Church Leadership

Ken Blyth was born and raised in Scotland. He gained his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Andrews (B.D.); his master’s degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (M.Div.); and his doctorate from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (D.Min.)

Ken serves SAKLC as shepherd of the Church family and head of staff of a gifted team of congregational leaders. His ministry is significantly focused on preaching, teaching, pastoral care, and connecting SAKLC to the “Manasota” community and to the wider Church.

Within the Sarasota-Manatee community, Pastor Ken serves as President of the Association for Campus Ministry, which provides chaplaincy services at Ringling College of Art and Design, New College of Florida, and University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. Pastor Ken is also chair of the antibigotry action team of the Sarasota Ministerial Association and serves on the association’s Board of Directors. 

Ken serves the wider Church as Secretary of the Florida-Bahamas Synod, and chair of the synod’s Governance Committee. Ken is also Secretary of the Region 9 Council, which encompasses seven synods in the south-eastern US, serving 823 congregations. And, in 2024, Ken began a four-year term on the Advisory Board of Directors of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS).

Ken is married to Amy, and they have three children: Michael, Grace, and Robert. Grace is a doctoral student at Louisiana State University, and Robert is an undergraduate at State College of Florida.

Mr. Bodnyk holds the Bachelor of Science degree in vocal performance from Mannes College of Music, the Master of Church Music degree in choral conducting from Concordia University Wisconsin, and the Master of Arts degree in vocal performance from Hunter College/CUNY. He is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music education at Boston University.

Mr. Bodnyk made his solo Carnegie Hall debut in October 2014 with the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland after singing a series of concerts with the orchestra in Galway, Ireland. He is active as a soloist in concert, recital, oratorio, opera and operetta. Recent solo performances include Messiah (Handel), Mass in time of War (Haydn), Elijah (Mendelssohn), Paulus (Mendelssohn), Coronation Mass (Mozart), Christmas Oratorio (Saint-Saëns), Mass (Stravinsky), & Nun komm der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 (Bach).

Mr. Bodnyk currently serves as the Minister of Music at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church in Sarasota, Florida where he oversees a comprehensive parish music ministry program.

Before moving to Florida, he was a cantor, soloist, and choral section leader at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City for 16 years. At the Cathedral, he sang for morning masses broadcast on SiriusXM Radio and local cable television. With the Cathedral Choir, he was honored to sing for Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, both in Rome and during their visits to the United States, as well as for President Bush at The White House. During his trips to Rome, Michael served as cantor at many churches and basilicas, including St. Peter’s Basilica. He was also the cantor for Cardinal Dolan’s first mass as a cardinal during the 2012 Consistory at the papal basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In addition, he served as the cantor and Music Associate at the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

A strong proponent of music education, Mr. Bodnyk taught elementary and middle school music within the Archdiocese of New York for over a decade. His various ensembles participated in music festivals throughout the tri-state area. One of his English handbell choirs was featured in a performance at Carnegie Hall, making history as the first handbell group to perform with a symphony orchestra in the venue. During that same performance, the handbell ensemble gave the world premier of a piece co-composed by Mr. Bodnyk. He has held teaching positions at the Academy of St. Jospeh, Saint Brigid School, and the Cathedral of St. Patrick Young Singers. Most recently, he led a group of AOSJ students and their families on a musical tour of Rome. His students performed at St. Peter’s Basilica, the Basilica of St. Francis (in Assisi), and in the Borghese Chapel at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

He is also served as the Co-Executive Director and Director of Arts of Camp Rhythmo, a nonprofit organization that offered summer programs, musical theater workshops, and after school programming in New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Mr. Bodnyk is the 2016 recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award from Moravian Academy (Bethlehem, PA), his alma mater. He is a past recipient of the Ruth K. Jacobs Award from The Choristers Guild, recognized for his work with children’s choirs, and the McKeenan Award from the Handbell Musicians of America.

Mr. Bodnyk was invested as a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, one of only two papal knighthoods, in November 2016 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral by His Eminence, Edward Cardinal O’Brien, the order’s Grand Master.