On January 23, 1932, in Minot, North Dakota, there were five inches of snow on the ground, temperatures dipped below zero for the tenth time that month, and Paul LaVerne Walker was born. The United States had reached the lowest and most fearful point of the Great Depression as local banking panics spread throughout the nation. If the world gave a message, it shouted: “Frailty is not an option.” 

Over the course of his tenure as a minister in the Church of God, Paul L. Walker and his wife, Carmelita, would face many such crises. Division in the church, political upheaval, bureaucratic resistance, and the loss of a son made tensions in the conference room and congregation the least of this pastor’s worries. Yet those who knew him speak only about his excellence – his boundless energy, commanding presence, meticulous care, courageous leadership, and timeless wisdom.  

Dr. Walker’s accomplishments could fill a book, among them the earning of six degrees from five colleges and universities, twenty years filling elected positions, twenty more in appointments, all while pastoring one of the largest congregations in the Church of God in downtown Atlanta during the height of every American crisis and technological advancement from 1950 to 2000 and beyond. But his family, staff, and colleagues remember the way his presence filled a room and how he could make a person feel like theirs was the only seat in the house as he declared Scripture and encouragement from the pulpit.  

Zeal for God and for life permeated everything that Dr. Walker did. He threw himself into competitive sports so fully that any person within his proximity had a story of a time he sustained a serious injury. His driving record was pockmarked with traffic violations for, in the words of his grandson, Justin, “There’s too much of the world to see to drive slowly.”  

Likewise, he threw himself into ministry. Mt. Paran Church of God, which he pastored lovingly for more than four decades, was filled to the brim with people, many of whom had never set foot in a church before.  He had met these new converts himself during his nighttime forays into downtown Atlanta as part of the completion of his doctoral work in psychology. His staff warned him not to go, or at least to take someone along for protection, but he refused. When asked why he could not perform his clinicals elsewhere, he simply replied, “Because that’s where the people are.” 

His son, Mark, remembers his father’s passionate drive vividly. “My dad had a huge heart for hurting people. He drilled into my brother and me that the people were not here for us; we were here for them. Dad never believed in lost causes. It’s why his sermons always ministered the hope and healing of Jesus Christ.” Dr. Walker's love for people was matched only by his delight in preaching. A natural orator, he was known for his smooth, conversational style and ability to deliver perfectly timed, expertly crafted sermons punctuated with long Scripture passages – all without using notes at the pulpit. This propensity led many to believe that he was gifted with an eidetic memory, but those closest to him remember instead the time and effort invested in his tireless preparation. 

In naming the Center for Pentecostal Preaching after Paul L. Walker, we hold his values and qualities as a beacon, drawing people called to ministry through preaching to come increase their passion and skills. May their courage be reinforced, their voices strengthened, and their love refined. As Dr. Walker would say, “Amen, amen, and amen!”