ICS Faculty

Cynthia Brust is rector of Christ Episcopal Church (CEC) in Suntree-Viera. After serving as an Episcopal lay leader for three decades, Cynthia transitioned into ordained ministry in 2010 after receiving her MAT from Fuller Theological Seminary. Before being called to CEC, she fulfilled her priestly vocation in church plants, which meant she did everything from preaching and administering the sacraments to changing light bulbs and throwing a lot of parties. Her work at CEC has been focused on revitalization, discipleship, and attaining financial stability for the parish.

Through it all, she has been guided by a desire to ignite a passion for Kingdom living in word and deed as well as calling, equipping, and sending out disciples as walking sacraments engaging Christ’s call to incarnational ministry. She finds great joy in “equipping the saints for the works of ministry” not just on the parish level, but as an instructor for ICS. In addition to her congregational ministry experience, Cynthia has thirty-five years of experience in a broad range of communications, public relations, and advocacy in church-related, governmental, corporate, and political arenas, including serving as a Congressional Press Secretary.

Cynthia is married to the Rev. Canon Ellis E. Brust, also an Episcopal priest serving as Rector of St. Andrew’s Ft. Pierce. The couple has two adult children, one son-in-law, and three grandsons.

The Rev. Canon Ellis Brust, Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Fort Pierce, has been in full-time vocational ministry since 1984. Ellis has served local parishes (including two church plants) in Texas, California, Kansas, and Florida, and in diocesan and executive leadership. He was elected a member of the Executive Council (Diocese of Texas), General Convention Deputy (Diocese of Florida), and has been elected and appointed to numerous leadership positions; but his heart has always been in the local church.

Ellis has a passion for mentoring leaders and helping others discover and answer the call of God on their lives to take their place in the mission and ministry of the church. He is known for a deep desire to serve Jesus Christ, clergy and lay leaders, and the broader church as a shepherd and vision-driven leader.

Ellis holds a Master-in-Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia, and a bachelor’s degree from Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas. He is married to the Rev. Cynthia Brust, Rector of Christ Church, Melbourne, Florida. They have two adult children, a son-in-law, and three grandsons! Ellis enjoys reading (biographies, history, leadership, and theology), writing, photography, music, travel, and spending fun time with his family and friends.

Dave Johnson is rector at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Longwood and Dean of the Central Deanery of the Diocese of Central Florida. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island and grew up in Springfield, Virginia. He served in full-time youth ministry in Episcopal parishes from 1992 to 2002. He was ordained a deacon in 2001 and a priest in 2002, and since then has served at parishes in South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Florida. He completed a BA at Oral Roberts University, an MDiv. at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an STM at Nashotah House, and both an STM and DMin. at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry. He has published eight books of sermons including Grace upon Grace (2012) and, with Bishop Justin Holcomb, co-edited Christian Theologies of the Sacraments (2017) for NYU Press. He enjoys both teaching ICS classes and teaching/facilitating the Mission/Leadership/Mission class for the Diocese of Central Florida. He and his wife Steph have been married since 1990 and have several children and grandchildren.

Installed in January 2017 as the 14th Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Dean Kidd came to his current role after a long career teaching New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary/Orlando. He continues to teach at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, and writes for Worship Leader magazine. Previously he served in pastoral roles for churches in south Florida, central Florida, and North Carolina.

Dean Kidd earned a B.A. in Sociology from the College of William and Mary; an M.A.R. and M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary; and a Ph.D. in Christian Origins from Duke University. His dissertation, Wealth and Beneficence in the Pastoral Epistles: A Bourgeois Form of Early Christianity? explores wealth and generosity in Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. He is the author of With One Voice: Discovering Christ’s Song in Our Worship (BakerBooks, 2005). In addition, he is a contributing author to Robert Webber’s Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail (rev. ed., Morehouse 2013); to Perspectives on Tithing: Four Views (B&H, 2011); to A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized (Crossway 2016); and to The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary (BakerBooks, 2012). With Third Millennium Ministries, Dean Kidd has helped produce a video series outlining Paul’s teachings in the New Testament. He contributed study notes for The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible (Zondervan, 2003) and The Reformation Study Bible (Ligonier Ministries, 2005).

The Rev. Kay Mueller, Rector of Church of Our Saviour in Okeechobee, had a rather circuitous route to the priesthood. Following a 25-year career in executive management in the heavy-duty trucking industry and the death of her husband to cancer in 2003, it was during a 10-year break to establish a ‘new normal’ that Rev. Kay heard God’s call to ordained servanthood. She was ordained to the diaconate in the Diocese of Central Florida in 2017, and to the priesthood in 2022. She holds a Masters in Ministry from Nashotah House Theological Seminary. Rev. Kay has previously served on the diocesan Board of Directors, and as clergy-alternate deputation at both the 80th and 81st General Conventions of The Episcopal Church. She currently is serving a four-year term on the Commission on Ministry.

Rev. Kay was born and raised in Nashville, TN and has two married adult children (a son in the Nashville area and a daughter in Port St. Lucie), and four grandchildren. She and her 5-year-old miniature schnauzer, Miss Elly, live on the beach of South Hutchinson Island, where she is on her third term as President of the homeowners’ association at Beach Villas. Her hobbies include golf, reading, cooking, and entertaining. She enjoys long walks on the beach and the meditative time it provides for prayer and reflection.

ICS holds a special place in Rev. Kay’s heart, which she attributes to the formative education she received during the diaconate journey and the friendships established with fellow students and colleagues.

Fr. Matthew Perreault was ordained to the priesthood in 2019 in the Anglican Church of Canada, having been born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He was raised in a Pentecostal tradition, but converted to Anglicanism while attending undergraduate studies at the University of Calgary after developing a deep appreciation for the beauty of the Anglican liturgy. Fr. Perreault studied International Relations and Public Policy. His undergraduate background influenced an interest in Public Theology that he pursued at Ambrose University and Regent College where he studied Anglicanism under JI Packer. He completed his seminary studies at Nashotah House Theological College where he developed more deeply his appreciation for Anglican liturgics and the English Spiritual Tradition. In 2024, he was accepted into a postgraduate program of study in Canon Law at the St. Padarn’s Institute in Wales. Fr. Perreault has served as the rector of St. Thomas Church, Eustis in the Diocese of Central Florida since September 2021. He is heavily involved in the Communion Partners and Prayer Book Society of Canada where he remains on the National Council, and continues to study and write on liturgics, parochial spiritual formation, and canon law.

The Rev. Dr. Robin Reed serves as Rector of St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church, a pastoral-size parish, in Lake Placid. She was born and raised in Rochester, New York.

Robin graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, and went on to obtain a Masters and PhD in Counseling Psychology from The Ohio State University. After serving honorably in the United States Navy for six years, Robin practiced clinical psychology in a variety of settings and lived for 17 years in Sewanee, Tennessee, where she first heard the call to ordained ministry. Robin moved to Central Florida to follow her calling in 2015 and attended Asbury Theological Seminary for two years part-time and served on the Bishop’s Task Force on Human Sexuality. She graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2021 with an MDiv.

Robin is active in the local Lake Placid Ministerial Association and serves as a Title IV Officer for the Diocese of Central Florida. With her background in clinical psychology, Robin strongly identifies with being a pastor, not only for St. Francis but also for the community.

Robin has two adult daughters, Allison and Kami, and a yellow lab, Grayce. She is happily married to Mike Brown and loves teaching, working out, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and playing golf.

The Rev. Tom Rutherford is a Christian, husband, father, friend, and rector who has been following Jesus faithfully since 1976. He is married to the lovely Debbie, and between them, they have five children and eight grandchildren. He has been rector of Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden since 1996 and has been teaching church history since just after Jesus ascended back into heaven.

Rev. Rose Sapp-Bax was ordained to the Diaconate in 2016 and served at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke. She served as director of the Glennon House, a healing prayer ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church in Winter Park. In 2018, she helped establish The Inheritance House, a non-denominational healing center in Orlando which focused on inner healing and wholeness, where she served as director. Along with her diverse staff, they presented numerous presentations and trainings on prayer and healing, including the training of prayer ministers for Bishop Michael Curry’s ‘Say Yes to Jesus’ Orlando revival.

Prior to her ordination, Rose also served at the Canterbury Retreat Center, facilitating ‘Dangerous Prayer’ weekend retreats.

While serving as a deacon at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando, she formed an OSL chapter and served as its convener. She also worked in Orlando in a women’s shelter for human trafficking victims. Rose served during the selection of the new bishop with the diocesan tour, transition committee, and consecration committee. She served at the Cathedral until her return to her ‘home church’ in Lake Placid, Florida in 2022.

The Rev. Todd Schmidtetter is rector of Holy Apostles Episcopal Church in Satellite Beach, Florida, and has served in that position for the last 11 years. Before his call to the priesthood, he served as a youth minister for 12 years in various churches and a missionary for 3 years with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). He has a passion for the study of theology and a heart to see others grow in their knowledge and understanding of who God is and what God has accomplished on our behalf.

Todd was ordained to the priesthood in 2012. He earned his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. He received a Master of Divinity (MDiv) through Trinity School for Ministry and a Master of Theology through Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with an emphasis on Sacramental Theology. Todd has taught courses on Isaiah and Old Testament Survey at ICS and he currently serves on the Commission on Ministry.

Rev. Todd is married to his wife Michelle; they have 2 boys, Coen (13) and Luke (11).

The Rev. Kim Spear was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on September 7, 2019. Kim is a cradle Episcopalian and has served the church and her community for many years. She attended Warner Christian University, the Institute of Christian Studies at the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, and is currently a student at Reformed Theological Seminary while discerning a call to the priesthood. Her Pastoral Field Work was completed at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, and she was assigned by Bishop Greg Brewer to the parish of St. Edward’s Episcopal Church in Mount Dora.

Kim has served as an instructor with ICS since 2019 and delights in the opportunity to share her knowledge and passion with students. She also leads and facilitates Bible studies, Christian Formation curriculum, and grief/bereavement groups. Kim has been actively involved in community outreach and has served as a Hospital Chaplain since 2019.

Kim and Mike have been married for forty years and have been blessed by their children and grandchildren.

The Rev. Dr. Rob Strenth is the rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Orlando, Florida. He worked for over 25 years as a teacher and administrator with Orange County Public Schools and was the 2023 Principal of the Year.

Rob was ordained to the vocational diaconate in 2017 and to the priesthood in 2022. He earned his undergraduate and two graduate degrees from the University of Florida and his doctorate from the University of Central Florida. He did his seminary work at Reformed Theological Seminary and ThirdMill Seminary. Rob has taught courses in pastoral leadership, prayer book spirituality, and discernment at ICS. He currently serves on the Commission on Ministry and the Safe Church Commission.

Fr. Rob is married to his wife Leslie, who is a school counselor, and they have 3 children and 5 cats.

The Rev. Audrey Sutton has served as rector of St. Barnabas, DeLand, since relocating to Central Florida from Texas in the summer of 2024. Previously, in the Diocese of Dallas, she directed Project Moses North, an anti-trafficking ministry, demonstrating her dedication to justice and healing for those impacted by trafficking.

Audrey’s extensive experience and compassion for survivors of trauma led Bishop Justin Holcomb to appoint her as co-chair of the Diocesan Safe Church Commission. In this role, she continues to exemplify her commitment to fostering safety and support within the church community.

Mrs. Monica Tyedmers is an active member of the Standing Committee and serves on the Commission on Ministry. As a licensed mental health counselor, she brings a wealth of professional expertise and compassionate care to her roles.

Appointed by Bishop Justin Holcomb, Monica serves as co-chair of the Diocese Safe Church Commission, where she plays a pivotal role in fostering a culture of safety and well-being within the church community. Her deep love for Christ, combined with her counseling expertise, uniquely equips her for this vital and impactful ministry.