Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven King.
Steven, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Lawrence, KS, and moved to New Haven and the Washington, DC area for an internship and seminary. I have been a priest for 7 years in Overland Park, Omaha, and now in Midtown Kansas City. The process of becoming a priest can be full of ups and downs but for me, it has always been a process toward discovering more and more of who I am.
I have been in Midtown KC, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church & Day School since September 2021. My title is Rector, which in the Episcopal church means Lead Pastor or Senior Pastor. Our church community is grounded in beautiful, ancient worship that speaks into our current lives. We offer choral music that engages body and soul in worship and ritual, liturgical worship that has been handed down over the centuries to us.
We are a progressive community that believes in the dignity and worth of every human being, regardless of any status or title, or descriptor our world might apply. We love to have fun together and to let joy and love be the connective tissue that holds our common life together. We are committed to growing in our relationship through every stage and age of life, from our youngest members to the oldest–lifelong and life-wide!
In addition, we have a Day School that is part of the church with almost 500 students in toddler-aged classrooms through 8th grade. Our church serves over 2000 people per month through our food pantry and is well known for that work. We also, with the school, provide significant financial support to Holy Cross School in Ravine a’Lanse, Haiti, and have partnered with another Episcopal church to provide assistance to Afghan refugees.
All of this and more drew me to this community. St. Paul’s is a place that believes that the divine can and will be encountered in an ancient yet timeless beauty, mystery, and ritual. It believes that making life better for our world is what we are called to do. And, it takes joy in life while supporting one another through the ups and downs.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No work is always smooth! For me, as this is more than a job and rather a true sense of vocation grounded in my identity, I have found that the struggles and joys, the highs and lows are not something to run from but they are the work. I understand my job, my vocation to not shy away from those but rather to show up in a consistent and non-anxious way that bears witness to the ways God shows up in our lives too.
Seven years into this work and I feel more and more fully like I am where I am meant to be. The other jobs I had were tremendously formative for who I am today but now, in a role that is the main leader of a community, I feel as though I have been prepared to meet the new challenges of taking on this role. I intentionally stayed in an assistant/associate’s role longer than some in order to learn and watch and gain some experience.
Because of who my boss was I was able to try on what it was like to be a leader while still having a safety net to catch me if I fell. I am so grateful for that experience and it has only prepared me more and more for who I am today. That particular boss who was also a friend has become a mentor, encourager, and sounding board to do this work that is often isolated.
Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic presented the church broadly with challenges it had not faced before. In some ways, it brought what some people thought was a reality of the future church to our front porch years in advance of when we thought it may come. And, the church (like many human organizations) is not always able to adapt and change quickly. However, in this case, we were forced to, like everyone else. I was working in Omaha when that started and moved to Kansas City in the middle of it.
Both communities struggled in many ways and yet the enduring, steadfast relationships that we share carried us. We found creative ways to reach people, connect people, and serve our neighbors. As we have been able to re-gather in person these last many months, we have seen that some have fallen away from regular Sunday attendance.
And, we have also seen even more folks who have connected more fully with our church. Some have been there for many years and found their faith renewed, some have used this season of life to discover a new faith community and have come to our doors. And, still, some others, have been inspired through this season to commit to a faith community in a new way.
Struggles are always mixed in with joys. That’s the fullness of life! We and I do not try to shy away from that but rather embrace the messiness of our lives and say that hope and grace and beauty are always present through it all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an Episcopal priest. I wrote in another question what our community at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church & Day School specializes in. I am proud of the way we try to make our faith something that isn’t just for us but is to be shared to make a difference in our community.
I am proud of the way we are focused on our neighborhood in Midtown KC. I am proud of the way our school forms young people to be ethical, responsible leaders who care for others. I am proud of the way we seek to be grounded in faith is ancient and let it speak into our modern lives.
I am proud of the way we let a handed-down ritual from generations before being our sustenance rather than always worrying about making our faith relevant or matching the latest trends. I am proud of the way we try to witness love and grace and mercy and goodness in the world as we seek to enable a more dignified, equitable, and just life for others.
Contact Info:
- Email: sking@stpaulskcmo.org
- Website: www.stpaulskcmo.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/saintpaulskcmo/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/stpaulskcmo
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/StPaulsEpiscopalChurchKansasCityMissouri
- Other: linktr.ee/saintpaulskcmo
