Meet the Pastors
David Whitington
David Edward Whitington was born on June 26, 1941, in Dallas, Texas, the second son of 4 children born to a Catholic father, George L. Whitington, Sr., and a Pentecostal mother, Alice Irene Whitcher Whitington. He grew up in the Catholic Church and attended Catholic elementary school, serving on the altar. He graduated from public high school and attended the University of Texas at Arlington as a pre-law major. In 1963 he married his college sweetheart, Rose Pugh. He and Rose joined the United Methodist Church. In 1964 He received the assurance of his salvation. David graduated from UTA in 1965 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and enrolled in Southern Methodist University Law School. He attended law school at night for 2 years, working full-time as an insurance claim representative at the same time. After 5 years in the business world, he responded to the Lord’s call and entered Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in 1972, graduating with a Master’s Degree in Theology. He pastored in the United Methodist Church for 7 years before founding a non-denominational work, Christ Our King church, in Grapevine, Texas (now located in Southlake), in 1979.
David has been a speaker at family and couple’s retreats, Christ for the Nations Institute, Asian Institute of Missions, revivals, home cell groups, international Bible schools, international mission tours and pastors’ conferences. He serves on the Southlake Mayor’s Advisory Council. He co-founded the Southlake National Day of Prayer, which he continued to coordinate for a number of years. He has overseen the construction of 2 building projects for Christ Our King church. He led Evangelism Explosion Training, was active in E.E. and worked actively as a teacher/trainer for over 20 years, having seen many won to Christ through this effort. The Whitingtons head up a missions organization, Petra International, which has sent out missionaries and missions speakers and has overseen discipling programs. David’s greatest joy comes through evangelism, teaching systematic theology, preaching and discipling.
David and Rose have lived in Keller, Texas, since 1981. Their 4 sons and families, including 10 grandchildren, live in the Metroplex area.
As a hobby, David has long enjoyed the study of early British and Church History. In addition, he has been active in politics since he was 10 years old. He served as a Precinct Chairman and Election judge for nearly 25 years and still serves in several capacities, including chaplain, in local Republican groups. David looks forward to more work and travel in missions, as he plans at some point to turn more of the day-to-day affairs of the church over to others.
Rose Whitington
Rose was born in Edom, Texas, and grew up in the Dallas/Carrollton area. At age 13 she was saved while attending church with neighbors. She was active in the Methodist Church from her teen years until 1979. She received her Bachelor’s Degree with cum laude honors from North Texas State University in 1963. In June of that year, she married David, a pre-law student at the University of Texas at Arlington. She then taught high school English in Carrollton for 3 years before they started their family.
In 1972, David responded to God’s call and changed his career plans from law to the ministry, becaming a local pastor. In 1979 she and David started a non-denominational church, Christ Our King, with 80 people. The church grew, and David continues as Senior Pastor to this day!
Rose is an active women’s Bible study writer, teacher and leader, having been a discussion leader for several years in Bible Study Fellowship, a retreat speaker, a women’s Sunday School teacher, a ladies’ Bible study leader, a guest speaker, a teacher on foreign missions trips, as well as many other roles. Rose has also enjoyed coordinating several banquets, retreats, dinners, showers, receptions and other large and small events. She has held almost every office possible in the local church. For many years, Rose ministered frequently in song, both in her home church and other venues. Her greatest joy is in applying God’s timeless Word to the perplexities and problems of today’s women and in discipling those women. The Whitingtons, who have lived in Keller, Texas, since 1981, have 4 sons and 10 wonderful grandchildren. David and Rose have completed over 40 years in the ministry, 36 of those years at Christ Our King, where they are currently overseeing as pastors.
Darrell Clendennen
Darrell was born in San Angelo, Texas, and spent most of his childhood moving from town to town every 3-5 years. He met his wife, Janice, in the last town he lived in prior to joining the Air Force: Wakita, Oklahoma. His father worked in the oil field, and his mother was a nurse.
Darrell attended college at DeVry University, in Irving, Texas, graduating once with an Associate Degree in Electronics Technology and again with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Information Systems. He currently works as a software developer.
Darrell and his wife, Janice, have attended Christ Our King church for over 27 years and have made it their church home. He feels that the central point of Christ Our King is the feeling of being family. He has served as a Home Group Leader, Church Board Member, Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School helper, Choir member, and Missions Committed member. He believes that Christ Our King Church is very similar to what he sees in the early church history and relishes that fact.
Darrell enjoys reading and writing short stories. He and Janice currently reside in Justin, Texas, along with their cat.
Janice Clendennen
Janice was raised in Wakita, Oklahoma, a bona fide farmer’s daughter. She received her Associates Degree at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kansas, and a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major of English Literature and Fine Arts from Southern Nazarene University (formerly Bethany Nazarene College) in Bethany, Oklahoma. She currently works at Christ Our King church as an Administrative Assistant to the Pastor and Bookkeeper, and she has held that position for over 20 years now. Prior to that, she worked for GTE Supply in Las Colinas, Texas, for 9 years, her last position there being a Help Desk technician. Janice and Darrell have attended Christ Our King church for over 30 years. The church’s emphasis on discipleship and the close, family relationship of the Body is what impressed her the most. Janice currently serves as a Home Group Leader, Sunday School teacher, Secretary of the Missions Committee, and Fellowship Activities Coordinator. She does not believe in passive church membership. She wants to see Christ Our King church reach the lost, the needy, the forgotten and the unloved, just as Psalm 68:6 describes, “God sets the lonely in families…” Janice enjoys reading and writing, gardening, cooking and “practicing hospitality.” She and Darrell live in Justin, Texas, along with their cat.
David Aponte
David Aponte, a lawyer and a minister was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He is the second son of four children whose parents become Christians when he was 15 years old. He graduated from a Christian high school in the Dominican Republic and immediately enrolled in the law school of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, one of the top universities in Santo Domingo. At the same time, David started serving as the assistant sound tech at his local church. He also served in the worship ministry of Vida Eterna and Filadelfia church. Late in 2006, when he was about to graduate from the law school, he felt the Lord’s call to prepare for the ministry. He wanted to go to Christ for The Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, but his wise father, a pastor in Santo Domingo, suggested that he finish his law studies first and then go to CFNI, advice that David rightly followed. In 2007 he met his wife Miguelina and shared his vision of preparing for the ministry. Together they finally started their studies at CFNI in 2009. God blessed them with two sons, Jose David and Elias, while they were in Dallas. After David graduated from CFNI with a certificate in theology and a license to conduct services and to officiate at weddings, funerals and baptisms, he moved back to Santo Domingo to help his parents start a church and became their Minister of Worship. At the same time, trying to improve his professional skills, he earned a Masters in Economic Law at the same university in the Dominican Republic; however, the calling from the Lord grew greater for him so he started looking for a full-time position as a Minister.
In the summer of 2017 his family of four moved back to Texas where he became the Minister of Worship at Christ Our King Church in Southlake, a suburb of Fort Worth. David is involved in many activities as a clergyman of the church. In addition to leading the church into worship in all services, he teaches young elementary classes, participate in home groups, prayer for revival, heads up the music for the church’s annual Vacation Bible School and tends to administrative duties in the Worship Department on weekdays. He also has represented the church on the worship team at the town’s annual National Day of Prayer, as well as participating in worship activities at CFNI. His joy is leading the congregation in worship and seeing the blessings of the Lord change their lives.
Miguelina Aponte
Miguelina Aponte, a lawyer by profession, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She is the little one of a family of six children, her parents raise her with so much love and compassion for others. Her attorney Dad was a good men with so many friends all over the country. She attended law school at the Universidad Nacional Pedro Enriquez Ureña and spent about nine years working in the Junta Central Electoral, the governmental department that works with national elections and citizenship issues.
She met God in 2004 and right after began to change her life, not knowing at the time what God had planned for her. After she met her husband David, they started applying to Christ for the Nations in Dallas, Texas, to prepare for the ministry. They were accepted, and, leaving everything behind, the family moved to Dallas. Miguelina studied at CFNI along with her husband and received her certification in Practical Leadership. She gave birth to their two sons while they were in Dallas, at which point she paused in her studies, having already received the aforementioned certification and a license to preach. Later, after they graduated and moved back to the Dominican Republic, she studied online at the University of Social Architecture in Florida, obtaining certification as Social Architect Jr. While in the Dominican Republic she was part of the creation of Estancias Infantiles, a non-profit Christian Organization aimed at restoring the lives of children in marginalized neighborhoods. For the last few years, she has helped as a Moderator at the University of Social Architecture, where she has had the opportunity to bless students from several Latin American countries through the school’s website in the development of their lives and God-given purpose.
She currently is a stay-at-home mom, but is very active in our Church, serving as a teacher of the young elementary Sunday School classes, a participant in the Lady’s Bible Studies and in Home Group and one of only four substitute teachers for the church’s ladies’ class. She has recently been the featured speaker at the church’s annual Teacher Appreciation Dinner. She also was a speaker at the 2019 WinGs Women’s Conference in Dallas. Her heart is inclined to help, motivate and inspire people to develop their potential and to encourage them to walk in their God-given purpose. She lives in Grapevine, Texas, with her husband David and their two sons, José David and Elías.