Rev. Dr. Elizabeth J. Callender

The Reverend Dr. Elizabeth Callender was installed as the Minister of St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in June, 2024, after serving as Interim Pastor for seven months. Previously, Rev. Callender served as the Director of Ministry Development for Grace Presbytery where her responsibilities included to help prepare, develop programs, and assess pastoral leaders (new ministers, Interim Pastors, Commissioned Pastors) for their pastoral vocations; to help begin and resource a new Social Justice Task Force; to recruit and train members for various leadership groups; and to work with dozens of churches undergoing difficult change. She also participated in a variety of programs for leadership development, denominational and church training, group and individual leadership coaching, and conflict resolution. Before joining the presbytery staff, Rev. Callender served as the Pastor at Bentwood Trail Presbyterian Church in Dallas for over eight years, while also serving on several presbytery committees and commissions.

Rev. Callender studied at Rice University in Houston and graduated with a Bachelor of Industrial Design with Highest Honors from The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She began her professional career as an architectural, interior, and industrial designer for firms in New York City and Dallas. Experiencing the call of God, with the affirmation of the Church, Elizabeth received a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary (Systematic Theology) and was awarded several theological honors and a fellowship. She pursued doctoral studies at The Institute for Theology, Imagination, and The Arts at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.

“My great joy is getting to walk with people who are coming alive to the life-changing love of God.”