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INTRODUCING THE REV. TODD ALLEN

Posted January 25, 2022

Pastor Todd Allen grew up in Avon, Ohio the youngest of three children. Graduating from Kenyon College with dual degrees in Political Science and Studio Art, Todd first worked in the legal field before pursuing a career in marketing advertising. For ten years, he worked in midtown Manhattan for Young & Rubicam and lived in New Jersey. As a member of the historic Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, Todd built upon his life-long walk with the Lord, served as a youth advisor and sang in no less the three choirs.

In time, God placed upon Todd’s heart the idea of ordained ministry, and part of Todd’s period of discernment coincided with his first encounter with the land of Scotland; in the spring of 1995, he directed the Arts Program with the Iona Community and it was here, on a wind-swept island in Scottish Hebrides, that Todd also accepted an invitation to study at Princeton Theological Seminary in the fall of 1995. Upon completing his Masters in Divinity in 1998, Todd returned to Scotland to serve as an Assistant Minister with the Ayr: St. Columba Church, located in the coastal city of Ayr. As one of two pastors serving an 1,800 member congregation, Todd quickly became seasoned in preaching, administration, pastoral care—and in consuming large amounts of tea, shortbread, and haggis! It was a magical four-year experience for him. Todd then served Westminster Presbyterian Church, in Akron, Ohio as an Associate Pastor upon his return to the United States in 2002. He also added Interim Ministry training to his credentials to later serve as Interim Pastor/Head of Staff at Christ Presbyterian Church, located in Chesterland, Ohio, east of Cleveland from 2006-2007. An opportunity to serve as an installed Head of Staff led Todd to Minnesota, where he served in this capacity with Presbyterian Church of The Way in St. Paul for a period of four years. The 50th anniversary celebrations of this church family remain one of the highlights of his pastorate there.

2011 saw Todd relocate to North Carolina with his new wife, Jennifer Miles-Allen, also a PC (USA) pastor. There, Todd served two congregations in an interim capacity as Jennifer pursued her first call as a pastor; Todd’s ministry with St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Raleigh and First Presbyterian Church of Rocky Mount afforded him the chance to further hone gifts in worship leadership, teaching, staff development, and strategic planning. The spring of 2015 saw a return to Minnesota for Jennifer’s second call. Sadly, this return also saw the end of Todd and Jennifer’s journey together.

November 2015 saw Todd embark on a great adventure of driving to Alaska to serve Trinity Presbyterian Church as their second interim pastor. While there, Todd rejoiced in the growth and revitalization that God gave to this 100 member church family, while majestic views around him provided gracious clarity and healing. Late 2017 saw Todd return to “the lower 48” to serve as Pastor/Head of Staff for Westminster Presbyterian Church in Piqua, Ohio, just north of Dayton. While serving here, Todd spearheaded in new community and inter-church outreach initiatives. He also oversaw the re-structuring of the governing boards of Westminster to better address the challenges facing this small-city congregation.

Since joining Park Presbyterian in Beaver as their new Pastor/Head of Staff last September, Todd has made it a priority to maintain the high standards in Traditional worship that characterize this church family. He has thoroughly embraced the inclusive stance of this church family, and he enjoys the collaborative atmosphere he finds there in working with talented staff and lay leaders. He looks forward to Park becoming even more of a hub for the Beaver community.

In his spare time, Todd continues to enjoy tinkering with his older SAAB cars. He tries to cook—sometimes with success! His love of classical music remains as strong as ever, and a recent return to scale modeling nourishes his artistic side—and brings out his inner child!

Welcome to the presbytery, Todd!