Pastor Ray Gilman became the Senior Pastor of First Methodist Church of Azle in August 2023, after being unanimously selected as the preferred candidate by the SPR Council. He spent many years in marketing and advertising before being called into ministry. His business experience included campaign development, team leadership, design and production of related materials - mostly in photography and print materials.

Pastor Ray graduated from Knox College in 1988 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts. The LORD called Pastor Ray to mission in 2008 to Uganda. At that time, he experienced miraculous provision and grand movements of the Spirit. He came back with a clear, audible call to ministry. He clearly heard in a fretful time of prayer, “I brought you here to find your voice.” After that, he was never the same again. He graduated from United Theological Seminary in 2017 with an MDiv. in Theological and Ministerial Studies emphasizing Church Revitalization. In May of 2018, Pastor Gilman was formally received by the UNYUMC annual conference as a Provisional Elder. He surrendered his UMC credentials upon receiving the call to serve at First Methodist Azle and will be ordained as an elder in the Global Methodist Church in February 2024.

Pastor Ray is married to Andrea, and they have three lovely daughters. They relocated to Azle, Texas from Upper New York in August 2023.