Advent begins new year with new rector

Early in 2008, the Rev. Dr. Tim Mitchell, a Louisville native, will officially become the rector of the Church of the Advent in the Highlands neighborhood of Louisville. Mitchell, who is coming back to Louisville after years of work and study in the United States and abroad, has a varied and unusual educational history. A graduate of St. Xavier High School, he received a bachelor of arts degree from Notre Dame University in 1981 and earned a doctorate of ministry from the Pacific School of Religion in 2005. His education and his career experience centered on what many would consider the unlikely combination of faith and finance, the concentration areas of his doctoral studies.

In a many faceted career, Mitchell began his ministry in the Catholic Church as associate pastor at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. He was received as an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of California in 2002, following 11 years of worship in the Episcopal Church. His service in California included part-time positions in three urban parishes in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkely while working full-time as an investment advisor and regional director for Christian Brothers Investment Services.
Having come to treasure parish ministry, Mitchell decided to set his career objective toward becoming rector of an urban parish. He felt he could offer the right parish, spirited worship, enhanced stewardship, thoughtful program development and new member growth. He said that he and his mother, siblings and cousins that reside in Louisville feel particularly blessed that he has found a perfect place to develop his ministry in his hometown.

Although the Church of the Advent has a small congregation, it is located in an exciting Louisville neighborhood and has great potential for growth and service under the urban ministry that Mitchell's education and experience promises.