Woods Church To Welcome New Senior Pastor This Month

I feel like the church exists not for itself but to be … the body of Christ in the world, and that means being a presence of blessing and healing and reconciliation and love, and Woods is doing that and asking, ‘How can we do that more faithfully and more effectively into the future?’ And that’s a conversation that I always want to have.”

The Rev. J.C. Austin

Late this month, Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church will welcome its 10th and newest senior pastor. Since the Rev. Susan DeWyngaert’s retirement in January 2022, pastoral staff and interim leaders have shepherded the dynamic congregation. On August 27, the Rev. J.C. Austin will take up the position of senior pastor and head of staff at Woods.

Woods’ Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) was formed in June of 2023 and largely facilitated the search for a new pastor. Qualified candidates were interviewed, and over time, it became apparent that one of them was best suited to assume the senior pastoral role for the 112-year-old Severna Park church.

Administrative Head of Staff Sue Ward noted that Austin’s compassion, biblical depth and preaching skills helped set him apart. When the Key Bridge fell, PNC co-chair Ellen Oakes said the PNC took note when candidates including Austin were so attuned to the area that they reached out and offered prayers.

The Rev. Nancy Lincoln-Reynolds, associate pastor for pastoral care and evangelism and acting head of staff, highlighted the importance in selecting a new senior pastor of not only carefully evaluating qualifications and fit, but also listening to the Holy Spirit. “Lots of prayer goes into this, which it should – not just prayer on the part of the Pastor Nominating Committee or the congregation, but on J.C.’s part,” she said, “and we just kind of trust the spirit to put us together.”

Austin was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and moved frequently due to his father’s work. His family landed in Georgia when he was 12, and he considers Atlanta his hometown. It was there that he was ordained, and his parents and brother remain in Atlanta today.

A lifelong Presbyterian, Austin was raised in the faith. “I like to joke that I was born in the church,” the reverend said. “My parents had been trying to have a child for a long time, and had basically given up hope for doing that, and I was a surprise. When I was born, they were part of a new church plant in Knoxville, so they ended up donating the first pulpit Bible to the church in thanksgiving for my birth.”

Austin attended a Tennessee liberal arts college, Sewanee, for his undergraduate studies, and received his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1998. At graduation, he was awarded the Graduate Study Fellowship in Parish Pulpit Ministry, which opened the door for Austin to spend a year pursuing postgraduate studies in South Africa.

Back in the United States, Austin served for nearly 10 years as an associate pastor at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church before devoting over eight years as vice president for Christian leadership formation at Auburn Theological Seminary, both in New York City. Most recently, he was called to serve as senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem in Pennsylvania for the past seven years.

After helping that congregation move beyond a difficult split, navigate a global pandemic, and coalesce around a strategic vision, Austin felt at peace with the notion of leaving Bethlehem when he was asked to consider pastoring at Woods. His last Sunday there was July 28.

Austin is looking forward to being a part of the Woods family in large part because of the church’s enduring commitment to serving the community.

“When God first calls Abraham in Genesis 12, he concludes that in part by saying, ‘You’re going to be blessed in order to be a blessing,’” Austin said, “and I feel like Woods is a congregation that clearly has been blessed in a lot of ways with its history and its membership … but it sees itself as a congregation that has been blessed to be a blessing.”

The soon-to-be Marylander said he immediately felt at home during his candidating visit in June. That weekend, Austin went to an Orioles game, met with leaders of the church, sampled Annapolitan fare, and delivered a sermon on Sunday. He noted it was a special service to be part of because Woods also commissioned a team to serve with Habitat for Humanity and installed deacons and elders as well. Following his candidating sermon, Austin’s call to lead Woods was approved by the congregation.

In addition to his eagerness to pastor Woods, Austin is looking forward to relocating to the Severna Park area because it will bring him within an hour’s drive of his son, who will enter his sophomore year at Georgetown University this fall. And, it will allow the avid baseball fan to take up residence in Orioles country.

A lover of music, Austin enjoys listening to all genres, as well as playing both acoustic and electric guitar. He has traveled the world extensively, visiting over 60 countries while seeking to be a student of various cultures. He loves to cook – particularly Italian, French, Thai and some Vietnamese cuisines – and has been learning his way around a smoker in recent years, experimenting with choice meats like pork shoulder and brisket.

“Listening to music and cooking something great on a Friday night is how I love to spend my time,” Austin said of his passions. Looking ahead to life in Maryland, he added, “I’ve got to work on my crab recipes. I haven’t had experience doing that.”

Woods Church will continue to hold one blended Sunday service the remainder of summer, returning to two service times on September 15. To learn about its mission and beliefs, go to www.woodschurch.org.