Our Pastors
Rev. Greg McKinnon is a native of Enterprise, Alabama, where he graduated from Enterprise High School in 1972. He began his ministry by working as the summer Youth Director at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Enterprise in the summer of 1974. In 1975 he started working at Whitfield United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Alabama while attending Huntingdon College.
After graduating from Huntingdon with a degree in Business Administration, Greg entered the business world briefly and worked in the First Alabama Bankshares (now Regions Bank) investment department. He was only there about six months when he went to work at Frazer United Methodist Church as their first full-time Youth Minister. After spending seven years at Frazer, the next 19 years he served as a Youth Minister at several churches including First Methodist Church of Houston, Texas; Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri; and Auburn United Methodist Church in Auburn, Alabama where he served for 13 years before coming on staff at Niceville in August of 2003.
Greg and his wife, Hope, were married in 1977. Hope is a native of Montgomery, Alabama. They have two children, Wesley and Faith.
Greg received a Master of Divinity degree from Bethel Seminary in 2003 and was consecrated as a provisional Elder in 2007.
Click here to e-mail Greg McKinnon
Rev. Lisa Ausley comes to us as an ordained deacon in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. Her husband, Rurel, is the Senior Pastor of the Niceville FUMC. As a team in ministry, Rurel and Lisa have served the Silas Charge UMCs in Silas, AL. ('80-82), the Aldergsgate UMC in Montgomery, AL. (82-85) where Lisa served as Sr. Adult Minister and Assistant Youth Minister, Aldersgate UMC in Molino, FL. (85-88), St. Paul UMC in Gulf Breeze, FL (88-94), Clanton, AL 1st UMC (94-98) and Niceville, FL. FUMC (98-09).
Lisa carries the distinction of being the first person in United Methodist history to be ordained to the new Order of Permanent Deacon (May 26, l997). Prior to this, she was a diaconal minister in the Alabama-West Florida Conference.
She ministers to parents with children touched by autism, serves as a teacher in many venues, including women’s ministry, and carries a passion for missions, working to help parishioners get to the mission field. She makes herself available as a consultant to homeschool families and serves on the Executive Board of Directors of OMS International, a mission-sending agency within the Wesleyan tradition.
Lisa received her teaching degree (English/Spanish) from Asbury College in 1977 with highest honors and her Masters Degree in Biblical Literature from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1980, with high honors. Before marrying Rurel in l980, she served on mission fields in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain. In the pastorate, she has worked in senior adult ministry, youth ministry, women’s ministries and children’s ministries and missions. She serves within the Alabama-West Florida Conference in the roles of preaching and retreat and conference speaking.
In 2008, after 22 years, Lisa fulfilled her calling of homeschooling three sons: Matthew (26) and a young businessman in Niceville, Florida, Andrew (24) an engineer in Atlanta and PhD student at Georgia Tech and Luke (17), a student at the collegiate high school of Northwest Florida State College.
Click here to e-mail Lisa Ausley
Brice Early has been serving as the Minister of Recreation at the Community Life Center (Niceville) since October 2003. In May of 2004 he was married in Destin on the beach to his beautiful bride, Jordin. On December 19, 2006, Jordin and Brice welcomed their first child and son, Benjamin “Reace”, into the world. On August 19, 2009 they welcomed the daughter Peyton Elise Early into the world. Brice has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Williams Baptist College, a Master of Arts degree in History from Arkansas State University, and has completed his course work for his Doctorate of Philosophy degree from the University of Arkansas. He has also completed continuing graduate work from the University of North Texas and Golden Gate Seminary. Brice is now continuing his education at Asbury Theological Seminary.
Brice accepted Christ at age 8 at a church camp for boys in South Dakota. Working in recreation for approximately 12 years, Brice has led several successful recreation, education, and student ministry programs. He grew up in the West and has served on church staffs in Missouri, Arkansas, Virginia, Illinois, and now Florida. Brice loves to speak, and enjoys teaching a small group Bible study and an occasional class at the local college. In his spare time he loves to travel, snow ski/board, hit the beach, snorkel, rock climb, kayak, play with his dog, teach college classes, build things, and watch reruns of Seinfeld. Since having two children, Brice simply likes thinking of all these things as he tries to take a nap!
Click here to e-mail Brice Early
