New Pastor Called to Wichita UCC

Reverend Rachael Pryor, current Intentional Minister of Wichita UCC and chair of the Committee on Ministry for Discernment, shares this great news with the Conference: On Sunday December 12, Wichita United Church of Christ voted to call the Rev. Jacob Poindexter as their next settled pastor. This process was accomplished by Zooming him in to the in-person and live-streamed worship service, as Rev. Poindexter currently lives in Anchorage, Alaska. However, on a previous visit to Kansas last month, the search committee was able to meet with him in person.

Rev. Jacob Poindexter

Rev. Poindexter is no stranger to Kansas, or even Wichita. He graduated from Medicine Lodge High School, where his parents still reside; and his wife is from the Haysville area. They have two children, a girl and a boy, about 2 years apart and not quite yet teenagers. Additional family members in the home are dogs and rabbits. He has several relatives residing in Wichita. Rev. Poindexter started his academic career at Wichita State University in the music department and performed in various venues in the area. Transferring to Central Christian College of Kansas, he earned a BS in Ministry and Business Management.

When planning for seminary, he and his wife chose Eden Theological Seminary (a seminary of the United Church of Christ in St. Louis, Missouri) where he earned his Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained by the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches denomination at Plymouth Congregational Church in Wichita. During his time in seminary, he met with Edith Guffey and was invited to consider the United Church of Christ, for which we are grateful! That invitation kept weighing on his mind and heart, and he sought and received “Privilege of Call” status through the Committee on Ministry of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference. This nearly two-year process culminated in September 2020. Privilege of Call Status means that, once a call is offered and confirmed, Rev. Poindexter will have full ordained standing as an Authorized Minister of the United Church of Christ. Rev. Poindexter has already been participating in KO Conference Annual Meetings and Boundary Training since last year, and he is looking forward to finally meeting some familiar colleagues in person.

Pastor Jacob has served as Solo Student Pastor at a Disciples of Christ (DOC) congregation in Missouri and most recently as the Pastor at a Congregational Church in Anchorage, Alaska. We look forward to welcoming him in February 2022, when he begins his call with Wichita UCC on Feb. 21.