Church Leadership

As a covenant child, Brent was born into a godly, PCA family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Christian schools and graduated as Salutatorian of his senior class. Brent attended John Brown University on a soccer scholarship with the intentions of pursuing a soccer career, but early into his freshman year, God changed his plans and he began to pursue a call to ministry. After becoming engaged to his wife, Brent transferred to Oral Roberts University to complete the last three semesters where he graduated Cum Laude with a B.A in Pastoral Care and a minor in New Testament Studies. In 2002 he received his M.Div from Covenant Seminary in Saint Louis.

After Seminary, Brent served three years as assistant pastor of youth and families in Sebring, Florida before accepting the call to GCC Palm Harbor in October of 2006. Brent and his wife have been married for 21 years and they have have two wonderful boys.

If there was a single verse that would describe where Brent is spiritually, it would be Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”

Raised in the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, Dr. Jennings can gratefully testify to being born again by God’s Spirit during his years at the Naval Academy. In 1971, he earned a B.S. in Foreign Affairs from United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. And, in 1980 he earned a M.S. in Systems Technology from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

However, because of the burden to teach and preach the Word of God, Dr. Jennings pursued the calling to full-time, ordained ministry. He graduated from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri in 1983 with a M.Div, and from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida in 1997, with a Doctorate of Ministry.

Dr. Jennings became persuaded that the framework of “Reformed” theology most faithfully represented the system of doctrine taught in the Scriptures, and so has labored since seminary in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) and the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He has served three congregations over a 30-year span and purposes to devote himself to “prayer and the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4).

Dr. Jennings has served Christ’s Church as both a ruling and teaching elder in many different Presbyteries, filling many leadership offices. He has traveled on short term mission assignments in various parts of the world. His greatest joy in these settings has been helping to train younger pastors for their future ministerial callings.

Dr. Jennings and his wife, Mary, moved to the Tampa Bay area desiring to be closer to their daughter and her family. While sensing a need for some sabbatical rest from full-time pastoring, the call to Grace Community Church has provided an opportunity to remain active in serving the Church through the leadership, teaching, counseling, and preaching gifts the Lord has entrusted to him.

My wife Sue and I have been members of this church since 1989. We’ve been married for 57 years and have two children (a son and a daughter), and 5 grandchildren.  We live on Lake Tarpon in Palm Harbor.

I am a Vietnam veteran and, after serving my country, attended the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland where I majored in Business Administration.

I was involved in the health care industry for 33 years and retired as a Vice President of Sales for a pharmaceutical company.

God enabled me to believe in Jesus Christ in 1974 and I’ve been involved in church leadership ever since.  I was ordained as a Ruling Elder in the PCA in 1997.  I currently serve on our Session and other areas of service, including teaching Sunday School, music ministry, and adult fellowship activities.

For decades, I was an immature Christian seeking comfort in the fire insurance policy I thought I had purchased with my faith. Testing my beliefs was stressful, so I didn’t. Stumbling into an understanding of Reformed theology amazed me. The questions were stressful, but the revelations of truth gave me a freedom and peace where previously I had only a degree of presumptive certainty. The truth of God, beyond a shallow understanding of Christ’s redemptive work, progressively gave me more than I thought possible in this life.

It’s been an interesting journey: Methodist to United Methodist to Southern Baptist to Presbyterian Church in America with a sprinkling of visits to other denominations and independents, including charismatic, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Christian, other variations of Presbyterian, a home church & more.

Now retired, I’m able to not only be a Deacon at Grace Community Church (PCA) but also serve as President of Reformation Academy, a Christian para-church ministry that seeks to assist Brothers & Sisters in Christ in learning, sharing & applying truth for our mutual benefit and ultimately for the glory of God, our Redeemer.

In partnership with his wife of 48 years, Alan has been actively involved in the life of the local church (and the church, at large).  He has been a church camp counselor (where he met his wife), a youth Sunday school teacher, an adult Sunday school teacher, a campus ministry treasurer, a church treasurer, a deacon (in two denominations), and a church foundation board chairman.

He and his wife have raised three successful children and are the proud grandparents of six.

Alan graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Mathematics and began his professional career with IBM as a junior programmer in Endicott, NY.  Alan is a retired information technology project executive/director (and continuing ‘geek’ having recently earned a degree in cybersecurity).  He has moved his family seven times including a three-year assignment in Australia.  He has worked on three continents and in 15 cities.  After all this, there is ‘no place like home.’

He is a strong advocate for Grace Community Church and its Reformed teaching provided in a consistent, effective manner.