Briarwood Presbyterian Church names interim minister
Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham has named a new interim minister.
The Rev. Dan Doriani, a professor of biblical and systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary, will serve as interim pastor beginning Dec. 1, with his first sermon scheduled for the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 3, the church announced.
Briarwood’s longtime Pastor Harry Reeder III died May 18 in a car crash. Reeder had served as senior pastor of the 4,100-member Briarwood Church since 1999, taking over for founding Senior Pastor Frank Barker.
“I’ve known about this church for many years, and have the deepest respect for its ministry in Birmingham, across America and throughout the world,” Doriani said in a video message to the congregation. “It was also my privilege to know Harry Reeder and his family and to work with him on a variety of projects in recent years.”
Doriani has a master of divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America in 1982.
“We are excited about and grateful for this opportunity for Dan Doriani to help lead and shepherd the people of Briarwood as they continue to mourn the passing of Dr. Reeder and seek a new senior pastor,” said Covenant Seminary President Tom Gibbs. “Dr. Reeder is sorely missed and left some big shoes to fill, but we are confident that Dan’s experience and expertise will serve this flagship congregation of the PCA well for the time he is there. We pray for a successful pastoral search and for God’s blessing on the church and our denomination.”
Doriani previously served for over a decade as the senior pastor of Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, and has served as an interim pastor or preacher in 10 churches.
Doriani is the founder of The Center for Faith and Work in St. Louis, which focuses on engaging the world through a Biblical understanding of work and vocation.
Doriani and his wife, Debbie, have been married for 47 years and have three daughters and five grandchildren who all live in the St. Louis area.
See also: Briarwood mourns Pastor Harry Reeder, ‘towering oak of a pastor,’ killed in crash
Rev. Harry Reeder, Briarwood senior pastor, killed in Shelby County crash
Founding Pastor Frank Barker of Briarwood Presbyterian Church dies