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Visionary faith leader transforming communities

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, Rasmussen completed an undergraduate degree in history from Centenary College of Louisiana and a Master of Arts from the University of Richmond before heading to the Hilltop for his Master of Divinity from ÌÇÐÄvlogÊÓƵ’s Perkins School of Theology.

He is a fourth generation United Methodist minister, serving as senior minister at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. Prior to entering seminary in 2000, Rasmussen served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Centenary College for five years. During his tenure, Centenary was one of seven NCAA schools to graduate 100% of its players. He left coaching in 1997 to pursue a career in sports marketing, where he served as the national sales director for SportsCare USA, Inc. Rasmussen left the corporate world to pursue his call to ministry and has served on the staff at HPUMC ever since, first as an intern while pursuing his degree from Perkins.

In 2001, he began preaching in Cornerstone, HPUMC’s contemporary worship service. In 2013, he became the 11th senior pastor to serve this congregation of over 15,000 members. Nurturing new church plants has always been a focal point at HPUMC, and Rasmussen has overseen several. In 2011, Munger Place Church was renovated and reopened, serving as an East Dallas satellite campus. The Grove Church Launched in 2017 in North Dallas, followed by Uptown Church in 2021. In addition to growing externally, Rasmussen has played a key role in the expansion of the space available at the church’s main campus with the opening of the Tolleson Family Activity Center in 2019. This 65,000-square-foot space is home to HPUMC’s Belong Disability Ministry and Family Ministry.

Rasmussen is dedicated to continuing an outreach emphasis: “For over 100 years HPUMC has led the way of Christian service in the city of Dallas, and we never let up on that charge. God has blessed this church in so many ways, and we have an obligation to leverage those blessings for the greater good of the city.”

He serves on the boards of the Methodist Health System Foundation and St. Philip’s School and Community Center. In 2023, he served as the graduation speaker for the Shelton School. In April 2024, he received the Kenneth H. Cooper, MD, MPH Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dallas Area Parkinson Society.

Paul and his wife, Ashley, a real estate agent in Dallas, have three children: Paul Rasmussen, Jr.; Arden Rasmussen ’24 and Luke Rasmussen.