We are delighted to announce that the Rev. Dr. Chad T. Martin has been called as the 25th rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church. He will begin his ministry with us on June 6, 2022.
For the past eight-and-a-half years, Fr. Chad has served at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston. He currently serves as Vicar of St. Martin’s, where he has the chief responsibility for worship, oversees evangelism, new membership, and Men of St. Martin’s, as well as all ministries related to worship – both traditional and contemporary. For the first 4 years of his ministry, he served as an associate rector at St. Thomas’ Episcopal in Houston.
A graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where he received his bachelor of music degree (voice) in 1999, he holds a master of music degree from Missouri State University. His career began as a middle-school music teacher and church music director. Following a call to ordained ministry, he attended Virginia Theological Seminary, where he received a Master of Divinity in 2009.
In May 2021, he received his Doctor of Ministry in Church Leadership from Emory University in Atlanta. His doctoral project, “Worship for the Next Generation: Finding Community in a Virtual World,” focused on developing a virtual intergenerational worship service that embraces both ancient and modern practices.
Fr. Chad’s calling follows a year-long process led by the Discernment Committee and guided by the Diocese of Virginia. We are confident that Fr. Chad’s knowledge and experience as well as his personal qualities make him the right spiritual leader for St. James’ today. We particularly value his strong, Christ-centered spiritual leadership, his desire for and ability to make deep connections with individuals, his commitment to developing engagement and discipleship among parishioners of all ages, and his intentionally collaborative approach to parish leadership.
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