Kate Hanch has been named director of the Baptist House of Studies at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology.
She comes to the post from First St. Charles United Methodist Church in St. Charles, Mo., where she has served as associate pastor. Ordained at Holmeswood Baptist Church in Kansas City in 2011, she has served in both Baptist and United Methodist context.
A news release from Perkins said her appointment “reflects Perkins’ mission to equip persons for faithful leadership and Christian ministry in a changing church and society.”
Kate Hanch
Hanch holds a Ph.D. in theology and ethics from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where her dissertation — Prophetic Humility: A Feminist Theological Account — examined themes of power, justice and divine love through the lens of humility. She earned the master of divinity degree from Central Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor of arts degree in religion from Missouri Baptist University.
She has taught at BSK Seminar, Central Baptist Theological Seminary and Lindenwood University. She has presented nationally at the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of Religion and the College Theology Society. Her articles have appeared in Review & Expositor, Liturgy and Perspectives in Religious Studies and in Baptist News Global.
Her appointment represents a shift in structure for the relatively new Baptist House of Studies at Perkins, a school primarily affiliated with The United Methodist Church. Three other Baptists — Jaime Clark-Soles, George Mason and Annette Owen — have been the initial leaders of the Baptist program. Clark-Soles has been the director; Mason has been the lead advisor; and Owen has been the coordinator.
Hanch’s new role as director will place her in a position not only to lead the Baptist House of Studies but also to teach within the university.
Hanch’s appointment “signals a new day and a significant step forward for our Baptist House of Studies, thanks to the Baugh Foundation and to the years of groundbreaking hard work provided by Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Rev. Dr. George Mason, and Rev. Annette Owen,” said Dean Bryan P. Stone. “As Dr. Hanch takes on this leadership role, she brings rich congregational experience, an imaginative vision for supporting Baptist students, and a lively research agenda that will take Baptist studies to the next level within our institution and in the wider region.”
Current leaders will remain involved in the program as well.
“I look forward to joining Perkins and being a part of a seminary that cares deeply about the church and the world,” Hanch said. “I hope to empower and equip students to live out their call through an education that is creative, ecumenical and rooted in community.”
Although Perkins School of Theology was founded in 1911, the Baptist House of Studies began in 2018, with major support from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation. Degree programs include master of divinity, master of sacred music, master of theological studies, master of arts in ministry, master of theology, doctor of ministry, and doctor of pastoral music as well as a Ph.D. in cooperation with The Graduate Program in Religious Studies at SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.
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