“I want to touch the ground with you, is a truth from me. That is the essence of my ministry. A soil tender and communal gardener, for all.”
I adore being with the Church - in every movement of her life - with the people. I view myself as a pastor with the people, and I seek a community who desires soft space, transformative justice-oriented love, community growth, and tending to our communal soil well.
“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow…”
Every movement we make in our daily life is worship with God. My hope for congregational worship is to continue this movement into a joyful and honest response to what God is doing in our lives and the world! Where we grow together in relationship with God, Christ, Spirit and creation. Worship embodies our hopes, our active ‘yes’ to our living faith. This is the place where the Church gets to be the living beacon of how we are never alone, invited into mutuality and giving, and offered God’s love daily.
Below you’ll find sermons, liturgical moments, and prayerful reflections offered to various settings of the wider and local Church:
Affirmation of Pastoral Presence
“Rachael has an enormous number of strengths and gifts. They bring a deeply pastoral and theological approach to their work, which weaves naturally through everything they do. They are skilled at bringing people together in a spirit of collaboration. They are able to craft a vision and see it through to successful implementation. They bring great sensitivity and care to professional relationships and easily earn the respect and admiration of others.”
Rachael has already been engaged in beautiful and impactful ministry in the wider life of the United Church of Christ. I have no doubt they will continue to be a blessing in our life together and that they will serve faithfully in whatever ways they are called.”
— Rev. Shari Prestemon
Serves as Associate General Minister & Co-Executive of Global Ministries, United Church of Christ, National Ministries
“Rachael is an intuitive and creative pastor and leader who has earned the deep respect of peers, colleagues, and the communities with whom they have worked.
They understand the importance of engaging and developing the faithful community to live out Christ's ministry and the often chaotic logistics of being church in the world today. They are bold yet gentle, a leader by example and instinctively collaborative, a student of the multitudes who always remains curious to the still-speaking voice of the Divine.
I am certain that any congregation or ministry setting that calls Rachael Ward to serve as pastor, leader, teacher, and co-conspirator in living out Jesus' love will be richly blessed and powerfully and delightfully transformed into the fullness of God's call.”
— Rev. Kim Woods
Serves as Conference Minister for the Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ
“R has a breadth and depth of experience they have brought to their ministry, from working in journalism to youth ministry to managing communications for a large faith organization.
Since I have been working with them, they have created the Love is Louder campaign in the United Church of Christ. The framing of loving our neighbors out loud with a rainbow heart in the logo has resonated with UCC folks and beyond, all across the country.
Their ability to theologically ground the work of LGBTQ+ inclusion in a way that is so accessible to people in local churches is a gift. They have been able to leverage this into donations that have created a fund that supports local churches and other faith organizations that are doing the work of supporting LGBTQ+ people. What a gift.”
— Rev. Amy Johnson
Serves as Minister for Sexuality Education Justice, United Church of Christ, National Ministries
“Christ the Light” by Kelly Latimore
Theological Reflections, Published Works & Curriculum Offerings
We are siblings invited to love across differences; seek the Inn when in need of care or rest; to mirror and remember Christ’s belonging is for all, and to love our neighbors boldly. To be the Church is to be messy, to lean into chaos, to follow Christ’s light and ministry, and to not be timid within liminal space moments.
How we reflect our faith in writing and presence is important to our communities and God. I believe when we demystify fears and exclusive theology, the Church can bear witness to one another authentically. New ways of being one together are possible, when we model new behavior patterns rooted in love.
Scripture tells us, “the body does not consist of one member, but of many.” My pastoral presence is rooted in invitation as we journey in purpose and living witness with Jesus. Below you’ll find published works reflecting such. Also below is a link to a few helpful educational resources!