A Church Built on Word, Sacrament, and the Local Body
Tucked along Ligon Court in southern Fort Myers, Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA) describes itself in four words: Gospel-Driven, Word-Based, Church-Oriented, Mission-Minded. The congregation gathers at 9065 Ligon Court for Sunday School at 9:00 AM and a morning worship service at 10:30 AM, with the Lord’s Supper served every week. The same qualities that shape the pulpit - expository preaching, the historic Reformed confessions, weekly communion, and an expectation that members commit to one another - also shape everything from the children’s ministry to the missions budget.
Westminster is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the body most commonly identified with the conservative Reformed and Presbyterian tradition in the United States. The church’s pastors, elders, and deacons subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, and the bulletin each Lord’s Day draws on the same historic stream that produced the creeds and the Five Solas of the Reformation.
Sunday Mornings at Westminster
The Sunday rhythm at Westminster is intentionally unhurried. Sunday School for all ages begins at 9:00 AM in the Discipleship Building, with classes for preschoolers through high school meeting alongside adult electives. The current adult Sunday School series walks through the Minor Prophets under the teaching of Ruling Elder Doug Duncan, exploring what these often-overlooked books say about God’s justice, mercy, and covenant faithfulness.
At 10:30 AM, the congregation gathers for Morning Worship in the sanctuary. The service runs roughly an hour and forty-five minutes. Worship is blended - some traditional hymns, some modern praise music, all sung with modern instrumentation but anchored in ancient Christian truth. Ushers hand out bulletins at the door; coffee and cookies are available in the foyer before the service begins. The Lord’s Supper is observed every Sunday, and a children’s discipleship class for ages five through second grade meets during a portion of the service. Nursery care is provided for newborns through age four during both Sunday School and the worship hour.
First-time visitors will be greeted with a warm smile and a bulletin. There is no dress code: the church encourages people to come as they are and wear whatever feels comfortable. Communion is open to all believers in Jesus Christ who are members in good standing of a Gospel-preaching church; children and others who do not fit that description are asked to abstain and use the moment to consider the promises of the Gospel.
Word-Based: Preaching Through Books of the Bible
Westminster’s pastors practice expository preaching, working through books of the Bible passage by passage. Senior Pastor Ryan Broadhurst typically teaches through extended series - the recent “The True King” series walked through Matthew 14-18, where Jesus feeds thousands, walks on water, and asks his disciples the question that changes everything: “Who do you say I am?” Assistant Pastor Gage Jordan preaches regularly as well, often working through shorter series and topical texts.
The church takes the Bible to be inerrant, infallible, inspired, authoritative, and sufficient. As the leadership puts it, “What you win people with is what you win them to.” Teaching the Bible is the church-growth strategy. From the pulpit to small groups to one-on-one discipleship, the Bible is both the end and the means.
Worship is treated as the church gathered to hear God’s Word, sing the truth, pray together, receive the sacraments, and respond to the grace of Jesus Christ. In the tradition of Augustine and Calvin, the pastors understand the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Word made visible. Westminster takes communion every Sunday because, as the church teaches, God uses ordinary means of grace - Word, water, bread, and wine - to build his Church.
Gospel-Driven, Church-Oriented, Mission-Minded
The four core values printed under Westminster’s name are not slogans. They are convictions worked out in the life of the church.
Gospel-Driven means the church never moves past the Gospel. Jesus lived the life that should have been lived, died the death deserved, and rose to give new life - and the congregation has not gotten over that or grown beyond the need to hear it. Ministry aims at heart-change rather than mere behavior modification, knowing it is the Lord’s kindness that leads to repentance.
Church-Oriented reflects a belief that the covenantal relationship to a local church is essential to the Christian calling. Believers are not saved as isolated individuals but into the Body of Christ, which means gathering with and committing to a local body where the “one anothers” of Scripture are practiced, elders shepherd the flock, and members share in mutual encouragement, accountability, and service.
Mission-Minded frames discipleship as holistic: head (growing in the knowledge of God’s Word), heart (growing in love for Jesus and inward obedience), and hands (living godly lives and engaging the culture). The Great Commission is a community project. Westminster sees itself as a sending church - supporting missionaries around the world and church planters in Southwest Florida - and wants to see churches planted in the area and beyond until Jesus returns.
What Westminster Believes
Westminster affirms the historic ecumenical creeds - the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Definition of Chalcedon - as faithful expressions of what Scripture teaches about who God is, what he has done, and what he is doing and will do in the world. Together with all orthodox Christians, the church stands in the mainstream of catholic Christianity.
Among Protestants, Westminster holds to the Five Solas of the Reformation: salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, accomplished by the finished work of Christ alone, authoritatively communicated through Scripture alone, all to God’s glory alone. Among Reformed and Presbyterian churches, Westminster subscribes to the Westminster Standards, the constitutional documents of the PCA. Pastors, elders, and deacons take vows to uphold and teach the doctrine contained in those documents, making them the fullest statement of the church’s faith. The three documents at the center are the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
Leadership: Pastors, Elders, and Deacons
The pastoral team is led by Ryan Broadhurst, who serves as Senior Pastor. He is joined by Gage Jordan as Assistant Pastor of Families and Outreach (and chair of the Missions Committee), Tony Chin as Associate Pastor of Shepherding, and Keldon Herriman as Pastoral Assistant and Ministry Resident. Traci Mays serves as the Children’s Ministries Director.
The session of ruling elders includes Jim Lee, Bruce Stanley, Mo McClaran, Colin Dunn, and Doug Duncan. The diaconate is made up of John DeMaster, Don Lear, Jeff Harvey Jr., Robert Mays, Mike Wills, Nick Tennant, and Patrick Maeng. The ruling elders provide spiritual oversight and teaching; the deacons lead the church’s ministry of mercy and practical service.
Worship and A/V ministry is led through Andrew Borel (Worship Team) and Kevin Kenworthy (A/V Team). Each team serves the congregation so that worship is clear, undistracted, and accessible to those gathered in the room and those joining online through the livestream.
Westminster Kids: Raising the Next Generation
Westminster Kids exists to see the children of the church grow into maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. The ministry understands that growth does not happen overnight or only through the church, so it aims to strengthen families and point children to Jesus week by week.
Nursery care is offered during the Sunday School hour and during the service for newborns through age four. Sunday School classes meet for all ages during the 9:00 AM hour, from preschool through high school. During the 10:30 AM worship service, children ages four and up join their parents, while a children’s discipleship class is offered for ages five through second grade during a portion of the service. Every volunteer who serves with children must pass a background check and complete child-safety training. Each week the curriculum is Bible-based, age-appropriate, and designed to be fun.
Beyond Sunday programming, Westminster Kids hosts events throughout the year: Vacation Bible School every summer, an EasterFest on the Saturday before Easter, a Family Fall Festival at the end of October, Parents Night, Movie Nights on the Lawn, and a Back to School Bash. Children are checked in for Sunday School using Planning Center’s Kids Check-In system.
Director Traci Mays and her team of volunteers welcome new families warmly. Parents with infants through high schoolers will find their place in the rhythm of the church.
Small Groups: The Front Porch of the Church
If corporate worship is the gathered congregation, small groups are the front porch. Westminster encourages everyone in the church - members and prospective members alike - to join a small group. Some meet in homes, some in the Discipleship Building, and some in coffee shops around Fort Myers.
Groups meet on different rhythms. Karlen Kochar’s group gathers the third Saturday at 11:30 AM at Eggcetera. Jim Emmons’s group meets every Wednesday at 6:30 PM at Marti Maas’s house. Al Anderson’s group meets the second and fourth Wednesday at 10:00 AM at the Anderson home. Colin Dunn’s group meets the first and third Wednesday at 6:30 PM at the Lee home. Nick Tennant’s group gathers the first and third Friday at 5:30. Amy Broadhurst’s group meets the second and fourth Wednesday at 6:30 PM at the Discipleship Building. Traci Mays’s women’s group meets every Wednesday at 7:00 AM at Chocolatte’s. Mo McClaran’s group meets every Friday at 7:00 AM at The Cypress Coffeehouse on Cypress Lake Drive. Helen Claasen’s group meets every Friday at 10:00 AM in the Sanctuary Lobby. A Wednesday Men’s Group gathers at 1:00 PM in the Church Conference Room. Mark Wardell’s group meets every Thursday at 6:30 PM at the Discipleship Building, and Logan and Kyla Pearlman host a group at their home every Thursday at 7:00 PM.
Small groups are not only for members - they are one of the most common ways newcomers plug into the life of the church before joining.
Working Hands: Mercy and Service
Westminster’s mercy and service ministry is called Working Hands. The name comes from the conviction that faith works itself out in practical love for the body and the neighborhood. Working Hands places volunteers with ministries their hearts are drawn to, including construction and trade-skill projects. Sign-ups are handled through the church office, and a Working Hands Sign Up form is available for those who want to serve.
The deacons oversee the practical mercy of the church, supporting both members and neighbors in need. For those with skills in carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and other trades, Working Hands is a way to put those gifts to work for the kingdom.
Women of Westminster (WOW)
Built on Titus 2:3-4, Women of Westminster exists to encourage older women to teach and mentor the younger women of the community. The ministry values women of all ages coming together to grow in faith, support one another, and share life experience. Whether a woman is seeking to be mentored or to mentor, WOW is structured around multigenerational discipleship.
Pam Stanley leads the ministry and can be reached for more information about upcoming Bible studies, fellowship events, and service projects.
Young At Heart, 55+
Young At Heart (YAH) is the church’s senior adult ministry for adults 55 and older. The community is built around faith, fellowship, and fun - shared meals, outings, fellowship events, and intentional community. YAH aims to help senior members practice the “one-anothers” of the Christian life together.
Events include gatherings in Fellowship Hall, seasonal socials like the fall Pie and Ice Cream Social, and outings around Southwest Florida. Ruling Elder Colin Dunn leads the ministry and welcomes both longtime members and newcomers to the next event.
Worship & A/V: Serving the Congregation
Worship is not performance but faithful, wholehearted congregational worship - rooted in Scripture, shaped by the historic church, and centered on the good news of Christ. The Worship Team of vocalists and instrumentalists leads the congregation in songs chosen for their biblical depth, congregational singability, and ability to serve the movement of the worship service. The team rehearses faithfully and serves as members of the church helping God’s people sing, not as performers.
The A/V Team supports Sunday worship through sound, slides, livestreaming, and recording. Their behind-the-scenes work keeps the service clear and accessible for those in the room and those joining online through the livestream. Technical experience is helpful but not required - the church trains dependable, attentive volunteers who are eager to serve.
Those interested in singing, playing, running slides, mixing sound, or operating the livestream can contact Andrew Borel for the Worship Team or Kevin Kenworthy for A/V.
Missions: Local, National, and Global
Westminster supports a network of missions partners at home, across the country, and around the world. The Missions Committee, chaired by Pastor Gage Jordan, oversees the church’s giving and prayer support.
Locally, Westminster partners with 40 Days for Life in Fort Myers, Aspire Women’s Clinic in Cape Coral, The Heights Foundation in Harlem Heights, Summit Christian School in Fort Myers, Verity Pregnancy & Medical Center in Fort Myers, Reformed University Fellowship at Florida Gulf Coast University (where Lucas Tanner serves as campus minister), Logoi in Miami, and Miles of Smiles Ranch in Fort Myers.
Nationally, Westminster supports Mission North America missionaries Ben and Melanie Kappers at All Saints Reformed Church in Utah, Trans World Radio, and Gideons International.
Globally, the church supports David and Claire-Lise Cobb with Mission to the World in France, Julian and Rachel Bacon with Mission to the World in Belgium, Bruce and Pam Sinclair with Trinity Center for World Missions in Africa, Carla Stevens with Engaging Leaders International and PS78 Teachers, and Jeremy and Angel Martin with Serge in London.
Members are invited to write encouragements, questions, or prayers for missionaries through a contact form on the missions page.
Summit Christian School
Sharing the Ligon Court campus is Summit Christian School, a classical Christian school serving Fort Myers families. The school is one of Westminster’s closest ministry partners and one of the local missions supported through the church’s missions budget.
Twenty Years on Ligon Court
Westminster’s story has its share of lean years. In a reflection posted by Senior Pastor Ryan Broadhurst, he tells the story of Randy Thomas, who joined Westminster as Worship Director in 2007 and went on to serve for nearly two decades - the only staff member who remained through four senior pastors, several interims, and a handful of associate and assistant pastors. Randy, who had previously been a member of the CCM band Sweet Comfort Band and co-wrote “Butterfly Kisses” and the Dolly Parton hit “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That?,” became a ruling elder at Westminster and led the senior adult ministry, taught Sunday School, made hospital visits, and shepherded the congregation through the 2008-2009 recession and beyond.
Over those two decades, Westminster saw moments when survival was uncertain. Through it all, Randy and his wife Lori - who served as church pianist, vocalist, administrative assistant, women’s ministry leader, and later helped re-launch the children’s ministry - remained. Randy retired from Westminster in spring 2025, and the Broadhursts made their home back in Tennessee, leaving the church in a season of growth and health they had helped steward. The story of Randy and Lori Thomas is part of the reason Westminster exists at all.
What to Expect on a First Visit
Visitors to Westminster are welcomed with a warm smile and a bulletin at the door. Coffee and cookies are available before the service. Ushers are happy to help find a seat. Dress is comfortable; there is no dress code. The service lasts roughly an hour and forty-five minutes and includes singing, prayer, Scripture reading, expository preaching, and the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.
Families with children will find nursery care for newborns through age four during Sunday School and worship. Children ages four and up attend the worship service with their parents. A children’s discipleship class is offered for ages five through second grade during a portion of the service.
The church livestreams its Sunday worship service; recordings of past services are available on the church’s livestream page and YouTube channel. Giving is available online through the church’s Church Center giving page. A printed bulletin for the upcoming Sunday, archives of recent bulletins, and a weekly newsletter keep members and visitors informed.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The church is closed on Fridays. The phone number is (239) 481-2125, and the church can be reached by email through the office at office@wpcfortmyers.org.
Getting Connected
Becoming part of Westminster happens through several doors. Attend a service. Come to Sunday School. Join a small group in a home or at the Discipleship Building. Sign up to volunteer with Westminster Kids, Working Hands, the Worship Team, or the A/V Team. The Membership Class walks through what it means to commit to the local body. The next step is up to each visitor, but the path is well-marked.
Westminster is a church that takes its doctrine seriously, its members seriously, and its mission to Southwest Florida and the wider world seriously. The two Great Commandments - love for God and love for neighbor - show up in the church’s preaching, its communion table, its small groups, its mercy ministry, and its missionaries on five continents.