Carla Burton was raised in ministry throughout her life, beginning as a preacher’s kid. When she was 9, she became a missionary kid and joined her parents, Carl & JoAnn Varnell, in the Philippines. She graduated from Jackson College of Ministries with a Bachelor’s in Music and married her husband, J. Kurtis Burton. In 1996, they became the pastor and first lady of The Turning Point Church in Madison (North Nashville), Tennessee. In 2016, Carla became a credentialed minister with the UPCI. In 2025, she received her Master’s of Divinity in Biblical Studies and Theology from Urshan Graduate School of Theology, where she was also the recipient of the Timothy A. Dugas Servant Leadership Award. She is the author of several books and is a speaker at national and international events. Although gifted in leading in worship and organization her first love is teaching the Word of God. She has a passion for seeing people’s lives transformed by gaining illumination from the Bible. Through this desire, she founded a ministry called A Passion Approach, devoted to video teaching resources by Apostolic women. She presently serves as the Secretary for the UPCI Women in Ministry.