Meet our Rector, Scot McComas

We Worship and Serve a Loving God

I was asked to prepare a message to share with you about our transition to The Episcopal Church of the Nativity and to introduce ourselves. Dennis and I are excited, humbled and honored to come to Arizona to serve God and walk with each of you into the next chapter of the life of Nativity.

I love the phrase at the top of Nativity’s website, “Transforming lives with the love of Jesus Christ.” That says so much and is exactly what the focus should be in a church. Our God is a God of unconditional love. Lives can be enriched and people given new hope if and when they come to know that they are loved by God and can find it in a supportive, loving community. That is Nativity.

Each of us can embrace what Presiding Bishop Michael Curry often says, “If it’s not about love, it’s not about God.” To me, that is the essence of church. Currently, The Episcopal Church’s tag line is that Jesus is “Loving, Liberating, and Life-giving.” I look forward to sharing with you the journey of Christ’s love in north Scottsdale, greater Phoenix and beyond.

With regard to introducing ourselves, and being somewhat reluctant to talk about myself, I felt it would be easier to share with you part of a press release, in the third person, from my former seminary, The General Theological Seminary in New York City:

The Rev. Scot McComas has served as the Rector of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Southlake, TX, which is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Prior to St. Martin’s he served as Upper School Chaplain at Parish Episcopal School in Dallas from 2012-2015 and taught World Religions and New Testament. He concurrently served as an intentional interim rector at two parishes in the Dallas area.

Scot is a native of Dallas, Texas and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and History from Southern Methodist University in 1991. After graduation he worked as a loan officer and bank manager for two years at a predecessor bank of Bank of America. After that Scot studied psychology at the University of Texas-Arlington in preparation for a doctoral program in psychology. After a year of doing that, he decided to pursue theology and attended Harvard Divinity School, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1999.

Scot then served as a faculty member at Palmer-Trinity School in Miami, Florida, teaching World History, World Religions, Civics, and Ethics. He then felt the call to ordination and moved to New York City in late summer 2002 to attend The General Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Sacred Theology degree in 2003.

After graduation, Scot accepted a call to be Assistant Rector at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina where he served for six years. After that he concluded his interim training and assisted various parishes in transition. Scot then served for a year at Grace Episcopal Church, Madison, New Jersey before returning to Texas in 2012. Scot was ordained to the transitional diaconate in Miami, FL on January 10, 2004 and to the priesthood on August 27, 2004 in Charlotte, NC. During his 15 years of ordained ministry, Scot has served in the dioceses of Southeast Florida, North Carolina, Newark, Dallas, and Fort Worth.

He has led a discernment.com conference for aspirants discerning ordination in Miami; has served on the board of an ecumenical university student group in North Carolina. He has also served on the board of a transition house for homeless women and children, an Episcopal retirement home, as well as dean of a deanery in New Jersey; served on the constitution and canons committee, as chair of the school’s commission, on the disciplinary committee, the executive council, and the standing committee, all in Fort Worth. He was elected a deputy to the 2018 General Convention, and a member-at-large of Province 7 of the church.

Scot’s husband, Dennis Combs, was reared in western North Carolina, outside of Asheville, and graduated from the University of North Carolina in Pembroke, majoring in Broadcast Journalism. Dennis grew up in the Lutheran Church and is the proud father of Anna Combs, who graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, and who teaches first grade in the greater Charlotte area. Dennis and Scot are delighted Anna has found her true calling in the education field and look forward to seeing her blossom as she grows into the vocation of teaching.

Scot and Dennis met through friends on a snow skiing trip in western North Carolina in February 2008. They had a civil union in New Jersey in October 2011 and got married in California in summer 2014. They enjoy travelling and exploring various cultures, languages, and food. They also love the beach, the mountains, horseback riding, boating, art museums, and the Dallas Cowboys, though they might be persuaded to support the Arizona Cardinals! Scot also looks forward to having time to paint with acrylics, learning to paint with oils, and to relearning the piano and the saxophone. Scot’s first day at Nativity will be August 13 and his first Sunday will be August 18, 2019.

Dennis and I are excited about beginning this next journey and to seeing you soon. May the love of Christ fill your hearts and know that you are loved by God.

Faithfully in Christ,

The Rev. Scot McComas