Jim Harnish has served as Hyde Park's Senior Pastor since 1992. He has authored numerous books, Bible studies, and articles.

View a full listing of Jim's published works.

Jim is a native of Pennsylvania who “married into” Florida when he married Marsha, who is a native of St. Petersburg. They have two daughters and two grandchildren.

Jim served at Trinity Church, DeLand, FL, (1972-1975) and Howe Memorial, Crescent City, FL, (1975-1979) before becoming the founding pastor of St. Luke’s, Orlando, FL, in 1972, where he served until coming to Hyde Park. 

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at Asbury College (1969) and Master's of Divinity degree at Asbury Theological Seminary (1972). He has received honorary doctoral degrees from Asbury Theological Seminary-Orlando (2003) and Bethune-Cookman University (2007).

The author of numerous books, Bible studies, and articles, Jim  has been elected as a delegate to each Jurisdictional and General Conference since 1980 and represented Florida at the World Methodist Conferences in Nairobi, Kenya, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Brighton, England.

He is an avid Gator football fan.

Full name: The Reverend Dr. James A. Harnish
But Please Call Me: Jim
Position: Senior Pastor
Born where and when: Brookville, PA — March 9

Family Facts: Married to Marsha and we have two daughters, Carrie and Deborah.

Carrie married Andy Ferenac in 2000, and we now have two grandchildren, Julia Grace, born in February 2003 and Alex James, born on February 2, 2005.  They live in Orlando.

Deborah lives in Charleston, South Carolina and recently became the wife of Dan LaRoache.

How I became a Christian: I'm like Timothy who received the faith from his mother and grandmother. (II Timothy 1:5)

How I ended up at Hyde Park: The Bishop made me do it! But behind the call from the Bishop, I sensed the call of God. His call has become more exciting and fulfilling every year since I first arrived in 1992!

The most important thing I do around here is: Lift the vision of God's call on the life of this church, preach the Word, and be faithful in prayer.

FAVORITES:

Music: Beethoven or contemporary praise music depending on how I feel and what I need. But I still wonder if there has been any “good” music since Peter, Paul and Mary.

Movie: “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Seabiscuit.”

TV Show: Other than reruns of “M*A*S*H” or the early seasons of “The West Wing,” what's there to like?

Food: Seafood

Place to vacation: Almost anywhere with Marsha, and our children and grandchildren.

Place to eat: Oystercatchers or Bonefish Grill 

How I spend my free time: Reading, walking, cheering for the Gators, relaxing by the lake and playing with the grandchildren.

Best books I've read recently: “Rabble-Rouser for Peace: The Authorized Biography of Desmond Tutu” by John Allen; “Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places” by Eugene Peterson.

Prized possession: My great-grandfather's naturalization papers and my father-in-law's mantel clock.

Nobody knows that I... began college as a music major with the pipe organ as my primary instrument.

Hero I'd most like to meet: My uncle Jim who was shot down over Holland in World War II.

My vision for the future of Hyde Park Church is: To joyfully fulfill the mission of “Making God's Love Real” to spiritually searching people in this city.

One way folks can pray for me is: That I'll keep the main thing the main thing.