Meet Our Pastor

Reverend Stephen Underwood is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School, where he received a Master of Divinity with a concentration in Prophetic and Pastoral Congregational Leadership. Having been raised in a church that would not support his call to ministry as a gay person, Stephen came to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) as he was preparing to go to seminary and has found a home within that communion that affirms his calling to minister to God’s people just as God has made him.

Stephen believes that God has called the Church to participate in God’s renewal of the universe, and to truly be the Body of Christ on Earth, not relegating the Spirit’s work to the intangible realms or to some far-off future heaven. He is honored to be called into covenant with Central Christian Church, an inclusive community living out God’s radical love among the people of Great Falls, Montana.

Stephen comes to Great Falls after a lifetime of living in the eastern half of the country and is eager to explore this new landscape. In his free time, Stephen enjoys hiking, running, and climbing, video and tabletop games, fantasy fiction and superhero movies, baking bread, and playing with his cat, Merlin.