In 2024, Rev. Beth Turner became the Rector (priest) of St. Alban’s. Growing up in Tidewater, Virginia, she attended a small liberal arts college in East Tennessee, where she majored in theology and psychology. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. After her ordination in the American Baptist Churches, USA, she completed a year-long residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at WakeMed, a Level 1 trauma center in Raleigh, followed by service as a chaplain at a mental health and addiction recovery hospital farther west in Hickory.
In 1991, Beth moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where she was confirmed in the Episcopal Church and served the Diocese of Western North Carolina for over ten years as Missioner for Christian Formation and Justice Ministries. In 2003, she was ordained to the transitional diaconate in connection with St. Matthias Church in Asheville. She was then called to serve as an Associate to the Rector at the historic Church of the Holy Cross in Valle Crucis. Her work at Holy Cross included serving as the Episcopal Chaplain at Appalachian State University, where she focused on young adult vocational discernment and designing student internships supported by intergenerational mutual mentoring.
Before moving to Columbus, Beth served as Rector of St. Thomas Church in Burnsville, where she founded a ‘fresh expression of church’ called The Abbey in partnership with her diocese, local agencies, and activists. The Abbey is a center of learning, community development, service, and the arts in the spirit of historic Celtic monasteries of our Episcopal heritage.
A fun, creative, and effective liturgist and preacher, our priest possesses strong gifts for pastoral care. Beth is a passionate advocate for trauma-informed leadership. She holds certifications as a Presence-Based® Coach and an advanced skills trainer for Resources for Resilience, a nonprofit dedicated to sharing practical, science-based tools that foster resilience in all individuals. She is a facilitator and practitioner of the wisdom of the Circle of Security® Parenting Program, part of a global effort to help caregivers better understand and address their children’s attachment needs.
If you ask her, you’d learn that our priest loves walking and running with her beloved dog, Tulie, lifting heavy things at the gym, exploring the best foodie spots in Columbus, growing flowers and bonsai, reading just about everything, and playing a little old-time-style banjo. In her words, Beth “feels blessed to serve as shepherd of the caring and courageous community of St. Alban’s, and to serve alongside the clergy, bishop, and staff of the Diocese of Southern Ohio.”