our pastor
Pastor Marty Troyer
Marty Troyer, pastor of Houston Mennonite: The Church of the Sermon on the Mount, is passionate about peace, social justice, and spreading grace to each person in Houston. His care and prophetic witness to the city include work with numerous organizations involved with racial justice, immigrant rights, workers' rights, peacemaking/non-violence, and the abolition of the death penalty.
He is the author of The Gospel Next Door: Following Jesus Right Where You Are and blogs for the Houston Chronicle as “The Peace Pastor.”
Marty has more than twenty years of experience in ministry in addition to his pastoral training. Prior to joining Houston Mennonite as Pastor in 2008, he served as an Associate Pastor at Hesston Mennonite Church, Kansas (2002 - 2006) and as Associate Pastor at Lebanon Mennonite Church, Oregon (1998 - 2002). In both positions, he focused on youth ministry as well as faith formation and spiritual disciplines.
His broad pastoral training includes studies at George Fox Seminary and
degrees from Hesston College, Wheaton College, and a Master’s in Divinity from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in 2008.
Marty grew up just outside of Columbus, Ohio and has three siblings. He is thrilled to be married to his wife Hannah, and proud to be dad to his children Malakai, Clara, and Ruby. He loves reading novels, being outside, and spending as much time as possible with family.
Marty loves preaching, but loves it even more when he can empower others to preach and to become what they were created to be. He dreams about what Houston could look like if we truly worked to make God’s “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” He would love to meet
you sometime!
You can find Marty on Facebook.
our pastoral intern
LaTayna Purnell
LaTayna Purnell began as our half-time pastoral intern in June 2020. LaTayna is no stranger to church ministry and brings remarkable experience at an important time in the life of our church. She’s been a core ministry leader preaching, working with the Care Team throughout the pandemic, and leading us in becoming a more antiracist church.
To go along with her Masters and PhD’s in Education, LaTayna is currently a student at United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities, where she’s pursuing a Master of Divinity degree.
LaTayna has a long successful history of ministry in churches: including as Youth and Young adult minister in two Congregational churches, as co-pastor in another, and in volunteer leadership in others. Throughout her career as an educator she’s worked with kids, high schoolers, and college students as a coach, classroom teacher, adjunct professor, Dean of Students, and most recently the Director of Athletic Operations at The Village School.
About herself LaTayna says, “My commitment to supporting diversity, racial equality, and social justice is central to my work.”
She and her wife Cindy have two children, Myles and Jonah.
You can reach LaTayna at lataynap@houstonmennonite.org.
