John H. Munro is the senior pastor of Calvary Church in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He is an author, speaker and radio commentator."Charlotte's Calvary Church Calls Senior Pastor"
PR Newswire, 19 December 2005. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

Early life and education

John Hay Munro was born on 10 January 1948 to Thomas and Ruth Munro in the town of

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...

, Scotland. Thomas was a civil servant and Ruth was a homemaker for their six sons. John became a Christian while attending a youth evangelical camp in 1960.Senior Pastor Biography
"John Munro, Senior Pastor"
"Calvary Church". Retrieved 8 January 2016. His wife Gudny is from the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

, and they met while she was visiting Scotland on a mission trip. Munro first earned his

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. After graduation, Munro was a criminal prosecutor in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

for several years until joining a private law firm, where he specialised in litigation. In 1981, Munro moved to the US and began attending

Dallas Theological Seminary Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theology, theological seminary in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas, Houston, and Washington, D.C., as well as cont ...

for a

Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a stand ...

degree (completed in 1985). Munro later returned to Dallas Theological Seminary to earn a

Doctor of Ministry The Doctor of Ministry (abbreviated DMin or D.Min.) is a professional doctorate, often including a research component, that may be earned by a minister of religion while concurrently engaged in some form of ministry. It is categorized as an advanced ...

degree in 1993 with a dissertation in pastoral leadership.

Ministry

Munro was the pastor of South Hills Bible Chapel in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania, from 1985 to 1992. During that time, he was a pastor to professional American football players

Craig Wolfley Craig Alan Wolfley (born May 19, 1958) is a former football player and current color analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with former teammate Max Starks, he hosts a show on 970 ESPN. College career Wolfley attended Syracuse Univer ...

Mike Webster Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He is a membe ...

and

Tunch Ilkin Tunch Ilkin (born Tunç Ali İlkin; September 23, 1957 – September 4, 2021) was a Turkish-born player of American football and sports broadcaster. A two-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive tackle with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was the f ...

. Munro next spent 4 years in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

as pastor of Grace Chapel, and then 10 years as the senior pastor o
Calvary Bible Church
in

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. In 2006, Munro was named the senior pastor of Calvary Church in

, where he continues to serve.Minchin, Marty
"Calvary Church Plans Expansion"
''The Charlotte Observer'', 30 October 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2016.Freeze, Trevor
"Calvary Church Pastor Munro: 'My Hope Captures Our Mission 100 Percent'"

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is a non-profit Christian outreach organization that promotes multimedia evangelism, conducts evangelistic crusades, and engages in disaster response. The BGEA operates the Billy Graham Trainin ...

, 8 May 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2016.CNN Transcript
"CNN Newsroom Transcript"
"CNN", 31 July 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2016. As of 2014 the church was the largest in Charlotte. In 2014, Munro was accused of a violation of the church employee handbook. Without publicly providing details, church elders placed him on paid leave, pending the outcome of an external investigation, and international media ministry

Back to the Bible Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. History Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionarie ...

terminated its relationship with Munro over accusations of similar misconduct. Although it was determined that there was no evidence of any violation of policy, Calvary Church did acknowledge that "Munro used judgment that did not align with the high expectations to which church leaders are held." At his first address to his congregation upon full reinstatement, Munro received a standing ovation, and said that he had made an unspecified "innocent error of judgment that while was neither unlawful nor sinful, failed to demonstrate the judgment the church expect d of him. Munro currently hosts an internationally syndicated daily and weekly 25-minute radio program called ''The Verdict'', in addition to his pastoral duties. Munro has also been a regular columnist for ''Decision'' MagazineMunro, John
"Surviving the white water of life"
''Decision'' Magazine, 2 February 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2021. and has written a monthly column for the '' South Charlotte Weekly''.Munro, John
"It's not wealth that has made me happy, it's my family"
''South Charlotte Weekly'', 25 September 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016.Munro, John
"Winning over worry"
''South Charlotte Weekly'', 13 October 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2021.Munro, John
"Life has a purpose"
''South Charlotte Weekly'', 23 November 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2021.Munro, John
"Recalling the shepherds' story during the Christmas season"
''South Charlotte Weekly'', 21 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2016. Munro is a regular speaker at the

's conference and retreat facility The Cove,Almond, Joy
"Summer Growth and Relaxation Opportunities at The Cove

, 6 July 2009. Retrieved 8 January 2016. and was an invited speaker at

Southern Evangelical Seminary Southern Evangelical Seminary is a Christian college in Matthews, North Carolina, United States. History The seminary was established in 1992 by Norman Geisler and Ross Rhoads. The college, Southern Evangelical Bible College (SEBC), was esta ...

's 2016 Apologetics Conference, hosted by Calvary Church."SES National Conference on Christian Apologetics 2016 Program"

. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, John Hay 1948 births American male writers British male writers Living people People from Rosyth Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina Dallas Theological Seminary alumni Alumni of the University of Edinburgh American Christian clergy