Dr. Stan Copeland and his wife Tammy have been a team in ministry for 32 years. They married in 1981 and moved from their rural East Texas home to Kansas City, Missouri where Stan attended Saint Paul School of Theology. He graduated with honors and the coveted Brady preaching award and returned to Texas to be the Associate Pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Henderson. In Henderson (1984-1986) he made an impact on the church and the larger community, which awarded him the Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year award at the age of 26. Days after receiving that award he was diagnosed with a terminal form of leukemia. He moved to First United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas which was closer to MD Anderson hospital where he underwent an experimental drug treatment. The protocol was not successful overall, with only 8% of the participants responding positively, but Copeland was cured. This experience forever fused in his heart the belief of facing Colinas~hills~challenges and calling on the Lord who is found in the midst of the hills of our lives. Psalm 121 At First Church in Houston, Stan Copeland became known for his effective team building, evangelism and small group work. The church averaged nearly 700 new members each year that Stan oversaw the evangelism ministry. He was also tapped to oversee the West Campus initiative, in 1991, which was the first United Methodist church to attempt to do worship and ministry from two locations. Small group ministry was the driver of this new approach and he trained leaders for over 150 small groups. Dr. Copeland completed his doctorate at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio writing his dissertation entitled “Field Preaching in a Post-Modern World” on the dual-campus, extended ministry approach. In 1992 Stan was appointed to his first Senior Pastor post at Pollard United Methodist Church in Tyler, Texas. Under his leadership the congregation grew from 1,500 to 2,000 in membership. Every inch of the campus was renovated and considerable new space was added as he led the congregation in two capital campaigns in five years and established an endowment. In 1998, at the age of 38, Stan was appointed to the North Texas Conference, to become the fourth pastor of the Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas. In his ministry at Lovers Lane he has become well known as a visionary leader with an understanding of the church as “business as unusual.” Building a church from 900 in weekly worship attendance to a multi-cultural, multi-worship service, small group based, one-on-one disciple-making congregation with nearly 1500 in weekly worshippers from over 20 different countries of the world, has been his legacy. The church is known for its incredible call to missions and other-oriented generosity. Stan Copeland has led Lovers Lane to raise over $35 million in two capital campaigns and has nearly tripled the budget to $4.5 million. In addition the church has started five 501c(3)s that account for another $3 million in operations. In 2006 Stan wrote a book about his mentor, Dr. William H. Hinson entitled Lord, He Went: Remembering William H. Hinson.He then began to dream of a church full of mentors: clergy and consummate lay church leaders who would mentor in what he has come to call the Colinasway method. His newest book Our Story, Our Song about Lovers Lane is an example of what Dr. Stan Copeland and his colleagues believe all churches have in them: a life-changing story and a unique vision of making disciples that can change the planet. Tammy and Stan have two children Zach (26) and Emily Grace (19) and one daughter-in-law Emily Marie (26). Tammy, who is an elementary public school teacher, is quick to say, “Stan is the only Colinasway mentor in the family and it’s my second job to keep him well-grounded and about the work of the Lord on this planet. His vision and ideas keep us all hopping. He’s a ‘blessed’ handful.” To which he could simply say, “Amen.”