The Rev. R.J. Johnson, (‘98) has returned to the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio to serve as the rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Canton.

Fr. Johnson previously served in the diocese from 2010 until 2017 as rector of Advent Episcopal Church in Westlake. The native of Colorado graduated with a bachelor's degree in theology from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He completed his master's in divinity at Nashotah House.

The pandemic has been a strange time to enter a new community; Fr. Johnson said, “It has presented some unique challenges as we have not been able to do many of the things we would normally do during a transition. At the same time, it has provided opportunities to meet new people in smaller groups where we can have longer conversations.”

He considers his specialty leading smaller congregations, noting that 90% of the churches in the U.S. have an average attendance of fewer than 200. Eighty percent have an average attendance of fewer than 100 people.

“Sometimes, people think of that as a problem, but smaller churches can serve people in ways that larger churches cannot,” he said. “It’s not that one is good, and one is bad. They just have different characteristics. We need both.”

Fr. Johnson is married and has two adult children. He has served parishes in Wisconsin, Virginia, Florida, and Wyoming.

The preceding was originally published at the Repository at this link on February 12, 2022. Do you have news you would like to share with the Nashotah House Chapter community? You may email your story to chapter@nashotah.edu, and we will be glad to post!