We Welcome Rev. Rachael Pryor as Our New Associate Conference Minister

Rev. Rachael Pryor

Beginning in October, we welcomed a new Designated Term Associate Conference Minister, the Rev. Rachael Pryor. Rachael is a familiar face for many in KO, and this new role will overlap in some ways with her previous volunteer support for the Committee on Ministry. Over the past decade, she has come to know our clergy and churches through serving on committees and as the KO "3 Great Loves" coordinator. The opportunity to serve in Conference leadership gradually turned into a deep sense of call to judicatory work, formed in the community that helped form her as a minister. As Rachael's commitments with the Conference have expanded, and as her family has continued to grow, it was finally time to step up or step back: to apply for an official role on staff, or to make room for others to take on more of this leadership.

Rachael is thrilled to have been selected as Designated Term ACM; it's a wonderful part-time fit for her family, which at the same time gives the Conference more flexibility to explore and adapt this leadership model over the next 18 months. To begin, her primary focus will be continued support for the Committees on Ministry. She will also work and learn alongside our Conference Minister as a resource for search and call, and to help introduce the forthcoming revised Manual on Church. Maintaining our connections with regional and national partners will also be a part of Rachael's role; she is already serving on the planning team for the UCC's biannual "Authorizing Ministry in the 21st Century" conference, and will attend in December.

Rachael has previously served UCC and ELCA congregations in Pennsylvania and Kansas as settled and interim pastor; and served as interim campus pastor at Bethany College. She attended Eden Seminary for one delightful year before transferring to and graduating from Princeton Seminary. She grew up near Toledo, Ohio and is a dedicated University of Michigan alum and former marching band member. When she's not doing laundry and stepping over LEGO blocks, Rachael plays baritone in the Bethany College band and cello in the orchestra. She loves to cook, take walks, listen to podcasts, knit, and read. Her family are dedicated board game players and if you ever visit, you may be expected to join in.

You can reach Rachael in Lindsborg, Kansas, where she's always happy to host an in-person meeting and show you around Little Sweden, USA! She lives there with her husband, Dr. Adam Pryor, Provost of Bethany College; and their four children and two cats. Of course, she's never more than a phone call or Zoom meeting away, with availability on Mondays 8-11am, Wednesdays 9am-12pm, Sunday afternoons, and weekday evenings by appointment. Use her Calendly link to schedule a meeting any time.