Ginger Gaines-Cirelli

Ginger E. Gaines-Cirelli is a life-long United Methodist who is passionate about sharing the good news of God’s liberating love in Jesus Christ. For over 20 years as a pastor-theologian, her ministry has encouraged spiritual growth and engaged discipleship—emphasizing radical hospitality, shared ministry, spiritual practices, and solidarity with the poor and oppressed. With this focus, Ginger brings depth, health, and growth to every community she has served. In 2014, Ginger became the first woman to serve as Senior Pastor of historic Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, within blocks of The White House. The congregation actively works to bring justice and help for marginalized communities, and it is under Ginger’s inspiration that birthed its sacred resistance ministry. Prior to her appointment to Foundry, she has served a variety of congregations: small and large, urban and suburban in the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, in addition to an uptown Manhattan and two-point charge in the New York Annual Conference. She has served as Chair of the Conference Board of Discipleship, a member of the Discipleship Council, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Annual Conference Worship Team and as a delegate to General Conference. A graduate of Yale University Divinity School, Pastor Gaines-Cirelli is a featured teacher and speaker at local, district, conference, jurisdictional, and international connectional events. She is the author of Sacred Resistance, a practical guide to Christian witness and dissent in troubled times and contributed and served on the editorial board for The CEB Women's Bible. Ginger is married to Dr. Anthony Gaines-Cirelli, a Catholic theologian, currently serving as a Director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They live in Washington, DC with their cat Annie Rose and dogs Harvey and Daisy. Ginger enjoys gardening, yoga, poetry, the Smithsonian National Gallery of Art Museum, theological conversations, ice cream, hiking, skiing, travel, beaches, and going barefoot.