A native Floridian, Rev. Art McClellan has served as pastor of First United Methodist Church since July 2005.  During this time, Rev. McClellan has partnered with church leaders to create a strategic plan whose initiatives seek to fulfill our Mission Statement: To Celebrate and Share the Joy of Christ’s Love. 

Art is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and Florida State University.  He and his wife Faith have three children, Sarah-Ashley, Keith and Pete. “It is an exciting time in the life of the church to be in ministry.  First Church has a long, rich history of Christian ministry in Sarasota.  Building on our heritage, today we are poised for continuous present-day ministry to serve God, the Sarasota Community and the world.”