Hello, I'm Catherine.

Welcome to my webpage!

I've been an ordained Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Pastor for over 14 years, but the truth is that I never sought out this calling. Who would want to be a pastor? That's what I said when I was amid soul-searching and career-exploring in college at the University of Texas at Arlington, where I graduated with a B.A. in Journalism. 

Though a cradle Presbyterian and an ordained youth elder with lovely pastoral examples, I had a distorted image of a pastor. In my mind, a pastor was an older male without much sense of humor, creativity, or desire for fashion and who loved public speaking. That was not me. So God called me on my prejudice. 

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When I first heard my ministry, it was loud and clear. I understood at a soul-deep level that being a pastor was God's plan for my life, and it was terrifying. As I began quietly exploring the logistics of this call and hesitantly confided in friends, the call grew from an outrageous thought to the most perfectly crafted design for my life that I could never have imagined. Like a puzzle coming together, my passions, gifts, interests, and quirks made sense. I would serve God as a pastor. 

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After I made the final decision to agree to God's call, doors flew open. My home church showered me in support, and scholarship offers flooded in an over-the-top confirmation of my call. God sometimes shows off like that.

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I chose Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, for many reasons, the top being that it had a great reputation to train preachers, it was my mentor's alum, and it would help me experience the world outside of Texas. The more I studied, practiced, and preached, the more I grew to love the calling that God had given me. My favorite & most sacred parts of ministry are officiating the Sacrament of Baptism, preaching, and being a pastoral presence at life transitions. 

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After seminary, my first call was as associate pastor at East Brentwood Presbyterian Church outside of Nashville, Tennessee. The learning curve was steep, but I loved the challenge. After about three years, I took over as interim head of staff for about a year. 

Then in 2011, I accepted the call to be the Pastor of Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Kennesaw, Georgia. Since serving as the Pastor of Kirkwood, we've honed in our mission as a progressive congregation in a conservative community. We've grown spiritually and numerically. We have hosted guest speakers on the topic of science and faith, have ordained gay elders, had same-sex weddings, hired POC, studied antiracism, and put up bold messages of inclusion.

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In January 2013, I married Brad Renken, a man of immense creativity and passion, who designs and builds luxury swimming pools. In April 2014, we welcomed our first child, a sweet and spunky girl, whom we named Rylie. Two and a half years later, our son, Harvey, a curious and tender soul, was born. Our family is now complete. When we aren't rushing off to school, work, or a sports practice, we love family dance parties, paddle-boarding on the lake, making crafts, and trying science experiments.

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In 2017, I became a volunteer chaplain with the Cobb County Police Department, with the hope of being a spiritual support for officers who are female, identify as LGBTQ, and are most comfortable with a more inclusive faith. The global pandemic and community strife with law enforcement have made this volunteer gig a challenge.

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And speaking of the pandemic, closing the doors to the church during CoVid-19 was a profound shift in how we did things. As cobwebs grew in the pews, I learned the art of video production and editing, and we learned how to connect in new ways. We gained members, people who found us online. On Sunday mornings, we now have worshippers joining us from across the United States. As hard as it has been and despite how horrific the virus has been, the disruption has strengthened our faith. I remind my congregation that there is always resurrection after death.

Jesus has risen, and so will we! 

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