Rev. Thomas Garner

Rev. Thomas Hayden Garner is a native of Dallas, TX, and has served in ministry for over a decade. After accepting his calling, Thomas was licensed to preach at Antioch Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, by Rev. Dr. Karry Don Wesley in 2012 and was later ordained in 2016.

Thomas graduated from Prairie View A&M University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a Minor in International Business. At Prairie View, he was the founder of the PVAMU Young Ministers Association and co-host of The Church and Community in Action on KPVU Radio.

In 2017, Rev. Garner graduated with honors from George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, earning a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Church and Ministry Leadership. While at Baylor, Rev. Garner served as President of the Truett Preaching Society and the Truett Black Student Association. He was later hired by the seminary’s preaching department to serve as a Preaching Coach while also working as an Associate Director of Student Recruitment.

After completing his Master of Divinity, Rev. Garner transitioned from a summer intern to a full-time staff pastor at Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston, TX, where he served from 2018 to 2021. At Brentwood, Rev. Garner faithfully fulfilled his roles as Marketing Coordinator and Minister for Marriage, Young Adult, and College ministries.

Thomas is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology. He also serves as the Director of Education and Outreach for the Black Africana Church Studies Program at Perkins, while simultaneously working as a Professor of Christian Theology and Tradition in the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University.

On September 1, 2021, Thomas accepted the call to serve as the Pastor of Pastoral Care at Friendship-West Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III. Thomas is the proud husband of Taylor Thomas Garner and the father of their son, Paxton Hayden Garner, and daughter, Parker Jeneane Garner.

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