Connections: Faith, Unfiltered - Meet Rev. Al

Sundays, 10:45 a.m., Church House, McClain Room

The Reverend Al Johnson was named Interim Rector of Christ Church in November 2026.  He is a husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, writer, recovering alcoholic, bereaved parent, and a parish priest. He first experienced a call to ministry while in high school and continued that exploration through college at the University of Tulsa. While at Tulsa Al’s other vocation took form in meeting Vickie Arnold who would later become his wife of now over 50 years. Following college, Vickie and Al were married and moved to Evanston, Illinois where Al began a Master of Divinity program at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (now knows as Bexley-Seabury). He received his M.Div. in 1979 and a Doctor of Ministry Degree in 1998 writing on the topic of how congregations recover following trauma.

Al was ordained a deacon and priest in 1979 where he began parish ministry at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Glenview, Illinois. After two years Al accepted a call to become a missioner and develop a new church in the Bloomingdale area west of Chicago. After several years worshipping in a local school, the Church of the Incarnation took shape in 1988 with the purchase of land and the building of the first structure. This path took a painful turn in 1986. That year his son Nicholas was diagnosed with leukemia. Three years later he died from the same disease. Later in 1986 Hannah was born and early in 1991 Zachary came into the world. It was the death of Nicholas that forever changed the direction of Al’s life and ministry. Al’s book, Grief Set Free, details the path from death and despair to hope and joy speaking also of the challenges of preaching the faith while struggling with his own.

In 1990, following Nick’s death, Al took a call to St. Michael’s in Barrington, Illinois, where he served for 20 years.

Upon retirement in 2010, Al continued working in the areas of parish ministry and congregational development starting a church consulting company, serving as adjunct faculty at Virginia Theological Seminary, and eventually accepting a part-time position on the staff of Bishop Sean Rowe of the Partnership Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York.

Al’s principal passion is the joy of being a parish priest. Other interests for Al include family, enjoys sports, playing golf, writing, walking, praying, singing, meditating and reading. Al currently volunteers for the Barrington Countryside Fire District, the BHS Football Chain Gang, and Above and Beyond Recovery Center in Chicago. Al has also undertaken the study of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. Besides Grief Set Free, Al is the ghostwriter of  Hidden Grace: From Mud, Love and Beyond (published author is Herman Russell) to be published later in 2027.