I am honored to serve Centenary Methodist Church as your Senior Pastor! I wake up each day with the prayer, “Lord, send me someone I can serve today” and God does not fail to do so! I have been in Cape Girardeau since October 2023, and I am proud to say Centenary is my church home.

I received my undergraduate degree at THE Ohio State University, my Master of Divinity at Asbury Theological Seminary, and am working toward completion of my Doctor of Ministry degree, also from Asbury Seminary. My calling has always been to recruit, equip, and deploy the next generation of Christian leaders, and for 28 years of professional ministry I did so through the United Methodist Church. Now as a member of the Global Methodist Church, I feel a renewed passion for preaching, teaching and leading the next generation.

I was born and raised in the UMC, and was named after the pastor of our church (that’s a whole other story on its own!). My journey with Christ began in earnest at a small church camp in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia at the age of 12, and grew through Campus Crusade for Christ, now called CRU, at OSU. It was through the influence of many friends, pastors and mentors that I surrendered to the call to ministry.

My favorite quote comes from the eminent theologian Ray Charles, who said, “Live each day as if it’s your last, because one day you’ll be right.” I have a nerdy obsession with Biblical archaeology, and especially with the book of Revelation. I have many favorite verses from the Bible, but one of my very favorite is Philippians 1:6 – “6 And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.” (TLB)

My wife Denni and I are blessed to have 7 children: two biological daughters, three adopted daughters and two adopted sons. Trust me when I say that doesn’t leave much free time! But in what free time we have, I love to cook (especially BBQ), golf and play guitar.

My hope for the future of Centenary is that we would not only grow in numbers, but in depth as disciples of Jesus. God has put each one of us here at this time to fulfill his Kingdom’s goal, and I look forward to coaching and encouraging each of us to pursue that goal to the fullest!

You can always contact me by email at carl.palmer@mycentenary.org, or by phone or text at 479-790-0741.