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A daughter of Second, Katie grew up in our church, graduated from Hanover College in 2004, earned her Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2007, was ordained at Second in 2009, and earned her Doctor of Ministry from McCormick in 2015.

Katie looks forward to speaking about Prayer in Uncertainty at Second this fall because it was there that her attentiveness to the presence of God began: prayer, for Katie, was nurtured at Second, whether in the cavernous Gothic sanctuary, in the Sunday School classroom with Lucy Brock, in the multipurpose room at the Festival of Faith, in the (old) youth lounge with Brian Shivers, or on mission trip under the starlit night sky.

She spent the last two years studying Prayer in Uncertainty as part of a study grant from the Louisville Institute. Her research brings together the rich narratives of scripture, the long history of Christian poets and mystics, and the expansive field of theopoetics. Her inquiry was prompted by the sudden global uncertainties of pandemic, and asks how the unforeseen uncertainties in our daily and communal lives might give rise to a deep longing for the divine who is at once hidden and revealed. As she studied prayer, she wrote daily devotionals on the topic of prayer, many of which can be found archived by theme: An Alphabet of Prayer; 100 Days of Psalms and Prayers; My Neighbors' Prayer.

Katie was dedicated in the Disciples of Christ congregation in Crawfordsville, Indiana; baptized in the United Church of Christ congregation in Midland, Michigan; confirmed (1996) and ordained (2008) at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. She earned her Doctor of Ministry (2016) and Masters of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary (2007) in Chicago, and her Bachelors in Theological Studies at Hanover College (2004) in Hanover, Indiana. She currently serves as Senior Associate Minister at Kenilworth Union Church, and previously served as pastor at the Center for Religion, Spirituality and Social Justice at Grinnell College, in Grinnell, Iowa, and at First Congregational Church of La Grange, IL. Dr. Lancaster lives in Evanston, IL with her husband Rob, son Harrison.