members, 6 local preachers) 

1880                J. F. Corbin, our last circuit riding preacher, who became our first resident minister

Pastors of McKenzie Methodist Church, 1880 – Present 

Methodist Episcopal Church South

1880 – 1881    J. F. Corbin 

1881 – 1884    D. F. Fuller 

1884 – 1886    W. D. Mountcastle 

1887--1888     J. R. Wages 

1888 -- 1890    C.O. Jones

1890 -- 1892    J. R. Allen (appointed to Southwestern University in Georgetown)

1892                J. R. Mood (local pastor filled in remainder of the year)

1892 –             W. D. Mountcastle (January to November, 1893)

1893 — 1894    James Franklin Alderson

1894 – 1898    J. E. Vinson 

1898 – 1800    J. A. Stafford 

1900 – 1904    S. C. Riddle 

1904 – 1907    F. A. Rosser 

1907 – 1910    O. S. Thomas 

1910--1911      C. Pugsley (part of the year—January 29, 1911, first service in the newly remodeled church building)  

1911 -- 1913    C. H. Buchanan (March 31, 1912 – New church building dedicated.)

1913 -- 1913    Ira C. Kiker (served 6 months)

1913 -- 1915    C. B. Fledger 

1915 – 1919    Rex B. Wilkes (1918-First Annex building)

1919 – 1920    J. W. Hill (died 7/26/1920

1920 – 1922    Ira Kiker 

1922 – 1926    J. P. Luton 

1926 – 1928    W. J.. Fenton 

1928 – 1930    Clark Russell 

1930--1931      Frank B. Wheeler (short term, part of the year) 

1931 – 1934    Earl M. Jones

1934 – 1938    Bert B. Hall 

1938 – 1939    Gerald P. McCollom 

Pastors of McKenzie Methodist Church, 1880 – Present 

Methodist Episcopal Church South

1939 – 1942     T. Herbert Minga (Left in 1942 as a Chaplain in the Army Air Corps)

1942 – 1943     Walter Zimmerman 

1944--1944     C. W. Thomas (served January to July) 

1944--1944    Rev. C. A. McEowen (July – October, 1944; called himself acting pastor because he served only 3 days a week) 

1944 —1946    A. H. Logan (October 1944—May of 1946)

1946 – 1949     Duke Barron (1949- Current Annex building)

1949 – 1951     Gladstone Risinger 

1951 – 1952    J. C. Mann 

1952 – 1955     James M. Simpson, Jr. 

1955 – 1956     Kenneth Thomas 

1956 – 1959     Raymond Trompler 

1959 --1962    Walter B. Sullens (New parsonage dedicated, Feb. 14, 1960)

1962 –1964    A.M. Davenport 

1964-1967    James F. Dean   (110th Birthday Celebrated in 1966)

United Methodist Church, 1968​

1967-1969       John Hawkins 

1969-1970       H. V. Caraway 

1970-1975       Dale Swain 

1975-1979       Robert Lee 

1979-1980       John Lightfoot 

1980-1983       W. Wilson Shelley 

1983-1987       T. Shaun Wicker

1987-1991       John Hicks 

1991-1997       Dan Boyd

1997-1999       Russell Noland

1999-2001       Ted Willis

2001-2003       Charlie Pierce

2003-2006       Charles A. Cox 

2006-2008       Ann Barton