Welcome Rev. Katie Cummings
Katie is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, with a B.A. in Plan II Honors Liberal Arts. She also holds a Certificate in Drawing and Painting from the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. In 2005, Rev. Cummings earned an M. Div. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where she was a Jean Brown Scholar, and received the David L. Stitt Fellowship.
Katie has been serving as the Senior Pastor & Head of Staff at First Presbyterian Church in Bentonville since 2015. Prior to being called to Arkansas, Rev. Cummings served over nine years in the Houston area. She served as the Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Congregational Care at Clear Lake Presbyterian Church and as the Associate Pastor for Adult Ministries at Grace Presbyterian Church. She is an experienced leader and presbyter having provided leadership in various presbytery roles including CPM, COM, Administrative Commissions, General Council, just to name a few. Katie served on the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Board of Trustees for nine years in addition to serving on the Alumni Association Board. She also served on the Presidential Search Committee for Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In October, Katie will begin serving on the Mo-Ranch Board of Trustees. She is a lifelong learner who deeply values the connectional nature of the church.
The search committee had the privilege of meeting with many qualified candidates across the country, however, it became abundantly clear that Katie is presently called and distinctively qualified to provide leadership as the Associate Executive Presbyter. Her ministry experience, pastor’s heart and non-anxious presence were apparent to the committee early in the process. The search committee was unanimous in its decision on calling Rev. Katie Cummings.
Rev. Cummings and her husband Phil will relocate to the Dallas area in October to begin her new role with the team in November. They have one adult daughter Leigh, who lives in Houston. This has been an incredibly fulfilling journey, and the committee is thrilled and grateful to arrive at this moment with Katie and all of you.
The AEPNC consisted of five members: Cindy Miller and Brendan McLean (Co-Moderators), Terra Pennington, Perryn Rice, and Mike Shaw.
Rev. Katie Cummings, Statement of Faith
I trust in God, who creates, redeems, and sustains all that is in steadfast love and faithfulness. Eternally one and at the same time three, this Triune God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in a mutual life and indwelling love that reaches out to embrace us and all creation.
I trust in God the Creator, the great author and artisan of the cosmos. God freely and lovingly crafted human beings, breathing into us life and bestowing upon us the very image and value of the One who made us. Yet rather than embracing God and God’s creative purposes for us, we chose our own way instead and ended up hiding from God. Despite our sin, God called out to us, “Where are you?” Left on our own, humanity tears down, exploits and neglects one another and creation. But God does not leave us on our own. In tenacious love, God calls out to us to find us, to restore us from sin and its death-dealing consequences, and to usher in a new creation in our lives and in our world.
I trust in Jesus Christ, the only Son and Incarnate Word of God who was sent not to judge the world but to save it. Fully divine, Jesus also entered into the depths of our vulnerability and suffering as he took on the fullness of humanity. The friend of sinners and outcasts, Jesus showed us the forgiveness, compassion, and inclusion of the reign of God. The advocate for the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed, Jesus embodied God’s call for justice. The lamb of God, Jesus bore for us the weight of our sin on the cross. The firstborn from the dead, Jesus was raised from the grave in God’s triumph over every power of sin and death once and for all. The redeemer of the world, Jesus invites all to be made new by his grace, and to follow him in his way of love, welcome, justice, and peace. I trust in Jesus as my Lord and my Savior.
I trust in the Holy Spirit, the breath and power of God that dwells in us and is at work in the church and in the world. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts, minds, and lives to respond to God’s grace in Christ, transforming us more and more into Christ’s likeness. The Spirit calls, gathers, equips, guides, and sends the church out to join with Christ in God’s mission of healing and transformation. The Spirit works in and through the Sacraments, signs and seals of God’s covenant of grace. By the Spirit’s power, in the waters of Baptism we are identified with Christ in his death and resurrection, and grafted into Christ’s body, the church. By the Spirit’s power, in the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper, we encounter our Risen Lord Jesus and are nourished again and again to bear the gospel into the world by the testimony of our lives.
I believe that the Bible is the written word of God, made living and active in our lives by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ, breathed into being by God through human hands and historical contexts.
I trust that in the Risen Christ, we find our source of hope and life both now and forever. As he promised, Christ will one day come again to bring the fullness of God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven. To God be all praise and glory!