April 22, 2020
TMF Welcomes Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson-White as Director of Leadership Ministry
The Texas Methodist Foundation (TMF) recently announced the addition of the Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson-White to its staff as TMF’s Director of Leadership Ministry, effective July 1. In that role, Thompson-White will be working with clergy and congregations to address critical missional needs of the church, offering resources, research, experiments, and strategic conversations to help communities discern and discover new ways to fulfill God’s purposes. Thompson-White comes to TMF from her most recent appointment as senior pastor at Arapaho United Methodist Church in Richardson.
“Blair is an exceptional local church pastor, preacher and leader,” said Lisa Greenwood, TMF’s vice president of Leadership Ministry. “Her experience with Teach for America in Houston, working with Project Transformation, and serving as a courageous local church pastor give Blair a fresh perspective for TMF’s work with leaders and congregations. She is a learner, observer, connecter, thinker, innovator and an excellent communicator. Leadership Ministry will more fully ‘steward the potential’ of innovative leaders with Blair on our team!"
Joining the staff at TMF is well-timed, added TMF President Tom Locke. “As we emerge from the disruptive environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, I think Blair will be instrumental in helping leaders continue the risk-taking, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit we’ve seen demonstrated. TMF has been focusing its attention on encouraging leaders to think expansively and act courageously to reach new people in new ways. Blair’s youthful perspective, experience and passion for this work will help us embolden current and future generations of imaginative leaders for the church.”
An ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, Thompson-White’s first appointment was senior pastor of Frontenac United Methodist in Frontenac, Kansas. She served at First United Methodist Church of Dallas from 2014-2016 before her appointment to Arapaho UMC.
"The Texas Methodist Foundation has been a means of grace for me and my ministry for years," Thompson-White said. "God has uniquely positioned TMF to energize and empower the church to share the good news of Jesus Christ with new people in new ways. I am in awe of how TMF ignites passion for innovation and creates space for the Spirit to flourish and do amazing things. The Spirit is so evident at TMF. How grateful and excited I am to be joining the Leadership Ministry team!"
Thompson-White earned Doctor of Ministry and Master of Divinity degrees from Perkins School of Theology. After graduating from the University of Kansas, she taught at an inner-city school through Teach for America. She resides in Allen, Texas, with her husband Adam White, an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, TMF is a nonprofit organization offering assistance to United Methodists through investments, loans, grants and leadership, strategic discernment, gift planning, and endowment services. TMF serves the six United Methodist conferences throughout Texas and New Mexico. Leading from its core values of servanthood, integrity and competence, TMF has been serving United Methodist congregations for over 80 years. It is the largest United Methodist foundation in the country with more than $600 million in assets under management. To learn more, please visit tmf-fdn.org.