Welcome, Rev. Kevin Ireland!

Presbytery of Southern Kansas and Grace, Wichita, are excited to welcome the Rev. Kevin Ireland to serve as Pastor and Head of Staff at Grace.   The COMT has met with Rev. Ireland, and since they now have the powers of a commission (granted February 18), examined him and granted him admission as a minister member of the Presbytery of Southern Kansas. The COMT will share the terms of call and Rev. Ireland’s faith statement at the August 9 meeting at Grace, and Rev. Ireland will be introduced. We hope you’ll attend the meeting, introduce yourself, and welcome him!

Here’s a note from the PNC:

We got to hear Pastor Kevin preach on Sunday July 27^th and at the congregational meeting, we voted to extend the call him.  He and his wife Rachel will be packing to move from Austin to Wichita in mid-August, with his first official day in the pulpit scheduled for Sept 7.   Below is an introduction to Pastor Kevin.

In the first half of my life, I’ve worn many hats, troubadour, waiter, recording artist, innkeeper, and entrepreneur. I grew up in the Kansas City area and grew in faith at Southridge Presbyterian Church in Roeland Park, Kansas, where my dad served as the choir director. As a teenager, I loved planning and participating in presbytery and national youth retreats. Those experiences sparked both my faith and my love for the church.

I attended the University of Chicago and stayed in the city, playing and recording in an indie-rock band. I met my wife Rachel, also a Kansas native, and we moved back to Kansas in 2004 to start a family and restore a vintage motel in Strong City. Along the way, I became passionate about sustainable rural development, building websites for rural churches and nonprofits, serving as president of the county Chamber of Commerce, and leading workshops on agritourism and rural entrepreneurship. In 2011, I helped launch Green Dot Bioplastics, serving as Communications Manager for the Kansas-based bioscience start-up.

My mom, Rev. Patricia Ireland, served as pastor of Cottonwood Falls Presbyterian Church, just down the road from Strong City. It was there, raising our family in the congregation, that God's Spirit rekindled a love for leading worship and sharing the gospel. After providing pulpit supply one Advent season, I was asked to serve as Authorized Pulpit Supply for Americus United Presbyterian Church in Americus, Kansas. During those three years, I discerned a clear call to congregational ministry.

In 2019, I moved with Rachel and our kids, Rowan and Kiran, to Austin, Texas, to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I graduated in 2022, receiving the W.P. Newell Fellowship for superior accomplishment and readiness for ministry, along with the Chidester Preaching Award. I was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of Northern Kansas in April 2023 and have been serving as the Pastoral Resident at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church in Austin. Beyond the church walls, I still love making music with others and sharing good food and good conversation around the table.

I am overjoyed to be moving back to Kansas and to be closer to family. I am filled with gratitude and excitement to be called to serve alongside a congregation like Grace Presbyterian, a community committed to sharing God's good news of love and acceptance for all people. I look forward to joining you in the work of God's kingdom, promoting justice, reconciliation, and compassion in the community of Wichita and throughout the world. I’m eager to be part of God's unfolding story in the life of Grace Presbyterian Church.