George was Wilshire’s senior pastor for 33 years, from 1989 until 2022, when he retired from the role. He is a nationally recognized religious leader, serving the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Fellowship Southwest, Pastors for Texas Children and Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square. He is the lead advisor for the Baptist House of Studies at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. George is an op-ed contributor to the Dallas Morning News and for many years wrote a monthly column on public theology for the community news magazine the Advocate. Since 2018, he has produced and hosted Good God, a podcast featuring conversations about faith and public life. He founded and serves as president of Faith Commons, a nonprofit organization promoting public discourse rooted in the common values of many faiths.

At Wilshire, George birthed and continues to be involved with the Pathways to Ministry clergy apprenticeship program. This includes a renowned pastoral residency program that has become a model for congregations nationwide. His book, Preparing the Pastors We Need: Reclaiming the Congregation’s Role in Training Clergy, was published in 2012 by Alban Press. One of his passions is encouraging those whom God has called into vocational ministry.

George’s second book, The Word Made Fresh: Preaching God’s Love for Every Body — a compilation of 80 sermons spanning his Wilshire tenure — was published in 2023 by Read the Spirit, an imprint of Front Edge Publishing.

George earned a business degree in 1978 from the University of Miami (Florida), where he was a quarterback on the football team. He holds both the Master of Divinity (1982) and Doctor of Philosophy (1987) degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. His doctoral field of study was systematic theology, with a minor in philosophy of religion.

A native of New York City, George has been married to Kim since 1979. They have three children and seven grandchildren.