The Rev. J. C. Austin

Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA)
Organization: Auburn Theological Seminary

The Reverend J.C. Austin has served as the Director of the Center for Christian Leadership at Auburn Theological Seminary since 2009. His work focuses on helping Christian church leaders develop continual and creative excellence in ministry both in their congregations and in public life.

Rev. Austin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and spent ten years as a pastor in New York City before coming to Auburn. He earned his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the field of Theology and Public Life at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Rev. Austin preaches, teaches, and speaks regularly around the country, particularly on the subjects of church leadership development, giving/money in the church, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Christian social ethics. His public writings have appeared in The Huffington PostThe Daily Beast and The Washington Post's On Faith blog, and he has had many sermons featured on GoodPreacher.org, the website of the Festival of Homiletics.

Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rev. J. C. Austin

View All Day1 Weekly Programs...

Changing Plans

Tuesday July 02, 2013
What can we learn about the future of the church from Jesus' sending 70 followers to go out and minister in his name? The Rev. J.C. Austin helps us wrestle with that question in his sermon on Luke 10.

Following Jesus Is for Losers

Tuesday September 11, 2012
In his sermon on Mark 8:27-38, the Rev. J.C. Austin offers a fresh take on what it means to follow Jesus, who said that those who lose their lives for his sake will save it. What are we willing to lose in order to follow Jesus faithfully?

Articles by The Rev. J. C. Austin

View All Day1 Articles...

J. C. Austin: Follow the Helpers, Not the Haters

Friday April 19, 2013
This week, as we all began learning of and responding to the bombings in Boston, a meme of Mr. Rogers went viral on Facebook. As soon as I saw what he was saying, I understood why: "When I was a boy and I would see scary things on the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

The Rev. J. C. Austin: Is the Good Samaritan a Criminal in Alabama?

Thursday October 06, 2011
According to the Alabama State Legislature, both Jesus and the Good Samaritan got it wrong: the Samaritan should have checked the ID of the guy in the road before helping him, because if the guy in the road was an undocumented resident, the Samaritan should have passed by on the other side, too.