Life & Work with Kurt Kaufman of Capitol Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kurt Kaufman

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was not raised Christian, but I was brought to church at an early age under the guise of snacks and fun games. I attended Vacation Bible School during the summers, and eventually volunteered to run PowerPoint slides for my home church in Wisconsin because “I had nothing else to do on a Sunday.” Eventually, I listened to the message that my pastor was conveying, and I heard nothing but a message of love and inclusion from my pastor, who just happened to be a woman.

I eventually went on to graduate with a Computer Science degree and briefly began a career in IT here in Denver. As time continued, I realized that nothing that I did was permanent, and that a simple click of a button could erase all of the work I ever did. That, combined with the rise in racism and intolerance that occurred at the outset of the pandemic, led me to leave my career in IT and pursue full-time ministry.

Today, I serve as Ministerial Associate at the First Baptist Church of Denver, a welcoming and affirming, progressive, community center of a church. Together, we’ve been able to do some pretty radical things, and I believe that my “unconventional” path to faith has lent itself well to the unique vision of being the hands and feet of Jesus that this church has.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been the opposite of a smooth road. First, I grew up with alcoholic parents. This caused me at a young age to come to the understanding that in order for me to do anything, I had to do it myself. I have had to work through this through therapy to come to a new understanding that I have worth on my own outside of any of my accomplishments or work.

Second, I had to work through a radical shift on how I viewed my future. After High School and College, I was set on forging a path in software engineering and was convinced that this was my future. Two toxic workplaces and a culture shift in the world later, I realized that I needed to create a future that was rooted in something that I not only had passion in but that also made a tangible impact in the world. I found that the best intersection of this was in the church: I was passionate about the work of progressive Christians in the world, and I found that the easiest place to do it was in the place that it could be most easily found: the local church.

Third, I identify as queer. I also identify as an American Baptist. I am an American Baptist by choice, as I have found that the core Baptist principle of soul freedom allows for and respects individual interpretation of the Bible and of faith, an interpretation that I personally believe should be and is inclusive and affirmative of all people, including gender and sexual identity. However, in practice, this is not the case. I have received pushback and resistance against my role at this church and as an individual seeking ordination within American Baptist Churches USA. Historically, there has been much conflict in this denomination over this very issue, but I affirm that each individual has the right and responsibility to interpret the Bible as their faith leads them to. I anticipate future struggles with this, but my understanding of faith has convicted me that every individual is created in the image of God and has the ability to serve in the way that they feel best. My goal is to create a space and a name for everyone that seeks it, and I still believe that the church is the best conduit through which this can be done.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My title at the First Baptist Church is “Ministerial Associate.” What that actually means is as follows: office manager, events booker, wedding coordinator, parking lot attendant, part-time pastor, part-time janitor, part-time HVAC technician, and part-time elevator repair technician. And, of course, other duties as assigned.

In all seriousness, I love what I do and the ability to, in many ways, pick and choose what impact I’d like to have on the community on any given day. I get the opportunity to welcome groups into our building and show them that what they previously thought “Baptists” were like actually isn’t the case. Time and time again, I hear from people who enter our building that they wouldn’t think that a church could be what we are, and I get to prove every day that we not only aren’t what they thought we were, but we’re more than just that, too.

Our building is not just a church, but also a community center, office building, and event venue. Each and every day, I get to make our space more inclusive, more welcoming, more inviting for people to not just experience what they are here for, but a sacred space that can be a home for people whether they attend church here or not. Out website and motto is “rethink Baptist,” and we try to do this every day. It is a joy to be a part of it and to serve alongside three other pastors and a staff that feels just as passionately about doing it as I do.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Today, with the immense amount of division and the rapid-fire rhetoric that is coming from those that lead our country, it is so critical to find community, especially amongst the communities that call our space home as well as in my personal vocation as clergy. Those that serve churches like First Baptist Denver – inclusive, progressive, Christian communities – are under increasing attacks from those whose interpretation of Christianity is more conservative. Furthermore, clergy who are women or who identify as queer are under increasing attacks by the same groups of individuals. It is imperative that we each find a community, and it is my hope that such community and mentorship can increasingly be found in the church, especially those that are progressive and justice-seeking in nature.

I just graduated from seminary, and I am grateful that my seminary placed emphasis on mentorship through the first year of professional ministry. I would advise anyone who has the opportunity for mentorship through the educational process to take advantage of it as soon as possible. It is exceptionally easy to feel isolated in this work, and mentorship has helped immensely in feeling like I am not alone in a world in which hateful language is increasing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rethinkbaptist.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstbaptistchurchdenver/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstbaptistdenver
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@firstbaptistchurchofdenver