Our History
In the summer of 1978, a group of Christian families concluded that God was calling them to pioneer a new Presbyterian congregation in the Bryan/College Station area. Through prayer and some remarkable providence, the group contacted the Presbyterian Church in America, a denomination that shared their desire for Bible-based family nurture, zeal for contemporary missions, and faithfulness to historic Presbyterian convictions.
The families contacted the denomination’s Mission to North America, which led to an informal meeting with Rev. Donald C. Graham in a Bryan home. Graham became the organizing pastor. Having previously met in homes on Sunday evenings, the emerging church first met for public worship in All Faiths Chapel in October 1978. On January 28, 1979, a group of forty-eight officially became Westminster Presbyterian Church, a part of the Presbytery of Texas, Presbyterian Church of America. Graham faithfully served Westminster through June 1980, when he retired.
The church then called Rev. Al LaCour to be their pastor. Westminster met in rented facilities until July 1982 and on September 12, 1982, the current building was dedicated. Al LaCour served Westminster until May 1986, and in July 1986, the church called Rev. John Ragland to be the pastor. In July 1988, the vision for growth came to fruition when the church called Rev. Legree Finch to be their associate pastor. Rev. Scott Wilkinson became Pastor in June 1997 and Rev. Shawn Dowd accepted a call to be associate pastor in 1999. In 2001, we dedicated a new building which added much needed office and classroom space. In May 2002, Shawn Doud accepted a call to plant a church in Canada. In December 2002, Scott Wilkinson accepted a call to plant a church in North Carolina.
In August 2003, Reverend Wade Coleman became the church’s pastor, and Westminster has been blessed with growth in the 20 years since he took leadership. Associate Pastor Jon Anderson joined church staff soon after Pastor Wade’s arrival and served for 17 years in fruitful labor until he was called to lead the PCA church in Charlottesville, VA. Associate Pastor Andrew Triolo joined us in 2017 to minister to our youth, but his role has expanded to include ministries for the entire family. In 2008, the church completed construction on a large new sanctuary, administrative offices, and a children’s wing to accommodate growth. And in 2019, Westminster’s long-time goal became reality when Redeemer PCA, our daughter church, was planted in College Station. Our church staff has expanded along with the roles of our deacons and elders as we pursue our goals of worship, growth, sharing, and service. We look forward to the year 2029, when we celebrate 50 years of God’s great faithfulness to our congregation.