Stephen P. Bauman ’79 M.Div.

In 1987 The Reverend Dr. Stephen Bauman became Senior Minister of Christ Church, United Methodist, New York City, an iconic urban church near internal collapse. In the spirit of the founding motto of the Institute of Sacred Music from which he jointly received his M. Div. — phoenix resurgens— Dr. Bauman gathered a young, vital, urban-diverse congregation with flourishing worship, learning and outreach ministries extending into the city, nation, Ghana and Colombia. After retiring in 2023, he retained the position of Senior Minister Emeritus of Christ Church, NYC.

His book, Simple Truths: on Values, Civility and Our Common Good was a featured selection of Abingdon Press. Dr. Bauman was a popular commentator on WCBS NewsRadio for over a decade and hosted television programming featuring inter-religious conversation. Active within the wider New York City environs, he was a founding member and co-chair of A Partnership of Faith, a consortium of senior leaders from Jewish, Muslim and Christian traditions.

Over his years of service at Christ Church he received a PhD in Leadership and Change from Antioch University and accumulated decades of service on the boards of Outward Bound, The Town School, the Foundation for Community Encouragement (an international educational foundation), the Yale Divinity School Board of Advisors and Smiley Bros. Inc of Mohonk Mountain House, and currently chairs the Smiley Bros. Trust.