Celebrating over 120 Years of Service
The Reverend Dr. Robert S. Norris serves as pastor and head of staff at the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach, Florida.
Dr. Norris is an inspired preacher and teacher, a passionate prayer, a dynamic worship leader who has for 40 years dedicated his professional life to the pastoral ministry. He enjoys preaching and teaching in a church setting. He is energized by social outreach and mission, the spiritual nurture of congregations and imagining new forms of ministry. His goal always within congregational ministry is with God’s help, to cultivate an environment, where the delight expressed among friends in faith is so appealing that its natural outgrowth causes others to notice and ask about where it comes; where the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and the Gospels proclaimed captivate, challenge, inform and inspire people to hope filled, joyous Godly living; where forgiveness is the hallmark of one’s personal experience, and where God’s love and grace is made real.
Bob was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in American History and Philosophy in 1976 at Bloomsburg State College in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and attended Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey where he received three degrees – a Master of Divinity in 1979, a Master of Theology in 1985, and his Doctor of Ministry in 2004.
Dr. Norris was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in July of 1979 and became Associate Pastor at The First Presbyterian Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania. His next position was as an Associate Pastor at The Presbyterian Church in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. Dr. Norris later became Executive Pastor of the 4,500 member Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, Texas and followed there as the Interim Senior Pastor from 1993-1996. In 1995 he was called as the Senior Pastor, Head of Staff of the 2,500 member Westminster Presbyterian Church in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania. In April of 2004, Dr. Norris was invited to become the Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at the Royal Poinciana Chapel where he continues to serve 16 years later. In 2015, Dr. Norris was invited to serve as an adjunct member on the faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary and additionally has taught classes of students studying for their Master of Divinity at Palm Beach Atlantic School of Ministry.
Dr. Norris serves on the Advisory Board of the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and the Board of Directors at The Lord’s Place, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness in Palm Beach County.
Dr. Norris is passionate about his family and pastoral ministry. “There is nothing that excites and motivates me more than ministering to the people of God’s calling. There is nothing that delights me more than being the husband of Debbie Norris, and Dad to Megan, a paralegal in Chicago who anticipates entering law school in the fall of 2020.” Bob and Debbie Norris thoroughly enjoy parenting and been dedicated partners in ministry throughout their pastoral life and their marriage of 36 years.
The Reverend Dr. Aaron P. Janklow serves as Executive Pastor at the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach, Florida.
Dr. Janklow completed his Ph.D. in Christian Ethics and Practical Theology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in July 2017 and served as Assistant Minister at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, before joining the Royal Poinciana Chapel as Executive Pastor. Alongside Aaron’s academic experience, he has a heart for parish ministry and engagement in the community.
While born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Aaron grew up in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City. He is a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Temple University, and first studied at the University of Edinburgh as a McFarland Scholar of the St. Andrew’s Society of Philadelphia in 2002-2003, before returning to the University of Edinburgh for his Ph.D. nearly 10 years later. Aaron attended Princeton Theological Seminary, and has served as a Lilly Resident/Minister in Residence at the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as churches in Florida, New Jersey, and Fortaleza, Brazil. This in addition to his most recent ministry, at St. Giles’ Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, the site of the Scottish Reformation in the 1500s under John Knox’s leadership.
Aaron is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) recognizing that he meets professional standards in higher education in the United Kingdom, and has presented at academic conferences around the UK, including Aberdeen, Durham, Edinburgh, and Oxford Universities. Aaron has also published sermons and book reviews in academic journals such as the Scottish Journal of Theology, Expository Times, and Lectionary Homiletics.
Aaron has a commitment to volunteerism and outreach. During his five years in Edinburgh, he volunteered weekly with Best Buddies, an organization that works with adults with learning disabilities. He has attended and led homebuilding trips both domestically and internationally, and values international travel. In addition to his other ministerial responsibilities, pastoral care has always been integral to his ministry. Aaron has made pastoral visits at every church and community he has been a part of, and he was also a Chaplain Intern at New York Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. Aaron has also served in Fortaleza, Brazil where he worked with Primer Igreja and the Presbytery of Ceara, and translated for American churches doing mission work in the area. Aaron is excited to draw upon all his previous experiences in serving Jesus Christ and making the Gospel known in the community and world through his ministry.