Royal Lane calls their first female senior pastor
On October 30, 2022, Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas reported a unanimous vote to call Reverend Victoria Robb Powers as their next senior pastor.
Victoria was raised in Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University in 2009, majoring in religion and philosophy. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Brite Divinity School in 2012 with the student preaching award and Baptist studies award. She was ordained in 2014 at Wilshire Baptist Church. In 2015, Victoria began serving in the United Methodist tradition as an elder by extension, most recently serving as executive pastor at University Park UMC.
Victoria is the board chair for the Baptist House of Studies at SMU Perkins School of Theology and serves on the board of Fellowship Southwest. She is married to Matt Powers, and they have three young children.
Victoria expresses her joy about this moment, saying, “This is a significant moment for Royal Lane, the Baptist tradition, and the city of Dallas. But it’s most significant to little girls everywhere who for too long have not seen bodies like theirs behind pulpits. I’ve served in a tradition not my own for just shy of a decade, waiting for this moment, and while I wish it happened sooner, I look forward to helping young girls see what they can be.”
Echoing this sentiment, the chair of the search committee, Phil Keith, says, “As the father of a daughter who proudly wears her 'This is what a Preacher looks like' t-shirt, I am ecstatic to have been a part of the team who helped make this vision a reality for Royal Lane. It's been a long time coming and that's an understatement."
Royal Lane is a faithful partner church to Fellowship Southwest. They are a unique gem of a church nestled in a beautiful neighborhood in North Dallas. They have a long history of welcoming all people into their mosaic of “diverse people united in Christ,” as they say, and this step to call a female pastor is in line with their trailblazing character for baptist churches everywhere.
On Sunday, Nov. 6, Royal Lane will celebrate its 70th anniversary. It will be an especially joyful time to reflect on their history as they anticipate their bright future with a new pastor.
Royal Lane was founded in 1952 by Tom Jackson who served as pastor for 10 years, followed by James Flamming, James Slatton, Brooks Ramsey, Gary West and Jerry Barnes. In 1981, Royal Lane called their longest serving pastor so far, Ray Vickrey. Ray served Royal Lane for nearly 27 years before his retirement, and he passed away in 2020. Following Ray, the church was led by David Matthews and then Michael Gregg. Victoria will start on January 2, 2023, becoming the 10th pastor of Royal Lane.
