Name: Rev. James K. Varner, D.Min.
Hometown: Houston
Present City: Georgetown, Texas
Education: Baylor, 1959; Seminary, 1967; SMU Perkins Doctor of Ministry, 2010 in a study of the worship offering from the beginning of human history to the 21st century.
Profession: 60 years in Christian ministry, including 20 years as Baptist pastor; 20 years as capital campaign consultant in U.S. and Canada; 10 years as VP of stewardship services, Texas Methodist Foundation, Austin; 10 years as pastor at Conservatory Church, Austin.
Tell us about your family.
Married 63 years to my teen sweetheart, Shirley Gates Varner. One daughter, Noelle; we treasure her memory following her 2017 death. She gifted us with two adult granddaughters living in Texas.
Any favorite hobbies?
Former runner; now regular 2- to 3-mile walker. I enjoy devotional studies and casual reading. I loved to preach and miss it, often writing sermons in my head. Enjoy fun rides in a ’95 Miata ragtop.
What are your favorite places to travel?
For years, Shirley and I enjoyed travel in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. We made mission trips to Mexico, Russia, Ukraine and Kenya. Now we enjoy car trips to Rockport, Texas; Ruidoso, New Mexico; and the Colorado Rockies.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
I’ve read George Mason’s sermons for many years and followed Wilshire’s dynamic ministry history. During Covid, unable to lead worship at the church I served, we began watching Wilshire worship regularly. After my 2022 retirement, we joined Wilshire in February 2023 because of its inclusive openness, traditional worship with powerful music and engaging preachers. We worship online with occasional trips to Dallas.
Tell us about your faith journey.
When I was 9, a Sunday School teacher told me, “Jesus loves you and wants to live in your heart!” My faith today is still both simple and profound. Raised in a fundamentalist tradition, my faith journey has been a challenge: “What do I hold on to? What do I let go? What are richer expressions for a faith-filled Christ follower?” As a church consultant, I served a wide spectrum of Christian traditions, engaging with each faith community with a commitment to respect their traditions. These relationships enriched my own ever-growing faith. In 1979, with the SBC fundamentalist takeover, I left the Southern Baptist denomination. Now, joyfully, we are at Wilshire still discovering the meaning of a growing faith in a changing world.
What’s something interesting most people would not know about you?
I love Gaither gospel music. I swam in the frigid, polluted Volga River with Russian friends and walked in a “patriotic” parade with a Russian cosmonaut — no convertibles. What adjectives best describe you? Tenacious, inquisitive, faithful, happy!