MEET PATRICK.

Patrick Payton is the author of The Middle: How the Quiet Majority Can Mend a Divided Nation and the founder of The Payton Group, LLC, a leadership, coaching, and consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals and organizations thrive. He brings decades of experience in leadership, organizational growth, and community development to his work with clients across multiple sectors.

Patrick is best known as the founding and Senior Pastor of Stonegate Fellowship in Midland, Texas, where he served from 1999 to 2018. Under his leadership, Stonegate grew into a multi-site congregation of more than 5,000 and became a hub of influence at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Beyond ministry, Patrick has built a diverse career spanning food service sales and marketing, leadership consulting, and public service. In 2019, he was elected Mayor of Midland, Texas, where he has championed community growth and served as a strong advocate for the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin.

Patrick’s leadership has also taken him onto the global stage. He has engaged directly with world leaders, members of Congress, and organizations such as the United Nations on issues ranging from human rights and religious freedom to energy policy and nuclear non-proliferation. In 2015, he was selected for the inaugural Presidential Leadership Scholars program, which unites leaders from around the world in partnership with the presidential libraries of Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

In addition to his book and consulting work, Patrick is a sought-after speaker and the host of the No Neutral Moments podcast, where he shares insights on leadership, faith, and personal growth.

Patrick earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in Business Administration from Southwestern Baptist University. He and his wife, Cindy, have been married since 1989 and have three grown children and six grandchildren.