Dr. Ira Gallaway is former General Secretary of the Board of Evangelism. From March 1974 until July 1989, Dr. Gallaway served as Directing Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Peoria, Illinois where his leadership helped bring renewed spiritual vitality and mission outreach to the congregation. In July of 1989, Dr. Gallaway took early retirement to devote his time to work in the mission field. He is serving as Minister of Leadership Development with the Four Corners Native American Ministry Located at Shiprock, New Mexico, and is working with the New Evangelical Seminary of the Evangelical Methodist Church in Costa Rica.
 
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate with an honor's degree in International Law and Political Science, he has served as a District Superintendent, as President of the National Council of Evangelism, and as the General Secretary of the General Board of Evangelism of the United Methodist Church. For fifteen years, he served as a member of the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council and as member of the Bilateral Dialogue team with the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council. He served for six years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Asbury Theological Seminary. The Chair of Leadership Development in Evangelism and World Mission at Asbury was recently endowed by a gift of $1,000,000.00 in honor of Dr. Gallaway.

He served as Chairman of the Board of the Mission Society for United Methodists for eight years, and continues as Chairman Emeritus.

In 1981, Dr. Gallaway served on a Citizen's Committee to study the crisis in El Salvador. The Committee was co-chaired by The Honorable Clark Kerr and Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke.

In March 1984, Dr. Gallaway was nominated by President Reagan to be a member of the official U.S. delegation to monitor the elections in El Salvador. He was also appointed by Congressman Robert Michel to the Special Congressional Committee to monitor U.S. aid to the Contras in the conflict in Nicaragua.

Dr. Gallaway was one of seven leading pastors form across the nation who called a meeting of concerned pastors in Houston, Texas in December, 1987 to affirm three central theological truths: the primacy of Scripture, the Trinitarian nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the high and holy order of ordained ministry.

Dr. Gallaway is the author of a book, Drifted Astray, published by Abingdon Press in December 1982. In Drifted Astray, Dr. Gallaway addresses some of the critical issues facing the Church today. Dr. and Mrs. Gallaway have co-authored two study books for the Methodist Publishing House to be used as approved adult curriculum of The Church; The Kingdom Teachings of Jesus, and The Teaching of the Apostle Paul on Human Relationships.

The Gallaways have four grown children ­ Jerry, Cynthia, Craig and Tim. They also have twelve grandchildren