Hi! I’m Brenna.

I co-pastor alongside a friend at a small, radically inclusive congregation in California, City Church of Long Beach. I’m an ordained minister and hold my Masters in Theology from Fuller (which in the evangelical world is a respected seminary). During my time there, Fuller recognized me with their prestigious Hubbard Award, showing their belief in my academic, spiritual, and professional potential. That certificate and my undergraduate degree from Stanford hang quietly above the banged up, multipurpose desk in my family’s laundry room, a juxtaposition that somehow feels just right.

Because despite growing up in a faith tradition that was all about giving people answers, I am so much more interested now with asking honest questions and inviting people to explore them with me. I am so much more concerned with how people love than with what they know.

Experience

Based on our pastoral experiences and studies, my friend/co-pastor Bill White and I cofounded a nonprofit, Small Church Big Table, that helps faith communities explore what LGBTQ+ welcome could look like in their own spaces. Bill continues to lead that important work.

I delight in leading, preaching, and teaching as well as writing. I’ve contributed to conferences like the Post-Evangelical Collective, blogs including Christians for Social Action, and podcasts like Space for Faith with Mike Goldsworthy, on topics ranging from sharing power in leadership to queer affirmation in churches.

Fun Stuff

My big, colorful family includes my partner (a high school assistant principal), four kids and a cat. We live in a wonderfully walkable Long Beach neighborhood, and we’re trying to get good at stand-up paddleboarding. I love lifting weights and am warming up to running.

Contact Me