About Steve …

Service to the Church:

Steve Benz comes to the position of Interim Executive Presbyter having served for the last six years as the Presbytery Executive in the Presbytery of East Tennessee.  His service in the Presbyterian Church began at an early age.  Born as the son of a Presbyterian minister, raised in the church and ordained an elder in 1976, he has served in several congregations as Deacon and Elder as well as a variety of Presbytery level positions.  His service in the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta included the office of Moderator of the presbytery, and commissioner to the General Assembly in 1993.  His service to the larger church has most recently included a four year term on the General Assembly Council of the PCUSA.

Business Experience:

Steve has had two careers prior to becoming an Executive Presbyter, working in senior management for both JCPenney and Delta Air Lines in Tennessee and Georgia.  After serving on the search committee to call the Presbytery Executive to Greater Atlanta, Steve experienced the call himself to that ministry and pursued that call after leaving Delta Air Lines in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.  He brings a business background, experience within the church, and a heart for pastoral care to the work that God has called him to.

Family Life:

Steve and Cindy have been married for 32 years and have two daughters, both married and living in the Atlanta area.  Cindy is a Minister of Word and Sacrament and an Interim Ministry Specialist.  She serves on the Council of the Association of Presbyterian Interim Ministry Specialists and is seeking her next call after serving a congregation in Fairfield Glade, TN.  Their joint experience as an interim ministry couple has been exciting and rewarding. Steve is an avid tennis player, average (at best) golfer and novice bridge player.  The Benzs will live in Greensburg and are eagerly anticipating participating in the life and work of God’s people in the Presbytery of Redstone.