A 150-Year Congregation on West Oak Street
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church has anchored the corner of West Oak Street in downtown Denton for more than 150 years, drawing a membership that has grown past 600. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and part of Grace Presbytery, the congregation describes itself with this statement of welcome: "We proclaim that ALL people are created in the image of God and affirm that each person is a beloved child of God. We welcome all, celebrating our differences while finding unity in Christ." St. Andrew is known in the community for its traditional Reformed worship, its longstanding music ministry built around a chancel choir and pipe organ, its Wednesday-night programming for the whole family, and two mission-driven children's programs housed on the church campus.
Sunday Worship: Liturgy, Lectionary, and the Pipe Organ
Worship on Sunday mornings gathers at 10:45 a.m. in the Sanctuary, with the service also livestreamed on Vimeo. The service is deliberately traditional. Members and visitors encounter liturgy familiar from centuries of Christian worship: a Confession of Sin, an Affirmation of Faith, the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, and the two sacraments Presbyterians observe, baptism and the Lord's Supper. Communion is shared on the first Sunday of every month. Baptisms are celebrated periodically, often for the children of members but open to anyone wishing to profess their faith.
Preaching typically follows the ecumenical lectionary, the shared schedule of Bible readings used across many Christian traditions, though the pastors at St. Andrew also draw on their own biblical schedule. Music is led by a chancel choir and the church's pipe organ, with hymns drawn from the traditional repertoire of the faith. Musicians from Denton's two universities, the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University, regularly serve as soloists and instrumentalists, and the church has also hosted jazz services and congregational hymn sings. Children in preschool through kindergarten are invited to Children's Chapel, a Godly Play-based gathering during the worship hour, while fourth and fifth graders take turns serving as acolytes, lighting the candles each week.
A fully staffed nursery is available for infants and toddlers from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Sunday mornings in the Education wing.
Music Ministry
Music is one of the calling cards of St. Andrew. The Director of Music, Kathryn Davidson, leads a chancel choir that rehearses Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and again Sundays at 10:00 a.m. There is no audition, and the ability to read music is helpful but not required. A handbell choir rehearses Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. and provides music monthly throughout the school year, with youth and adults both welcome and childcare provided during rehearsals. Children's choirs, all directed by Kirsten Trachsel, include the Noel Choir (kindergarten through second grade) at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays and the Covenant Choir (third through fifth grade) at 6:20 p.m. The Westminster Youth Ensemble gives middle and high school students a place to sing and play on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. Daeun Kim serves as the church's organist.
Super Wednesday: The Midweek Gathering
Beyond Sunday morning, the signature rhythm of life at St. Andrew is Super Wednesday, an evening of fellowship, classes, and music that runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. each week during the program year. A shared meal opens the night in Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m., after which children head to the Noel and Covenant Choirs, recreation in the Rec Center, and the nursery. Middle and high school youth meet in the Rec Center and the Den from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., with high schoolers staying until 8:30 p.m. Adults choose from a rotating menu of short courses and discussion groups. Recent offerings have included a six-week introduction to chess, a women's podcast-discussion group built around PC(USA) productions, a college-age class called The Wave, and a lively slate of "Frontiers" talks in Fellowship Hall covering topics like Texas history, western wear, Georgia O'Keeffe, black holes, and country music, often taught by University of North Texas professors. Super Wednesday runs roughly from mid-September through early December, with a Christmas Pageant closing out the fall semester.
Christian Education Across the Week
Christian formation is woven through the week at St. Andrew. Sunday School gathers at 9:30 a.m. Children in preschool through fifth grade meet on the second floor of the Education wing, beginning their morning with The Gathering, a model of worship that the students help lead, then rotating through story, mission, art, and discovery. Middle and high school youth meet in the Den, sharing breakfast before splitting into grade-level classes that use the Imago Dei curriculum developed by Kirsten Trachsel. Adults choose between Coffee and Covenant, a discussion-oriented class in the Library, and the Pastors' Class, which has been working through the Minor Prophets.
Weekday studies include the Tuesday Afternoon Women's Bible Study (an ecumenical group meeting Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. in Room 209), a Men's Bible Study meeting Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. at The Great Egg on South Loop 288, and Theology on Tap, a discussion group that meets the second and fourth Mondays of most months at 6:30 p.m. at Denton County Brewing Company. Presbyterian Women gather in a circle on the second Tuesday of each month from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., with a study led by the Rev. BL Jordan. Prime Time, a social group for older members, meets for lunch at noon on the first Friday of each month at restaurants around Denton.
Children, Youth, and The Wave
Children's ministry at St. Andrew begins early. The Children's Chapel program during worship is built on Godly Play, a Montessori-inspired approach to telling the stories of the Christian faith. Children in elementary grades participate in Vacation Bible School during the summer and Mission Quest, a service-learning program. Fourth and fifth graders are trained as acolytes. The Noel and Covenant Choirs give elementary children regular opportunities to sing in the Sanctuary.
Youth ministry for grades six through twelve is led by Stephanie Raesz. Sunday mornings bring a shared breakfast in the Den followed by middle and high school Sunday School classes. Wednesday nights add the Super Wednesday youth programming and a recreation time in the gym. The youth group runs an annual Toys for Treehouse Christmas project, a fall lock-in, a spring Youth and Senior Sunday, and a summer mission trip with other Grace Presbytery youth in June.
The Wave is the church's college-age ministry, aimed at students from UNT, TWU and North Central Texas College. The group gathers for lunch after Sunday worship, hosts a free dinner for college students at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays before the faith-engagement class, and meets for Theology on Tap on second and fourth Mondays. The Wave also organizes quarterly fellowship events, retreats, and conferences.
The Children's Place and Treehouse: Missions on Campus
Two weekday ministries share the St. Andrew campus and serve as a bridge to the wider Denton community. The Children's Place is the church's preschool and kindergarten, offering a play-based curriculum for children ages one through five. The school follows the Denton ISD calendar and runs half-day classes from 8:45 to 11:45 a.m., with kindergarten extending to 12:45 p.m. The Children's Place is directed by Kirsten Trachsel.
The Treehouse After School Program is housed in the Rec Center and provides affordable after-school care for up to 14 students a day, kindergarten through fifth grade, drawn from four Denton ISD elementary campuses serving children who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Treehouse volunteers supply daily snacks, serve as Reading Buddies on Monday afternoons, and assist the director. The program is led by Stephanie Raesz.
Serving Denton and Beyond
Outreach is organized through the diaconate's Community Outreach Committee and a network of 18 mission partners. The Give-A-Meal initiative channels monetary donations to fight food insecurity in the community, with a $3 donation providing a day of meals for someone in need. A Diaper Drive runs each fall in support of Interfaith Ministries of Denton. St. Andrew hosts the largest American Red Cross blood drive in Denton County every other month in the Rec Center, and a free flu vaccination clinic each fall in partnership with Texas Health Resources. An ongoing Our Daily Bread Outreach collects items of immediate need for clients of that ministry.
St. Andrew's mission partners include Ann's Haven VNA, CASA, Denton City-County Day School, Denton Community Food Center, Denton Christian Preschool, Faith Presbyterian Hospice, Fred Moore Child Care Center, Denton County Friends of the Family, Goodland Academy, Hearts for Homes, Interfaith Ministries of Denton, Our Daily Bread (alongside the Monsignor King Outreach Center), Opening Doors International Services, Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services, and the Cumberland Presbyterian Children's Home.
A Narcotics Anonymous group also meets in the Rec Center Mezzanine on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; the entrance is off the Bolivar and McKinney streets parking lot.
Pastoral Care and the Diaconate
Spiritual, physical, and emotional support of members is coordinated by the Congregational Caregiving Committee of the Diaconate. Home Ministry keeps in touch with members unable to attend through personal visits, phone calls, cards, and occasional rides to medical appointments or for prescriptions. Home Communion is brought to members at home when they cannot come to church. A Meal Train organizes meals for members experiencing birth, illness, surgery, or bereavement. Prayer Ministry Teams pray weekly for those on the prayer list.
St. Andrew carries out the Stephen Ministry model, with more than 20 trained Stephen Ministers ready to walk alongside members and neighbors through difficult seasons such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or military deployment. Contact with a Stephen Minister is confidential and can be initiated through the church office or referral coordinator Karen Dower.
Governance: Elders, Deacons, and the Wider Church
The congregation is governed by the Session, a board of ordained lay elders who typically serve three-year terms, and by the Diaconate, a board of deacons ordained to caregiving ministries, also serving three-year terms. The Session oversees committees in Worship, Christian Education, Mission, Stewardship and Interpretation, Property, Personnel, Communications and Administration, and the Officer Nominating Committee. The Diaconate oversees Congregational Caregiving, Congregational Hospitality and Membership, and Community Outreach.
The Church is connected to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a confessional church whose beliefs are set out in the Book of Confessions. That collection includes the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, the Heidelberg Confession, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Brief Statement of Faith, and the Theological Declaration of Barmen. St. Andrew's historical roots are in the Reformed tradition of John Calvin and John Knox, while its preaching draws on contemporary voices as well.
Becoming a Member
Those interested in joining St. Andrew are invited to fill out a New Member Information Form, available as a PDF, then come to the parlor after the worship service where the Session formally receives new members. Membership can be received by Letter of Transfer, Reaffirmation of Faith, or Profession of Faith and Baptism. The Membership Committee offers Presbyterian 101, an hour-long class that meets at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings during the fall and spring semesters, for newcomers and longtime members alike who want to learn more about Reformed Christianity and St. Andrew's life.
Music Director Search and Staff
St. Andrew's pastoral staff is led by Senior Minister Richard Culp and Associate Minister Lisa Patterson, with Chrissy Stevens serving as the Dickson Pastoral Resident. Kathryn Davidson directs music, Kirsten Trachsel leads the Children's Place and the youth and children's choirs, Stephanie Raesz leads youth ministry and the Treehouse program, Karen Raabe directs the nursery, and Louis Korom serves as communication coordinator and office manager. Daeun Kim is the church's organist. The congregation is also in the process of a Music Director search to build on a program known for drawing musicians from across Denton.
Facilities, Columbarium, and Weddings
The church's Sanctuary hosts worship each Sunday and is also available for school recitals by students of Denton ISD, UNT, and TWU with prior permission. Weddings are celebrated at St. Andrew with one of the pastors officiating and the church organist playing; couples are expected to meet with a pastor for marital counseling before the ceremony. A wedding policy is available as a PDF.
Housed in the church's prayer room, the Columbarium offers members, former members, and the immediate family of members a place for inurnment on the St. Andrew campus. The current charge is $2,000 per niche, covering the niche itself, up to two urns, the engraved faceplate, and perpetual care. The prayer room is open during regular business hours and Sunday mornings, and features stained glass crafted by one of the church's members.
Other policies, including the church's Personnel Manual, Sabbatical Leave Policy, corporate bylaws, Emergency Action Plan, and a guide for planning a Christian funeral or memorial service, are available through the church office.
Staying Connected
St. Andrew publishes a weekly newsletter called The Shield, which is sent to subscribers along with updates on seasonal events and retreats. The church maintains an archive of recorded worship services on Vimeo and a Ritual of Friendship form for online worshipers to share their contact information. Giving is available online through the church's giving platform, and members can access directory, registration, and giving services through the Realm app on iOS and Android. The Ed Moorehead Scholarship provides renewable support for graduating high school seniors from the congregation.