Intentional Interim Senior Pastor

Rev. Joslin Kearse, MBA, MDiv, MAST, CSSC

Rev. Joslin Love Kearse (she/they pronouns) is the Intentional Interim Senior Pastor at Zwingli United Church of Christ. She comes to this role after having served as Intentional Interim Pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Catonsville, MD.

Rev. Kearse was ordained in the United Church of Christ on June 1, 2024. In doing so, she became the first Black person — and first person of color — authorized into ministry within the York Association through the Member in Discernment process. Prior to her UCC ordination, she was ordained within The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries on July 7, 2023.

Beyond her pastoral role, Rev. Kearse serves as Vice Moderator for the Chesapeake Association in the Central Atlantic Conference and Vice Moderator of its Committee on Ministry, as well as Vice President of the United Church of Christ’s Open and Affirming Coalition Board.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership and a Master of Business Administration in Management from Eastern University in St. Davids, PA. She has also earned a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Social Transformation, and a Certificate in Spirituality and Social Change from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA, where she was named the 2020 recipient of the Dr. Michael M. Mendiola Prize in Ethics.

A York, PA native, Rev. Kearse is a U.S. Army veteran with a career spanning community advocacy, education, and economic development in urban centers. In 2009, she became the first Black person appointed Zoning Officer for the City of York. In recent years, she has worked as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, partnering with churches across denominations, universities, and nonprofit organizations on growth initiatives rooted in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and cultural humility.

Rev. Kearse believes that no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here. It’s a conviction she strives to bring into every space she serves: radical inclusion and audacious welcome.