Christ United Methodist ChurchWelcome - Christ United Methodist Church Plano

Meet Our Ministry Team

Rev. Chris Dowd

Senior Pastor

Reverend Chris Dowd, the Senior Pastor, is a native Texan whose family moved to Maryland when he was 7 years old. Raised Roman Catholic, Chris graduated from the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!), before serving as a Supply Officer in the US Navy for four years. After the Navy, he moved back home to Dallas, working as a consultant and then as an operations manager in the logistics industry.

After hearing a call to ministry, Chris attended Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, earning a Master of Divinity degree Summa Cum Laude.

Chris and his wife Whitney have two sons, Max and Sam.

Rev. Kristin Steed

Pastor of Family Ministries

Kristin Steed, our Pastor of Family Ministries at Christ United. Kristin and her husband Trent have been members of Christ United for fifteen years. She joined our staff in 2016, serving first as a part-time social media coordinator before becoming our Communications Director. She was serving in that role when she heard her call to ordained ministry. While she was in seminary, she coordinated Adult Discipleship before becoming our Director of Children’s Ministries. Her broad range of experience on our staff, and more importantly her fifteen years as part of our church family, are an amazing gift as she becomes a pastor.

Kristin says, “I am filled with excitement and gratitude for the journey that lies ahead. Over the past year, my role as Director of Children’s Ministries has been truly fulfilling. Journeying alongside our youngest members and their families as they explore their faith has brought me immense joy. As I step into this new role, I am excited about expanding my support to include not only our children but also our youth through college. These formative years are vital, and it is my passion to help foster strong relationships with Christ within our loving community here at Christ United. I am filled with joyful anticipation for the wonderful opportunities and growth that lie ahead for our family ministries.”

Kristin just graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology at SMU, and will be commissioned on the Elder track on June 3rd. She will serve as our Pastor of Family Ministries, with responsibility for children’s, youth, and college-age programming. She’ll also preach several times a year in our traditional services, stepping into the role Rev. Raegan Gilliland has had the past four years.

Having grown up in Plano, Kristin graduated from Plano West High School before going to the University of Texas at Austin, where majored in Government and minored in Business. During her corporate career, she earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas. She and Trent have two daughters, Lyla (10), and Nora (7).

Rev. Ramsey Jay

Pastor of Adult Discipleship & Modern Worship

Rev. Ramsey Jay is our our Pastor of Adult Discipleship and Modern Worship.

Ramsey graduated Summa Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University, then earned her law degree with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. She worked in corporate litigation and then family law for several years before hearing a call to ordained ministry. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. Ramsey has had a variety of pastoral responsibilities serving Highland Park UMC over the past thirteen years, making her the ideal fit for our needs in adult discipleship and modern worship.

Ramsey and her husband Spencer are a blended family. She has one son, Noah, who turns 10 this month, and a stepson Caden, who is 18. They will be a wonderful addition to our church family, and I could not be more excited to welcome her in September. Please be in prayer for Ramsey and her family as they prepare to join us here at Christ UMC!

Rev. Mike Flynn

Pastor of Care Ministries

Reverend Mike Flynn is Associate Pastor of Congregational Care at Christ United. Mike is a former 30-year employee at EDS/HP, where he worked as a project manager for sales development programs. Mike followed his calling in pastoral care in 2010 and has been active in congregational care ministries, most notably the Stephen Ministry. He graduated Perkins School of Theology, where he received his Master of Divinity in 2016. During his seminary years, Mike also served as a chaplain at multiple local hospitals, the most recent being Texas Health Presbyterian-Dallas.

Mike joined the staff of Christ United in July 2016 and currently directs the church’s care ministry activities.

Kenzie Ericson

Director of Youth Ministries

Kenzie Ericson is our Director of Youth Ministries. Kenzie was born in Upstate New York and moved to Plano in 2008. Since being in Plano, Kenzie has been an active member of this church community. She attended Oklahoma State University and received a Bachelor of Music Education. After teaching middle school choir for two years, Kenzie was called to Youth Ministry. She loves leading the program she was a part of as a youth herself.

When not at work, Kenzie spends her time with her family and friends and particularly loves to spoil her nephew, Oliver. Kenzie loves cooking, reading, traveling, playing board games, and being surrounded by the people she loves.

Ben Turner

Director of Music

Ben Turner is our Director of Music Ministries and a native Mississippian. Ben is a graduate of Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Music Education and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting. He brings 17 years of experience, having served four different churches in Central Mississippi and DFW.

He has also served as the Assistant Director of The Allen Symphony Chorus, Director of The Heritage Ranch Chorale, and on the Dallas Chapter of Choristers Guild Board of Directors. His sanctuary choirs have accepted invitations to sing in Carnegie Hall (New York), The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), and Le Abbaye Aux Hommes (Caen, France), and his youth choirs have toured all over the continental U.S.

Ben and his wife, Audra, have a daughter and two dachshunds.

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