Redmond Presbyterian Church welcomes new pastor

Redmond Presbyterian Church (RPC) has named Rev. Austin Ashenbrenner as its new senior pastor, and the church will hold an installation service at 1 p.m. Oct. 15 at 10020 166th Ave. N.E.

Ashenbrenner — who is RPC’s sixth called pastor in the church’s 52-year history — delivered his first sermon as RPC’s new pastor on Aug. 13. He was most recently pastor of Adult and Mission at Sammamish Presbyterian Church. He and his wife Erika have two young children, Sophia and Isaac.

Ashenbrenner was born and raised in southern Oregon and graduated from George Fox University in 2001. After college, he relocated to Seattle and began working in full-time youth ministry at University Presbyterian Church and later worked at Sammamish Presbyterian.

Upon earning his Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2010, Ashenbrenner served as the associate pastor of Youth and Mission at First Presbyterian Church in Salina, Kansas, until returning to Sammamish Presbyterian in 2014. He is currently a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Dubuque Theological Seminary, based in Dubuque, Iowa.

“I am thrilled to be here at Redmond Presbyterian Church, and full of hope and excitement to see how God is at work in this congregation and in our community,” Ashenbrenner said.

In his free time, Ashenbrenner enjoys cooking, baking bread, golfing, watching movies and spending time with his family.

RPC’s former senior pastor, Rev. Larry Grounds, retired earlier this year after 12 years of ministry at the church. Rev. Mark Smutny served as RPC’s transitional pastor for eight months until Rev. Ashenbrenner was called to serve last summer.