Rev. Evan Harrison

Pastor (he, his, him)

Reverend J. Evan Harrison pastors Pittsboro Presbyterian Church. Evan passionately fosters collaboration, connection and creative ways of being the church today. Rev. Harrison studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A. Religious Studies and Philosophy) and at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Evan has seen congregations respond with new energy after discerning and poetically articulating their unique context and calling from God. Congregations he has served with less than 100 members have lived out the gospel in big ways through innovative programs such as “Prayer and a Biscuit” community breakfasts, weekly support for local teachers, a food pantry providing nearly 75,000 pounds of food annually to over 1,200 people in need, and a coffee ministry that continues to help a historic downtown congregation connect with the diverse pedestrians walking by it every Sunday.

Rev. Harrison has served his presbytery as the chair of Church Revitalization and Transformation, a presbytery certified Mission Transformation coach, and as the creator of the Sacred Stories video project. He has worked with people experiencing grief, homelessness, food-insecurity, hospice, HIV/Aids, marriage problems and has helped facilitate interfaith and multi-congregational efforts to bless their communities.

A native of Burlington, North Carolina, Rev. Harrison is happy to be home again in the Piedmont. Evan is married to his college sweetheart, Emily, and they have two beloved young children and two cats.  

As there were in Old Testament times elders for the government of the people, so the New Testament church provided persons with particular gifts to share in discernment of God’s Spirit and governance of God’s people. Accordingly, congregations should elect persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership and being compassionate in spirit. Ruling elders are so named not because they “lord it over” the congregation (Matt. 20:25), but because they are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. Ruling elders, together with ministers of the Word and Sacrament, exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a congregation as well as the whole church, including ecumenical relationships. When elected by the congregation, they shall serve faithfully as members of the session.     – G 2.0301 Book of Order 2017-2019: The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Part II

Our session members change as some rotate off the session and others come on each year.