LeADERSHIP
The Reverend Taylor Smith
Father Taylor is new to the Diocese of South Carolina, having moved with his wife, Kathy, in January 2022 from Ellicott City, Maryland, in the Diocese of Maryland. A lifelong Episcopalian, Taylor has roots in Buffalo, New York, and spent his high school years in Summit, New Jersey. In 1983 he made his way to the Carolinas to attend Duke University. Following graduation, he became a commercial loan officer for a large bank outside Charlotte. He spent the better part of 10 years in North Carolina prior to going to seminary.
He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1996 and was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood later that year in the Diocese of Western North Carolina, his sponsoring diocese. Following ordination, he spent four years in Western North Carolina serving in both diocesan and parish ministry.
In 2000, he was called to the Diocese of Maryland to serve as rector of Grace Church, Elkridge, where he served for 12 years. After 12 years at Grace, he was called by St. Mark’s Church, Highland, Maryland, where he served as rector for nine years, ending his tenure solely to follow and support his wife in her career. He was the lone clergy person at both Grace and St. Mark’s and thus oversaw and participated in all the various ministries at those churches.
Taylor and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 26 years. Kathy, also a lifelong Episcopalian, was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Much of her extended family is still there. She grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and got her undergraduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill. She accepted an offer from Roper St. Francis Healthcare to become Vice President and Chief Marketing & Digital Strategy Officer, having been in marketing and communications at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore for 21 years. She started with Roper St. Francis in January 2022.
Taylor and Kathy have two sons: Mason, 24, lives and works in the Charleston area, and Stafford, 21, is a senior at the University of South Carolina. They also have a 3-year-old rescue mutt named Ellie.
Father Taylor is excited about the opportunity to bring The Episcopal Church back to James Island, with a focus on serving God and being the hands and feet of God in the local community. He has a strong heart for outreach and is excited that James Island Outreach is part of the St. James campus.
