Our Staff
Senior PASTOR - Starting June 2020
Matt Howell
I grew up in Dallas, TX and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2003. After graduation, I served as an intern with RUF at LSU for two years where I 1) developed a heart for pastoral ministry and 2) met and married the RUF intern at Emory University, Kathryn, who grew up in Memphis. Because of Kathryn's upbringing in the city, Memphis has been somewhat of a second home for me since 2005. I am drawn to its robust culture, its beautiful (though broken) history, and the people who live there. After 11 years of being a campus minister with RUF at both Appalachian State University and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, I am thrilled to be counted among those who call Memphis home.
I love levity and laughter (stand up comedy and parties), surprise and wonder (magic, pranks, and practical jokes), creation and celebration (drawing, music and cooking), and exploring and learning (hiking, a good podcast, and conversations over tea). Kathryn and I have 2 amazing children - Zoe Kate (born Sept of 2010) and Reid (born Dec of 2012).
ASSISTANT PASTOR
Ben Winkler
My wife, Whitney, and I are both natives of Peoria, IL where we grew up sitting side-by-side in Sunday School. Downtown Chicago was our next stop, where we were engaged and married before finally graduating from Moody Bible Institute in 2008. From there, the Lord surprised us with an unexpected stop in Bowling Green, KY to help with a new church plant and while working at an elementary school. It was there that God reaffirmed his call on our lives to pursue pastoral ministry. I graduated with a Masters of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in May 2015 and was ordained the same year following our call to Redeemer.
Midtown has become our home and we wouldn’t have it any other way! If you look fast, you can find us chasing our 3 kids (Ellie, Simon, and Levi) around at the Kroc, or waiting in the car line at Idlewild, or running Whitney’s booth at art shows (check out her art and music at whitneywinkler.com).
DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
Katie Futrell
I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Auburn University where I met my husband, Matt. We married in 2005 and settled in Memphis. After a seven year stint in the classroom, I resigned to stay home with our girls, Mary Thomas, Ellie, and Claire. I take great delight in being a part of the New Ballet Ensemble and School family and serving as much as I can with the Forrest Spence Fund and ArtsMemphis. Matt and I have been members of Redeemer since 2007.
WORSHIP MUSIC COORDINATOR
Josh Threlkeld
Music is an inexplicable part of human life that reveals more of our inner self than what we might otherwise have thought possible, drawing us closer to those around us in the process. I have always been a musician – teaching guitar, writing and performing original work, and scoring soundtracks. It was music that brought my family together when I met my wife Kerrye and her two girls, Sarah Grace and Krista, but it was love that made us a family. My place at Redeemer Memphis is weekly trying to unpack old words; to pick them up fresh like a lost recording of Bach or Louis Armstrong, clean off the dust, and see how they resonate today with their overtones of eternity. Though I've been in the music industry my whole life, there is nothing quite like the total-body immersive music that is possible in church. For more about me, visit joshtunes.com.
OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR
Debbie Wilkins
Born and raised right here in Memphis, I am blessed with three children and ten grandchildren. Summer days will find me playing in the dirt trying to make something grow. I definitely do not have a green thumb but still enjoy the challenge of gardening. Winter days will find me at Hobby Lobby or Michael’s with my creative juices flowing! I joined Redeemer Presbyterian Church as Operations Administrator in July, 2013. Previous employment with the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce and The Children’s Museum of Memphis equipped me with years of administrative and management experience necessary to keep Redeemer’s day-to-day operations on the track and running smoothly.
