March 27, 2017
NASHVILLE, TN –
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Resident Bishop of the North Carolina Annual Conference has announced the upcoming appointment of Reverend Justin Coleman as the senior pastor at University UMC in Chapel Hill, NC effective July 1, 2017. Rev. Coleman will have completed three years as Chief Ministry Officer for The United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH), Nashville TN.
“University UMC is receiving a joyful servant of God,” said Reverend Brian K. Milford, UMPH President & Publisher.“ Justin has an unwavering passion for cultivating vibrant worship, transformative discipleship and world-changing outreach by local churches and communities of faith. His spirit of abiding hope in Jesus, his skills in bringing diverse groups of people together for shared ministry and his unwillingness to leave injustice unchallenged combine as a wonderful blend of gifts for effective servant ministry.”
As a member of the UMPH senior staff, Coleman provided oversight and management of human resources and staff development activities, participated in launching new ventures, applying “Design Thinking” methods to enhance planning, and helped build networks, especially among younger clergy across the United States.
Prior to joining UMPH, Coleman served as Executive and Lead Pastor of the Gethsemane Campus St. Luke's UMC in Houston, TX. He provided vision and elbow grease in linking the faith community to the needs of the neighborhood and crafted bridges of relationships, support and leader development with urban youth grappling with the effects of cyclical poverty, violence and marginalization. Prior to joining the pastoral staff at St. Luke’s Justin served as a pastor in North Carolina and in campus ministry posts in North Carolina and Texas. He has studied at the Divinity School, Duke University and Perkins School of Theology, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Southern Methodist University.
Married to Chaka Coleman with whom he has three sons, Coleman is a pastor, teacher, social innovator, developer of leaders, and team builder.
“We will miss our friend,” said Milford “but we are confident that the Coleman family will be a blessing to the Chapel Hill community and we look forward to working with and learning from Justin and the University UMC congregation for years to come.”