Pastor Bio
Rev. M. Christopher Boyer has been pastor of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in DeSoto since 2023. During this pastorate, he has also served as a Culture Coach for the Missouri Annual Conference, UMC, as Treasurer of the Twin City Area Ministerial Alliance, and as a member of DeSoto Ministerial Alliance and of the PFLAG JeffCo Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Hope in The Ville.
Rev. Boyer’s appointment to St. Andrew’s marked his return to his family’s roots in Jefferson County. His father, David, was a graduate of Herculaneum High School; his mother, Bonnie Sue (Glaze), a graduate of Festus High. Both of his father’s parents were born in DeSoto. Chris and his wife, Connie (Eddens) are both St. Louis natives and graduates of Kirkwood High and Notre Dame High School, respectively. Pastor Boyer is an alumnus of Rice University and of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
“Pastor Chris” was previously the longest-serving Pastor of Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Lynnwood, WA, serving over 16 years. Prior to that pastorate, he had a 27-year career in theatre as an actor, director, technician, administrator, and educator. He also served the Lynnwood community as a member of the City Council, from 2013 – 2017, including a term as council president in 2016.
Theatre Background
During his theatrical career, he was Coordinator for the acclaimed Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville for four years and served as administrative head for such theatres as A.D. Players, Stage One: The Louisville Children’s Theatre, New Harmony Theatre, Lincoln Amphitheatre, and Seattle’s Taproot Theatre Company. He also taught Theatre Administration at Bellarmine University in Louisville and on selected topics at University of Southern Indiana, where he managed the undergraduate theatre program. His career included producing at the New Victory Theatre, part of the New 42nd Street Project in Manhattan. He has also been a member of the board of directors of Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, BC.
Community Work
In addition to his theatre career, Rev. Boyer has served as an executive for other arts institutions, including Seattle’s Northwest Girl Choir, and in the social service field, where he was Executive Director for Interfaith Community Council in southern Indiana and Director for Communications at Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children, the state’s largest provider for children and family services. Prior to being called by Good Shepherd Baptist Church, he also served as interim pastor at Shutesbury (MA) Community Church and at First Baptist Church of Evansville, IN. From 2008 through 2012, Rev. Boyer served as Ministry Associate for the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches. He later served as treasurer and then vice-chair of the board of directors for Evergreen.
Christopher has also served on many arts, social service and other community boards,
including as President of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, Chairman of the
Lynnwood Arts Commission, President of the Washington State Arts Alliance
Foundation and Treasurer of Christians in Theatre Arts, an international networking and educational organization for believers expressing their faith through the theatre. He has also acted as convener for the South Snohomish County Ministerial Association and has been an official mentor/supervisor for students at Fuller Seminary Northwest and Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry. For four years, Rev. Boyer was a regular contributor to The Enterprise/Weekly Herald of Snohomish County (WA), writing a monthly column on faith issues. In 2013, he was the recipient of the “Rev. S.G. Wilson
Spiritual Leadership Award” from the NAACP of Snohomish County. He counts as his most profound blessings his marriage since 1983 to Connie, and their children: Kit (Alissa), Colleen, & Sean.
Chris and Connie are avid fans of the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues. They love to hang out together, reading and listening to music, watching old movies, or cooking. Their favorite vacation spots are London and Waikoloa Village, HI. Their current household includes feline friends Harrison and Brooklyn.
