Trinity Presbyterian Church Celebrates 40 Years of Tending Hearts & Souls

It was a typical weekday afternoon, and Pastor Jake Clawson stopped mid-conversation as he realized just how many anniversary celebrations he had to look forward to in the near future. For starters, Trinity Presbyterian Church of Flower Mound will celebrate 40 years of serving the community this time next year, which also closely coincides with his 10th year as the parish’s head pastor.

On top of that, he and his wife, Colleen, will be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary — all within weeks of each other.

“Lots of anniversaries, for sure,” Pastor Jake said with a laugh. “I think about the church anniversary a lot because 40 years ago, there wasn’t too much in Flower Mound. Shortly after I got here nine years ago, a longtime member shared how, years earlier, her daughter had run away from home as a teenager. They lived in Denton, and the daughter called the next day to apologize and say that she wanted to come home. As a worried parent, the response was, ‘Just tell me where you are.’ The daughter immediately said she was in Flower Mound, but the reply was, ‘Where is that?’”

He added, “We laugh about it all now because this was someone who had lived just down the road in Denton for decades. But it just goes to show that what we know as Flower Mound today wasn’t even really on the map 40 years ago.”

Clearly, Flower Mound and its surrounding communities have come a long way in 40 years. And in many ways, the same could be said for Trinity Presbyterian Church and the pastor who has spent the past decade evolving right along with it. As a church, Trinity is one of just two Presbyterian churches in southern Denton County. Dr. Bob Hanson was asked to be Trinity’s organizing pastor in June 1986. In September of that same year, the first worship service was held in the historic Bethel Chapel.

The church has had only three installed head pastors in its rich history, with Pastor Jake as the third. But while Trinity has deep roots in the community, nothing about the way Pastor Jake approaches his role, worship, and faith is particularly traditional. In his eyes, church should be a place where people can bring both their hearts and their minds. It should make room for questions, wrestle with the realities people encounter in everyday life, and provide a faith-based perspective on those issues.

As a result, devoted attendees will be quick to tell you that many Sundays are spent tackling difficult and, at times, uncomfortable topics that many churches stay clear of. This includes everything from immigration and social justice to subjects that affect the LGBTQ+ community, neighbors and friends of Muslim faith, and what it means to live out one’s faith in an increasingly complicated world. This doesn’t mean Pastor Jake’s sermons are instantly political. It is about recognizing that nothing in our life is beyond God’s touch and that a life of faith is about more than what one is against. Following Jesus makes us people who are for our neighbors.

“The Presbyterian Church felt like home to me because it makes space for people who use not only their hearts but also their heads to navigate a life of faith that takes all of life into consideration,” Pastor Jake said.

“I’m responding from a religious point of view. I don’t care what team we’re each on. I care more about what best reflects the Kingdom of God, what best reflects the heart of God, and what reflects what Jesus calls us to be in this community.

“How can I be a pastor and not be a good neighbor? Jesus had a lot to say about being a good neighbor, justice, and caring for the poor and vulnerable. These are things our faith calls us to do.”

Perhaps that is the most fitting way for Trinity Presbyterian Church of Flower Mound to approach its 40th anniversary — not by looking into the past, but by continuing to look outward at the community it has called home for so long, and by being present for its neighbors while meeting them where they are. A lot can change in 40 years, and the church and its pastor aren’t finished changing with it.

To learn more, visit tpcfm.org.