Doug Hester is an ordained Lutheran pastor serving as Counseling Pastor at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in San Antonio, Texas.  He is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.  He holds degrees from Texas Lutheran University, Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Columbus, OH), Austin Presbyterian Seminary (Austin, TX), and St. Mary’s University (San Antonio).  He studied with the late Ed Friedman for several years until Ed’s death in 1996, and continues his post-graduate studies at the Center for Family Process in Bethesda, MD.  He was a presenter at the Ed Friedman Memorial Conference in 1997 in Bethesda.

Doug has served pastorates in Waller, Texas (St. John Lutheran Church 1980-1985), and San Antonio (Christ Lutheran Church 1985-2001; St. Andrew Lutheran Church 2001-Present).  He has made family systems presentations in Arkansas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, and at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

Doug has done consulting in Bowen Theory with hundreds of clergy from more than a dozen denominations, and two faith traditions.  He leads classes and retreats on Family Systems Theory with clergy, church leaders and staffs, lay ministers, therapists, social workers, nurses, parents, and professional business people in Texas and Arkansas.  He also has a psychotherapy practice at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in San Antonio where he does work with individuals, couples, and families.