June 12, 2025

Dear St. John’s Family:

I am thrilled to announce that the Reverend Derek Miller has accepted our call to be the next Full-Time Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church! His official start date is Tuesday, September 2nd. His first service with us will be at our Fall One Worship on Sunday, September 7th.

As your Senior Warden, I am so proud to have been a part of the effort to find a new Rector for St. John’s. I want to thank the members of our Discernment Committee (Katie Baughman, John Helder, Nancy McAllister, Angie Purnell, Ann Rasenberger and Stuart Work), led by Co-Chairs Anne Reilly and Joe Chen, our Vestry and, most importantly all you for your prayers, for a successful completion of our discernment process. 

When you see Anne, Joe, Katie, John, Nancy, Angie, Ann, and Stuart, please thank them for their tremendous work!

Our Vestry and I are confident that St. John’s, with Rev. Derek as our new Rector, is ready to embark upon the next phase of our Church’s tremendous history with enthusiasm, praise, and vigor!  

For the last four years, Rev. Derek has served as the Rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland. Rev. Derek impressed us with his strong belief that the church of the present (and the future) must put in the work to meet people exactly where they are and be ready to receive and care for people of all walks of life and experiences, many of whom have faced deep alienation and pain related to God and religion. Rev. Derek has both personal experience of this journey and has accompanied many who have come through painful (but formative) spiritual circumstances. 

Rev. Derek was drawn to St. John’s commitment to grounded and inclusive Episcopal formation, particularly with respect to our largest mission. His son, Easton, just completed Preschool at our Parish Day School and will attend Kindergarten there in the Fall. Rev. Derek’s current parish also has a successful preschool, so he is well-acquainted with the unique needs of families with young children as well as churches with strong ties to parish schools. He is looking forward to serving St. John’s as we continue our faithful work — deepening our roots in our community, providing appropriate formation in different stages/phases, and broadening our ministry of radical hospitality.

Rev. Derek comes to us with a variety of experiences that inform his ministry. Having both a father and a grandfather as Baptist ministers, he later found his way into the Episcopal Church by way of worship, prayer, and study. He has a deep appreciation for liturgy and the Anglican Tradition.

Rev. Derek received his Bachelor’s in Biblical Studies and Urban Missions from Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky, earned both a Master’s of Theology and a Master’s of Church Ministry from the Ecumenical Institute at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, and received a post-graduate diploma in Anglican Studies from Virginia Theological Seminary. He has tremendous experience in church mission work and revitalization, faith community organizing and advocacy, and nonprofit leadership. His passion for community engagement and vibrant liturgical life are bound together by one of his core convictions: God is always present and at work…and we are invited to join in!

Rev. Derek, his wife Kara, and Easton live in Catonsville. He is a guitarist (Hello ASH Band!) and enjoys all that Ellicott City has to offer in the way of good food, drink, music, and all things wonderful.

To assist Rev. Derek with his transition to St. John’s, the Vestry has appointed a New Rector Transition Committee, which will be commissioned during our service this Sunday. Lauren Brown, Carol Diggs, Blair Kennard, and Phil Stackhouse are the committee members, and Sally Goss is the Chairwoman. This committee’s primary responsibility will be to assist Rev. Derek in building effective relationships in and around St. John’s during the first year of his ministry. I have the utmost confidence in this committee’s ability to effectively handle this daunting charge, and I have no doubt that we, the Parishioners of St. John’s, will be ready to work with Sally, Lauren, Carol, Blair, and Phil as we welcome Rev. Derek into our community. 

In addition, as is the Diocesan custom, Canon Kristin Krantz will attend our Saturday and Sunday services on June 28th and 29th to speak with our Parishioners about transitions. 

As we prepare to welcome Rev. Derek, Kara, and Easton, I am happy to answer any questions you may have. My cell phone can be found in Realm, and my email address is SeniorWarden@stjohnsec.org.   

Please join me as we celebrate the call of Reverend Derek Miller as the next Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church! 

Very truly yours,

Gordon

N. Gordon Knox

Senior Warden