Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Howard (born September 19, 1952) is an American author, ordained minister of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Washington, and thought leader in church planting and post-partisan Christian unity.
Howard is the founding vicar and first rector of Saint Nicholas Church. He led Saint Nicholas through its 1388% growth from 1995 to present, including purchasing and breaking ground on its own property and constructing the church building itself. He gives talks and presentations nationwide on topics from his book Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them, as well as consulting on conflict resolution, vision, and direction for congregations and dioceses, through the Paradoxy Center for Incarnational Christianity at St. Nicholas Church.
A Christian of Jewish origins, Howard has been an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church since 1993, focusing on church planting, congregational vitality, and conflict transformation. Prior to ordination Howard was a consultant in team-building, organizational development, and strategic planning. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary, with honors in Church History for his research into the Jewish origins of early Christianity, published in Jewish Christianity in the Early Church.
In 2010, Howard authored the book Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them, the premise of which is to help congregations "transcend dead-end divisions and transform conflict into healthy diversity united by the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit". Notable critical reviews of the book include the following:
Phyllis Tickle, a leader in the Emerging Christianity movement, called Paradoxy "one of the clearest and most concise commentaries presently available about where the Church may reasonably be seen as going in this time of paradigmatic shift."
ExploreFaith.org's Andrew MacBeth said "This book might not be the easiest 'read', since there is some fairly abstract theology to wade through along the way. But it's hard to imagine a book that could have a more profound impact on our understanding of church today."
Brian McLaren wrote in the book's foreword, "Ken Howard does what good leaders do in times of change and challenge. First, he describes where we are. Then he tells the story of how we got here. Then he gives us a vision of where to go from here [...] he simplifies without oversimplifying complex historical and philosophical developments."
C. K. Robertson, Canon to the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, reviewed Paradoxy, saying "parish priest and organizational development consultant Ken Howard addresses [the] tendency toward polarization while offering an intriguing alternative to the familiar 'either/or' dichotomy."
In 2011, Howard co-founded The Spiritual Formation Centers of Greater Washington, a network of non-profit multi-church spiritual formation and training centers whose stated goal is "to provide consultation, coaching, and capacity building in individual, group, and organizational spiritual development for churches and other religious organizations."
Associations, Elections, and Appointments
Washington Episcopal Clergy Association
2008–present - Board Member (elected May 2008)
2008–2013 - Communications Director (elected September 2008)
2009–2010 - Secretary (elected June 2009)
2010–2014 - Program Chair (elected June 2010)
2014–present - Vice-President (elected June 2013)
Episcopal Diocese of Washington
1996-1997 - Diocesan Common Ground Dialogue on Human Sexuality - Chair (appointed February 1996).
1997-2003 - Diocesan Council (elected January 2000)
2000-2003 - Diocesan Council Executive Committee (appointed February 2000).
2000 - General Convention Alternate Delegate – (elected January 2000)
2001-2002 - Bishop's Pastoral Representative to Christ Church, Accokeek, MD (appointed March 2001).
2003 - General Convention Alternate Delegate – (elected January 2003)
2003 - Bishop's Working Group on Mission Canons - Chair (appointed June 2003).
2003-2004 - Bishop's Pastoral Representative to Holy Spirit Mission, Germantown, MD (appointed February 2003).
2004-2005 - Bishop's Working Group on Episcopal-Jewish Relations - Co-Chair (appointed February 2004).
2008-2011 - Ecclesiastical Trial Court Member (elected January 2008)
"Paradoxy: Creating Christian Community Beyond Us and Them" by Ken Howard. Published by Paraclete Press (2010). ISBN 1557257752, ISBN 978-1557257758.
"Excommunicating the Faithful: Jewish Christianity in the Early Church" by Kenneth W. Howard. Published by the Paradoxy Center for Incarnational Christianity (2013). ASIN B00HH1K3QQ
"A New Middle Way? Surviving and Thriving in the Coming Religious Realignment," Anglican Theological Review (Winter 2009/2010)
"Elements of a Successful Diocesan Mission Plan," Episcopal Diocese of Washington (2007).
"Jewish Christianity in the Early Church: How the Church Lost Its Jewish Roots," Virginia Theological Seminary (1993, updated and revised 2009).
"A Comprehensive Expectancy Motivation Model: Implications for Adult Education and Training," Adult Education Quarterly (May 1989).
