With great joy the vestry of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church announces that the Rev. John D. Rohrs has accepted our call to become the ninth rector of this parish.
John has been rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Norfolk, in the Diocese of Southern Virginia, since 2009. Before that, he was associate rector at Christ Church, Raleigh, N.C.
John and his wife Andie—also an Episcopal priest—have been married for 19 years and have three children: Anna, age 14, and twins Tom and Will who turn 12 next week.
John is a native of Stillwater, Oklahoma (coincidentally where our music director Brent te Velde is from). Andie is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and has been serving as an associate rector at St. Andrew’s. When the Rohrs were in Raleigh, Andie was chaplain at Saint Mary’s School.
John is a 1999 graduate of Duke University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history magna cum laude and minored in economics. In 2007, he earned a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke. John earned a master of divinity, summa cum laude, from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in 2005. He was ordained as a transitional deacon in June 2005, and priest in February 2006.
He has extensive community and diocesan leadership experience and is the current dean of the Norfolk Convocation in the Diocese of Southern Virginia.
John says, “I first visited St. Stephen’s for the ‘Going Forward Together’ conference in 2006, one year out of seminary, and I was struck by the beauty of the Celtic service and by the church’s culture of innovation and outreach. I have long admired your parish, and I am honored and excited to join you as your next rector. I look forward to getting to know you and sharing in ministry together.”
The call came as the result of eight months of work on the part of the discernment committee, led by Jay Moore and Shelley Spalding. Jay said, “After several rounds of interviews with many highly qualified candidates, the discernment committee unanimously determined that John was the right choice for St. Stephen’s at this time. His warm and engaging demeanor together with a keen intellect and his collaborative leadership and management skills make him ideally suited to be our next rector.”
Shelley added. “From very early in our conversations with John it was clear he embraced so many aspects of St. Stephen’s that make us truly special, like our traditional and contemplative worship services. While serving as rector at St. Andrew’s, he has worked to balance worship and spiritual formation with meaningful engagement in the world through outreach. That vision aligns so well with what is at the core of St. Stephen’s.”
The co-chairs also noted John’s passion for family ministry and a successful track record of bringing young families into the church.
“We cannot wait for the parish to meet him!” said Shelley.
“The Rev. John Rohrs is a dynamic, creative priest who has served the Diocese of Southern Virginia with grace and energy,” said the Rt. Rev. Susan Haynes, Episcopal Bishop of Southern Virginia. “In addition to his faithful service to his parish, John has served the diocese as chair of our Repairers of the Breach Commission for Racial Justice and Reconciliation, building bridges and restoring hope as we confront our past and seek healing. Additionally, he has served as dean of his regional convocation in Norfolk, aiding the bishop in care of clergy and lay people alike and advancing the initiatives of the diocese. We are excited for John and his family as they embark on this new chapter in their life’s journey with St. Stephen’s in Richmond.”
