Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky intends to appoint the Rev. Joanne Coleman Campbell to serve on the Pacific Northwest (PNW) cabinet as Seven Rivers Missional District Superintendent, effective July 1, 2019. In this role, she will serve as the “chief missional strategist” for the district, working with pastors and lay leadership to find new ways to strengthen and extend United Methodist ministries across an area that covers much of central Washington from Oregon to the Canadian border.
“Joanne has pastored churches across the annual conference, building relationships with her colleagues and impressing many with her strong administrative skills and vision,” wrote Bishop Stanovsky to Wenatchee First United Methodist Church where Coleman Campbell currently co-pastors with her husband, John. In her letter, she also mentioned Coleman Campbell’s “passions for discipleship and missional engagement,” noting that each would prove valuable in the role of superintendent.
Born in Escondido, California, Joanne Coleman Campbell was baptized as a small child at Escondido First Methodist Church, but as her mother was born and raised in Eastern Washington, Spokane was their “second home.” From age 9-18, she lived in Nigeria, England, Brazil, Germany, and Ethiopia—her father was a veterinarian and worked for the US government and UNFAO.
While raising five children, Coleman Campbell served actively in ministry as a layperson with turns as a church secretary, in children’s ministry, and doing community outreach. She also engaged in ministry beyond the local church organizing events as a District Mission Chair, serving as a UMW district officer, and chairing COSROW.
Joanne Coleman Campbell received her MDiv from Vancouver School of Theology in 1996. Since her first appointment to Tacoma: Urban Ministry/Shalom Zone in the same year, she has served congregations in several districts on both sides of the state including United Methodist churches in Tacoma, Spokane, Cheney, Olympia, and Wenatchee.
These appointments have given her opportunities to serve in urban ministry settings, often partnering with ethnically and theologically diverse coalitions, and others to develop community in more rural Eastern Washington areas. Coleman Campbell shared that she “work[s] hard to connect whatever church [she is] serving with the community in which it is located” toward the goal of fostering “meaningful relationships with our neighbors.” She spent three years in advanced academic study of the missional church.
As a clergy person, Rev. Coleman Campbell continues to be active in connectional leadership beyond the local church. She has served on the PNW Conference Connectional Table and Council on Finance and Administration. Currently, she is serving as the Formation Chairperson for the Board of Ordained Ministry.
“I look forward to bringing my many years of experience as both a lay and clergy person to this new appointment,” Rev. Coleman Campbell offered, reflecting on the new role. “This is a very interesting time for our denomination, a time of testing and challenge, but I believe the people of the PNW are capable of meeting this challenge with faith and hope, through the grace of God. I am honored to serve the beautiful Seven Rivers Missional District, and pray that together, we may discover the future God holds out for us.”
