Interim Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Giddings, Texas.

Education

ThD in Pastoral Counseling, Emory University (1999) AAS in Drug & Alcohol Abuse Counseling, Sullivan County Community College (1987) MDiv concentration in NT, Princeton Theological Seminary (1982) BA in Bible/Communication (dual major), Messiah College (1978)

Bio

Rev. David Lee Jones was born and raised in Bloomfield, New Jersey and nurtured in Bethel Presbyterian Church. David currently lives in Austin, TX, with his wife, Jennifer Jones, M.D. They have two children—Faith and Morgan. David sensed a call to ministry in early childhood and was officially endorsed as a Candidate for Ordained Ministry by his home congregation while in college. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA) in October 1982 and served as Assistant Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Southampton, NY—the oldest Presbyterian Church in the United States (founded in 1640). He then served as solo pastor of congregations in Jeffersonville and Roscoe, NY. While there, he graduated Valedictorian with a degree in Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counseling from Sullivan County Community College.

David completed a year of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA in 1988. He graduated from the Doctor of Theology program in Pastoral Counseling at Emory University in 1999 where his doctoral research focused on helping persons wounded by problem drinkers discover forgiveness.

He pastored two Presbyterian Churches in Atlanta Presbytery while finishing his Th.D. Degree, and received Atlanta Presbytery’s Small Church Pastor of the Year Award and the church simultaneously received The Small Church of the Year Award. He served as the Executive Director of the Harmony Grove Counseling Center (a Methodist Church-based pastoral counseling center) for 12 years. For over a decade, he worked nights and weekends as an emergency room Crisis Counselor for several county mental health centers. He achieved Fellow status in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.

From 2003 to 2012 he directed Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry Program. He served a two-year term as President of the Association for Doctor of Ministry Education (ADME) and has received all three of ADME’s awards. He twice received ADME’s Barnabas Award. In 2008, he received ADME’s highest award: The Outstanding Leadership Award in Doctor of Ministry Education. In 2015, he received The Distinguished Past President’s Award.

He has been studying and implementing Bowen family systems theory for over 30 years, and worked closely with Dr. Peter Steinke until his death in July 2020. David is a popular

speaker/consultant on leadership development and conflict management. He has authored

numerous academic articles and his essay: “Peace is Systemic” won first place in

Bethany Theological Seminary’s Peace Essay Writing Contest.

He taught adjunctively in the Seminary of the Southwest’s (Episcopal) master’s degree

programs in Chaplaincy and Counseling from 2008 through 2018.

David is a trained Interim Minister and has he served as Interim Minister for five

Presbyterian Churches in the Austin, TX area prior to coming to Giddings.

David Directed the Doctor of Ministry Degree at Nashotah House Theological Seminary,

Nashotah, WI, from November 2017 through June of 2020.

He began as our fulltime interim pastor on May 1 st , 2023.