Biography
Rev. Allen Carson
Allen and his wife Katharine have two sons, Cal 13 and Alex 11, and one daughter, Molly Grace 7. Allen currently serves as the Pastor at BridgeView United Methodist Church in Norman, Oklahoma. He has served United Methodist Churches across Oklahoma the past 20 years as children, youth, and family minister, and as senior pastor for the past 10 years. He earned his undergraduate degree in Family, Marriage Relations, and Child Development from the University of Central Oklahoma and his Master of Divinity Degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Over the past 19 years, Allen has also worked with children, youth, and young adults in foster care and juvenile justice programs. He has tutored and mentored in juvenile detention centers and alternative schools, and currently volunteers at Dimensions in Norman. He leads independent living workshops and training sessions for youth and adults. His work within the church has focused on strengthening churches’ relationships with people at the margins to offer spiritual, emotional, and material resources. As a former foster child in Oklahoma’s foster care program, he is asked often to speak on issues related to the foster care system, share ways communities can help youth at the margins, and share his personal story. The Church, Teachers, and Citizens Caring for Children (CCC) had a profound impact on Allen’s journey from foster care into adulthood.
