Valarie Englert is lead pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX.  She has served churches in the North Texas Conference since early 2000, both as an associate pastor and lead pastor.  Her ministry is characterized by meeting challenges when and where they present themselves, whether those challenges originate in the current climate of “being church,” or in the week-in-week-out activities of life in community.

Valarie’s leadership style is visionary and collaborative.  Her leadership is characterized by what she values:  compassion, mercy, mutuality, racial justice, full inclusion, and equity.  These values also inform her preaching and worship presence.

Educated at the University of Texas at Dallas (B.A., Literary Studies cum laude, 1995) and at Southern Methodist University (Perkins School of Theology, M.Div. magna cum laude, 2000), Valarie is an eager learner with wide-ranging interests.  Her focus these days is drawn to living the spiritual life in a divided, post-pandemic world; influencing governmental policies from a communal faith vantage point; and responding to demographic groups who are struggling as a result of our current national milieu and global climate crisis.

Valarie has been married to Rick for 35 years and they have one daughter, Eva, who is an ordained deacon serving in the Little Rock, AR area.  Eva’s spouse, Chris, is a pediatric nurse in Little Rock.  Valarie is an animal lover, garden and nature lover, foodie-cook and avid reader.  Music is one of her greatest joys, whether it is singing hymns in the congregation on a Sunday morning or jammin’ to rock-n-roll (maybe just a little too loudly).