“As I chose to retire after 27 years as the Senior Pastor of Lovers Lane, I prayed God would continue to use me to help other churches and clergy transition to greater and more impactful ministry than ever before. We said every Sunday, ‘God is good all the time…’ and along came Church Difference Makers.”
Before retirement in 2025, The Reverend Doctor Stan Copeland, “Stan” as he prefers to be called, was the 4th Senior Pastor in the 81 years of existence of the Lovers Lane United Methodist Church, in Dallas, Texas. He led the church to embrace its founding culture and own its DNA of being a church for all people—the rich and famous, down and out, refugees and regular folk, the marginalized and consummate church leaders.
Under his leadership, the church raised $55 million in five capital campaigns and grew the LLUMC Foundation from $2.2 million to over $30 million while creating five non-profit corporations to extend the ministry and outreach of the church.
As a nationally known and respected church leader, Stan will head up Church Difference Makers Planned Succession, Pastoral Searches, and Succession Planning.