The Reverend Dr. Kevin L Morris, is an Episcopal Priest and the Ninth Rector of The Church of The Ascension in Rockville Centre, New York. Ordained in 2004, Kevin has over twenty years of ministry experience working in parish, healthcare, and college ministries.
Kevin holds a DMin. with a concentration in preaching from the University of the South (Sewanee). His research for this degree was focused on the preaching of John Keble and examined how Keble and the other Tractarian leaders employed an expanded sense of type or symbol that positioned the sermon to be an encounter with Christ that always points forward to a yet deeper encounter. This research contributed to Kevin’s conviction that sermons are not just speeches, or lectures, or entertainment, but rather are encounters with the living God that should always point us forward to a deeper relationship or communion with Christ.
Kevin also has a passion for congregational development and has served for over seven years as a trainer for the Diocesan Church Development Institute, helping clergy and lay leaders alike understand models and theories that can strengthen their congregations. He has written numerous articles for the Anglican Digest and has also served as a lecturer for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization on providing spiritual care at the end of life. He has published articles on his own preaching website thepulpiteer.org and also maintains a website of his own sermons, inwardlydigest.org, which he reviews regularly in order to continually hone and improve his own preaching.
The Rev. Dr. Kevin Morris
In addition to serving as the rector of a parish and a congregational development trainer, Kevin has served as an area dean and a core member of the commission on ministry in the Diocese of Long Island. He understands the struggle of trying to balance sermon preparation with all of the various other responsibilities of being a rector of a parish, a teacher, a diocesan leader and (most importantly) a husband and a father.
Kevin is married to the Rev. Keith Voets, another Episcopal Priest, and in 2022 they welcomed their son Robbie into their lives. As a family they enjoy traveling (especially on cruises and to Disney World) and going on long walks with their Golden Retriever, Charlie. Kevin is also an avid cook, has attended culinary programs at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and often finds relief from the stresses of everyday life in baking.
He holds a B.A. in English Literature and History from the University of Miami and an MDiv. From Yale University.