LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PASTORAL STAFF
PASTOR STEVE RANNEY
Steve Ranney is the Head of a staff "made up of a wonderful and committed group of people." He does most of the preaching and with the Session has oversight of the mission of St. Mark.
His Master of Divinity degree is from Denver Seminary in Denver, Colorado. He is currently enrolled in the ACTS Doctor of Ministry program with an emphasis in preaching through McCormick Seminary in Chicago. He has 10 years experience as a youth director and served 15 years at Grace Presbyterian Church in Denver.
Steve came to St. Mark in November of 2006, through an interesting set of circumstances. "All I can say is that I am certain God’s hand was in it. Please ask me about it. I will be glad to share the story with you."
About our denomination, he says, "I am thrilled to be part of the PCUSA because we are unique in a number of ways. We as a denomination recognize Christ as the Head of our church and seek to serve him with all that we do. We recognize that God has called all people into a loving relationship with Him and has given each of us gifts to build the Body of Christ. We encourage each individual, be they man, woman or child, to develop and use those gifts to serve Christ. We recognize that as individuals we need a safe place to grow in our faith and ask questions. Thus, we are open to discussion of all sides of the various issues. We do not demand adherence to a rigid set of beliefs, but we do expect honesty and integrity in the search. The goal is to have a living relationship with God through His Son Jesus. For these reasons, I thank God for the PCUSA."
Steve's personal philosophy grows out of his life-long quest for the truth. "Over the years, that quest has led me to a desire to know God intimately and to love God as God loves me. I believe that is what God wants from me. It is in coming face to face with the God through the risen Christ that we can see the depth of God’s love for us and when we truly see it, it changes us forever. To help us find that love and to grow in that love, God has given us each other in the church. My desire is for St. Mark to be a place where people of all stages of spiritual maturity will grow in that love and offer it to others."
His wife, Rev. Kim Skilling is serving part time as pastor at Affton Presbyterian Church. He also has two adult sons, a daughter and a granddaughter.
PARISH ASSOCIATE SEAN BUTLER
Sean Butler is the Parish Associate at St. Mark, which has the role of supporting the ministry of our installed pastors. His main responsibility is the care and visitation of the home-bound and those in assisted living facilities: he feels called to work with the older adult programs of St. Mark.
He has both B.S. (Business Adm.) and B.A. (Philosophy) degrees from William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. His Master of Divinity degree is from Yale University, and he has a Master of Theology from Duke University. Sean's Master’s thesis at Duke was “Courage in the Face of Terminal Illness; A Unity of the Virtues.” Presently, he is working on a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastor as Spiritual Leader at San Francisco Theological Seminary, and he is "interested in discerning prayer and spiritual direction with older adults."
He was ordained to the ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in June 1991 and has served churches in North Carolina and Indiana before returning to Missouri and St. Louis to be near family.
Sean says about his beliefs: "I believe in the priesthood of all believers and that God is using each and all of us to reveal the love of Jesus our Christ to a hurting and broken world. God calls both women and men, young and old to use their spiritual gifts, their arts of leadership, their hearts of service and their souls of discernment for the building up of the Church and the care of the “least of these.” Hospitality is central to my understanding of church life and feel we are called to be open to accepting and affirming the image of God in all people, especially when encountering those who are different than ourselves. I hope to proclaim with both words and actions that God’s unconditional love, freely given grace, and a never failing faithfulness are the most powerful force in the entire universe and they are available for you and for me in a personal and communal way."
Sean has been married to his college sweetheart, Paula George, M.D. for 22 years and they have three daughters. His birthplace and childhood home is Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and he still has a large extended family in the Kansas City area.