Background:

Ministry Credentials:

Rev. Neal is a "Clergy Member in Full Connection" of the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, having been ordained a Transitional Deacon in 1991 and an Elder ("Presbyter") in 1994 by the Reverend Dr. Bruce P. Blake, then-resident Bishop of the Dallas Episcopal Area. While trained as a theologian, Dr. Neal is nevertheless called to the pastoral ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ. During his 20 years in ministry he has served as Associate Pastor and Pastor at several United Methodist Churches in North Carolina and North Texas. In North Carolina, he served for half a year as Associate Pastor at Rehobeth and Westover (1989), then as Pastor at the Pinetops-Temperance Hall-McKendree-Marvin Charge (1990 - 1992). In North Texas he has served as Senior Pastor of First Celeste (1992 - 1993), Cockrell Hill in Dallas (1993-1996), First Trenton/Blue Ridge (1996-1997), Beverly Drive in Wichita Falls (1997-2001), and First Seagoville (2001-2007). Currently, he is in his 3rd year as the Senior Pastor of St. Stephen in Mesquite, a growing, diverse, progressive congregation on the east side of Dallas.

Activities:

In addition to his pastoral duties in the local church, Rev. Neal has served on several boards and committees of the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, including two District Committees on Ordained Ministry, the Division of National and World Outreach of the Board of Global Ministries, the Eccumenical Ministries Team, and the Conference Planning Committee. Beyond these District and Confernece responsibilities, Dr. Neal has also been involved in several mission, ministry, and educational initiatives at the denominational-level: from 1994 - 2003 he taught in the General Board of Global Ministry's Schools of Christian Mission in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia, and also served as Dean of the North Texas Cooperative Mission School from 1996-1997. Rev. Neal has been involved with the Walk to Emmaus since 1997, serving as Spiritual Director for several dozen weekend retreats and as Community Spiritual Director for the Red River and Dallas Emmaus Communities. Dr. Neal has taught This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion to numerous lay and clergy groups across the denomination since its adoption by the 2004 General Conferece. As a recognized speaker on several theological topics, including Sacramental Theology, Rev. Neal has lead numerous other spiritual retreats, revivals, and study seminars for groups all across the United Methodist Church and in other denominations.

Greg is a past member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. A member of the Order of Saint Luke, in the early 1990s he served as Prior of the Duke Divinity Chapter. His love of liturgy and the contemplative life, as well as his keen interest in the ecumenical movement, led to his being invited to become the first United Methodist Associate of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, an Anglican Monastic community which has fed him spiritually for 19 years.

Interests:

Dr. Neal is interested in many fields of Theological, Historical, and Biblical study, including Pneumatology, Christology, Philosophical Theology, New Testament Canonical and Textual Criticism, Pauline, Johannine, and Synoptic Studies, but his field of specialization is Sacramental Theology. Greg is an author of many articles and several books. One of his most important works is Grace Upon Grace: Sacramental Theology and the Christian Life, which can be ordered through The Grace Incarnate Store and Amazon.com. To read a chapter from this book -- "The Sacraments as Means of Grace" -- click here. Dr. Neal's most recent book, Seeking the Shepherd's Arms, is a work of Christian devotional literature and is also available online or in your local Christian bookstore. Never one to be idle, Dr. Neal is currently working on several books, each of which focuses upon topics within Sacramental Theology.

Among Reverend Neal's many interests may be found a love of languages, and especially the study of linguistic theory. Over the past 25 years he has been a student of 10 languages: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Coptic, Akkadian, Old Church Slavonic, Russian, and Theological German. Recently, Dr. Neal has begun a study of Dutch, and he is beginning to work on modern Hebrew. Some day he hopes to study one of the Far Eastern languages, like Japanese.

Greg is also fascinated with computers and the internet, and enjoys designing websites as a means of furthering his ministry. Rev. Neal has been a Macintosh person since the mid-1980s, and prior to the advent of the Mac he used one of several Apple II computers. Hence, it should come as no surprise that he doesn't use a Windows PC.

Like many ministers, Greg is an avid reader of many different literary genre. In addition to the theological and biblical fields, he particularly loves Science Fiction and Fantasy, his favorite authors being Robert A. Heinlein, James P. Hogan, Larry Niven, and Andre Norton. He also enjoys Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" series, the "Father Dowling Mystery" novels of Ralph McInnery, and the works of Mark Twain. Check out his Bookshelf for works of the Biblical, Theological, Historical, and Scientific genre.

Dr. Neal loves motion pictures of many different kinds, including classic films and current releases. His favorite classic-movie actor is William Powell and his all-time favorite actresses are Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn. Being a Science Fiction fan, it should not be a surprise to anyone that Greg is also a fan of Star Trek, Stargate SG1, and the new Battlestar Galactica.

Greg is also an avid world traveler, and especially loves ocean-going vessels and cruise ships. The Holland America Line is his Cruise Line of choice; although he has traveled on ships of other Lines, he particularly loves the charm and old-world grace and high level of service that is provided by their officers and crew. Thus far, he has enjoyed well over 135 days aboard HAL ships as a passenger, and even more days as a Volunteer Chaplain, and looks forward to many more years of ocean voyages on the decks of HAL's "Damships." Check out his Photographs Page and his Cruise Photos Links Page for photos and reviews from many of his cruises and trips around the world. You can also find him posting on the CruiseCritic discussion board under the screen name "RevNeal," as well as over on the CruiseMates message board, so check out his postings either place.

Email Reverend Neal!