Leadership

Clergy

The Rev. Brian C. Taylor, Rector

• email: briant@all-angels.com
• phone: 505-345-8147

Biography

Born in 1951, Fr. Brian Taylor was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His family is Episcopalian, and he cites the liturgy of the church having a profound and early effect upon his spiritual life. Early passions included travel, backpacking, and music. Fr. Brian attended Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, eventually earning a Masters degree in Classical Guitar Performance and Composition.

In 1981, Fr. Brian graduated from seminary at The Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. There he earned a Masters of Divinity, awarded With Distinction. In 2004, CDSP awarded Fr. Brian an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity, for contributions to the field of spirituality (see Books etc., below).

In an intern year during seminary, Fr. Brian served as Lay Vicar of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in rural Redmond, Oregon. His first two years of ordained ministry were at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco as Assistant for Pastoral and Social Ministries. Since 1983 he has been Rector of St. Michael and All Angels.

Fr. Brian is a graduate of the Shalem Institute’s program for Spiritual Directors, and is a faculty member for Clergy Reflection, Education, and Discernment Opportunity, a program for clergy renewal in the Episcopal Church. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Fr. Brian is co-founder of many organizations, including our parish’s Contemplative Center and the Justice Project, Via Media Rio Grande, and the Religious Affiliation for Inclusion and Non-Discrimination.

Fr. Brian has been married since 1978, and he and his wife have two sons. Fr. Brian does carpentry/woodworking, swimming, and gardening, plays music, and loves to travel and relax outdoors.

Books, articles, journals, and sermons

All of Fr. Brian’s books (except 'Setting the Gospel Free' which is now out of print) are available for purchase in the parish office, or through Amazon.com. Journals and articles from some of his annual pilgrimages and studies are available on this website, as are many of his sermons.

Becoming Human: Core Teachings of Jesus (Cowley Publications, 2005)

24 short chapters that summarize many of Jesus’ central teachings: Don’t worry; Love everybody; Change the world; Become simple; Drop your pride and shame; Wake up; Be religious; Don’t be too religious, and so on. These reflections present Jesus’ vibrant wisdom as a guide to becoming fully human, as God intends for us.

Becoming Christ: Transformation Through Contemplation (Cowley Publications 2002)

The fruit of many years of practicing and teaching contemplative prayer, Becoming Christ helps the reader develop a contemplative practice, remain grounded in traditional disciplines of faith, and move through spiritual transformation that comes over time. See excerpts from this book on this website by going our Articles section.

Setting the Gospel Free: Experiential Faith and Contemplative Practice (Continuum Press, 1996)

This was written with the “marginal Christian” in mind, taking a fresh look at basic Christian concepts and practices from an experiential (rather than dogmatic) and contemplative (rather than pietistic) point of view.

Spirituality for Everyday Living: An Adaptation of the Rule of St. Benedict (Liturgical Press, 1989)

This is a practical resource for those who seek God through an ordinary, in-the-world path. It takes as its model the monastic Rule of St. Benedict with its balance of prayer, conversion of life, commitment, study, work, relationships, and solitude. Recommended readings from the Rule are listed at the end of each chapter.

The Rev. Christopher McLaren, Associate Rector

• email: christopherm@all-angels.com
• phone: 505-345-8147

Born in 1967, Christopher McLaren grew up in Medford, Oregon, home to beautiful pear orchards and the wild and scenic Rogue River. His family was extremely dedicated to their church community, his mother being a Pastor of Christian Education for 30+ years. He credits his strong Christian upbringing and a very loving church community as essential to his early formation. A scholar-athlete, Christopher played varsity football, wrestling, and baseball. During college he was a leader in his college’s chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where his spiritual life deepened into an adult faith. He graduated from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities with an emphasis in Art History.

After college he paddled around the world in a kayak, climbed Mt. Everest and wrestled crocodiles professionally. No, not really. He spent several years managing a sophisticated but fun Italian-style Café and Espresso Bar as well as other small businesses and taught environmental education to elementary students. Realizing the danger of his lifestyle, his love of scripture, and God’s persistent wooing, he answered the call to ministry and matriculated at The Episcopal Theolgical Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas.

Prior to seminary, he made the best decision of his life marrying his beloved Maren on New Year’s Eve 1993. Maren taught bi-lingual Spanish Elementary School while Christopher studied theology at ETSS. Upon graduation from Seminary in May 2000, he earned a Master’s of Divinity and two weeks later became the proud father of Sofia Ruth.

Through a twist of fate and God’s deep sense of humor, Christopher and Maren, both from the temperate and mountainous Pacific Northwest, found themselves serving in subtropical swampy New Orleans at St. George’s Episcopal Church. Over a six-year period Christopher served as Associate Rector, Priest-in-charge, and finally as Rector of St. George’s for three years. As a result of Hurricane Katrina the McLaren family lost their home to flooding in 2005. They returned to the city to help rebuild New Orleans and the wonderful church of St. George’s they had grown to love. After nearly a year of difficult rebuilding, restoration, and mission work they ended their time in New Orleans joyfully accepting a call to join the staff of St. Michael and All Angels. Moving to the southwest is a dream come true for the McLaren family. Christopher has always been attracted to this part of the country and looks forward to exploring and enjoying its many wonders with his wife Maren and their three children Sofia, Cole and Talia.

The Rev. Janice Bales, Deacon

• email: janiceb@all-angels.com
• phone: 505-345-8147

On her 39th birthday in 1982, Janice Stebing Bales was ordained Deacon at the Cathedral Church of St. John, Diocese of the Rio Grande. Jan’s interest in social justice began in high school and became her life focus during her Peace Corps service in Chile with her husband Fred 1966-7 (a significant honeymoon). Raised in the Lutheran and Methodist churches, Jan and Fred joined the Episcopal Church in 1972. Their young daughters Katie and Leah were baptized at the same time.

During the years they lived in Indiana, Hawaii and Texas, Jan continued to be involved with justice issues and began participating more fully in the liturgical life of the Church. They moved to Albuquerque in 1979. Jan became parish administrator at St. Mark’s On The Mesa and began studying for ordination to diaconate via the diocesan Preacher Lewis School of Ministry. After ordination, Jan became assistant director of The Storehouse, was appointed the Legislative Advocate for the Diocese and served on numerous boards of agencies serving the poor.

She left work in Albuquerque to serve as the full time chaplain of the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility in Grants from 1989-1998. Living in New Orleans from 1998--2004, Jan was assigned to St. George’s and was appointed Director of Dianconal Formation for the Diocese of Louisiana under the tutelage of Archdeacon Ormonde Plater and blessings of Bishop Charles Jenkins. In 2004 Jan and Fred moved back to Albuquerque to be close to their daughters and their families.

Governing body

The Vestry consists of the Rector and 12 other people elected by the members to overlapping 3-year terms. Their particular areas of responsibility include finances and fundraising, property and facilities, business and legal matters, relations with All Angels Episcopal Preschool (our own preschool and kindergarten program) hiring the Rector and overseeing relations between Rector and parishioners, and approval of staff hirings, licensed lay leaders and candidates for ordination.

A Rector’s Warden is appointed by the Rector and chairs Vestry meetings. A Vestry Warden is elected by and from among the members of the Vestry. A Treasurer and Clerk (Secretary) are elected by the Vestry from among the parish membership.

All meetings of the Vestry are open to all members of the parish (unless they move into executive session, which is rare).

For more information on how the Vestry handles our finances, see our current finances and how you can help.

Representatives to the wider church

Delegates are elected by the members of the parish, and together with the clergy and wardens, they represent St. Michael’s in diocesan life, including Deanery (a subset of the diocese) meetings and annual Diocesan Convention. All the diocesan clergy, delegates, and wardens then elect Deputies to represent the diocese to the Episcopal Church at its triennial governing event, the General Convention.