First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale is pleased to welcome its new Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley, and his wife, Kelly, to their new church home. Dr. Wrisley’s first service will take place on Sunday, January 21, 2018.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Wrisley has served five distinctive churches since being ordained in 1988. Prior to arriving at First Pres, he served for more than five years as Senior Pastor and Teaching Elder at First Presbyterian Church DeLand in DeLand, Florida. He has also served as Senior Pastor and Teaching Elder at University Place Presbyterian Church in University Place, Washington; founding pastor at Community Presbyterian Church in Celebration, Florida; Minister of Evangelism at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia; and pastor at Summerville Presbyterian Church in Summerville, Georgia. He has a B.S. in communications with an emphasis in forensics from Georgia Southern College, an M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and a D.Min. from Drew University, where he was a Dean’s Fellow with Dr. Leonard I. Sweet and graduated with distinction. Dr. Wrisley is also a trained coach for New Church Development and a certified trainer for small groups with NavPress and Christ Care Groups through Stephen Ministries. In his spare time, Dr. Wrisley enjoys reading, writing, hiking and riding his motorcycle through back roads while enjoying a cigar. He and his wife have two grown daughters, Lauren and Katherine.