Leadership
Dr. Jerry Halbrook, Senior Pastor and Elder
Jerry Halbrook came to faith in Christ as a child through an evangelistic meeting. God called him into the gospel ministry when he was twenty-four. While attending Criswell Bible College he met Linda, who was a student at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. Pastor Jerry and Doctor Linda have two children, Chad and April. Chad is an actor, and April is a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station and is pursuing a nursing career.
Jerry earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies from Criswell College, the Master of Theology Degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and the Doctor of Ministry Degree, also from DTS. He has served as Parkway’s pastor since 1992.
Kirk Taylor, Pastor/Evangelism, Missions, & Small Group and Elder
Born in Lubbock, Texas on May 22, 1955 Kirk was born again on March 15, 1968 at the age of twelve. Pastor Kirk is a living testimony to God giving people second chances.When called to the gospel ministry at age sixteen, Kirk played Jonah and went the other direction. Like the prodigal son returning home, God recalled him in 1986, but Kirk played Moses and argued with God for nine months before surrendering to the Lord's call on his life. Married to Georgia for 25 years, they have two children: daughter Jordan, age 22 and son Hayden, age 18. They have one grandson, Caden, born August 5, 2009.
Kirk was the pastor of four churches before his last church, Christ's Community merged with Parkway in November 2006.
Mike Edgemon, Elder
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1947, Mike served as a deacon since 1987 at Parkway before serving as an elder. He graduated from Louisiana Tech where he met his wife, Dianne. In their thirty-five year marriage, God has blessed them with two children. After their graduations from Texas A&M, Matthew came to work alongside Mike in his company and Amy is attending dental school. Both are actively serving the Lord through their churches. Mike enjoys serving through support activities encouraging the body of Christ.
Michael W. Boss, Counselor and Elder
Born, in Ohio, in 1947 Mike received Christ as Savior in 1961, at the age of fourteen. He attended Taylor University before entering the U.S. Navy during the Viet Nam war. He served for eleven years and married his high school sweetheart in 1968. They were blessed with two children, born in 1971 and 1974. He was ordained as a deacon in 1981 and continued until ordained as an elder for Christ's Community Church in 2004. Mike recieved training in Christ centered biblical counseling at Exchanged Life Ministries Texas. He works full time in Dallas, but his heart is in Christian counseling and discipling: helping individuals, married and pre-marriage couples experience freedom and victory in Christ as they come to understand their true identity in Him.
Warren Robbins, Elder
Warren is a native Texan and has been a follower of Jesus Christ since childhood. As a child and into young adulthood Warren attended churches of various Christian denominations with widely varying doctrinal views. Though he had a close walk with the Lord he felt confused and had many unanswered questions about the Bible and Christian living. Over the years the Lord graciously brought voices to teach and encourage him in his faith through systematic sound doctrine and exemplary living. Through this experience he has come to place a premium on sound preaching and teaching and the importance of striving to live out that teaching – together, as the body of Christ, being built up for the work of the ministry. Warren served as an elder for 6 years in his previous church and is now privileged to serve again in that capacity here at Parkway. Warren works as a software developer for an Addison company. He and his wife, Mary, have 8 children.
Steve M. Williams, Elder
Steve is the youngest of the elders, but boasts in his grey hair being a "crown of glory". He came to know Christ as his Lord and Saviour at the age of eight in a revival service in Magnolia, Arkansas. He was ordained as a deacon at the age of twenty-six and continued in that service for sixteen years until he was ordained as an elder for Christ's Community Church in 2004. His passion is teaching the Word and discipleship of hungry believers. He has been married to his hometown sweetheart, Karen, since 1982. They (mostly she), home-school their seven children, the first of which arrived in 1987 and the last arrived in 2001. He works along side his brother, as a dentist, at the Allen Dental Center in Allen, Texas.
Rex Parker, Elder
Born in Rawlins, Wyoming, in October 1956, Rex grew up in the small west Texas town of Ozona. He married Lori, his high school sweetheart, in 1975. God blessed the Parkers with three wonderful children--Eric is twenty-seven, Rebekah is eleven, and Abigail is seven. Rex came to faith at age seven, but began to walk with the Lord in earnest at thirty-three. He joined Parkway in 1998 and feels privileged to participate as an elder in what God is doing there.
Al Steenburg, Elder
Born in Aurora, Nebraska in 1956, Al came to faith in Christ in college through the campus ministry of the Navigators. His interests are in the discipleship and encouragement of believers through small groups, studying the Bible and playing guitar for worship music. Al works as an electrical engineer at Raytheon. He and his wife Tina have been married for sixteen years and have two sons, Andrew, age fourteen and James, age twelve.
Emerson Porter, Minister of Music
Emerson and his wife, Cindy, have been involved in ministry all of their almost 40 years of marriage. They been partners serving with preschoolers, children, students and adults in worship, music and Christian education. They grew up in West Texas, both professing Christ as Savior in the same church as children. They have lived and served in North Texas since 1972 while Emerson completed Southwestern Seminary and while Cindy completed the University of North Texas. She currently is a speech therapist with the LoveJoy ISD. They have two daughters, Marcy and Holly. Marcy lives in McKinney and is married and the mother of their two grandsons, Lincoln and Sutton. She is an LPC with the Meier Clinic. Holly is married and is a nanny living in Austin.
Lori Parker, Director of Preschool & Children's Ministries
Lori was born in Andrews, Texas on November 11, 1957 and raised in the southwest town of Ozona. Lori became a Christian in 1970 and, as she says, "began to walk with Him daily" after moving to the McKinney area in 1985. She married her high school sweetheart, Rex, in 1975. Rex and Lori have three children; Eric, age twenty-nine, Rebekah, age fourteen, and Abbie, age nine. Eric married his sweet wife, Laurie, in 2001. They have one son, Ethan James, born on November 19,2008. Both girls attend McKinney Christian Academy. Abbie is in the fourth grade and Rebekah is in the ninth grade and a Varisty cheerleader. Rebekah is a competitive dancer on team at Taylor's Dance Center and Abbie loves taking piano lessons. Lori has served on staff in children's ministry at Parkway since 2000.
