Meet Our Pastor
Rev. Lindsey Peterson

Our Pastor

I trust that the divine is present in each of us and that our lives are themselves sacred scriptures. I understand the Bible to be a library of scriptures about how people have experienced God’s nearness and absence in their lives, and how people over time, like us now, wrestle to live meaningful lives. Music and poetry are pathways to presence, to God for me. I wrestle with church; I love church and loving it, I long for it to be more liberating, more healing, more love-bearing, more free. Growing up in a UCC congregation in Salem, MA, I learned love but also timidity. I came out later in life as lesbian. That process of coming to recognize myself, to value my desires, and then to step into the life that was in fact mine to live, was and continues to be the most faith-filled experience of my life. Women especially are socialized to put their wants second, or last, or not at all. In that context, it is essential to me to encourage individual expression. At the same time, we never live entirely for ourselves: our lives are part of a greater whole, our actions and inactions impact the collective. In my ministry I am always carrying this both/and of individual and collective callings. South Church is at that intersection. We are a church of individuals from diverse backgrounds, carrying the divine in our flesh, our memories, our longings. We are inheritors of the different stories of God, and of different ways of making meaning of our lives. It is a wonder and joy that we get to come together in this body called South and in coming together with all our diversities, we get to learn more about ourselves, about humanity and about God. Jesus is a core figure in Christianity, but Jesus is used in so many ways. I am part of the feminist, process, practical and liberation theology threads of Christianity and of interpreting Jesus. Jesus points the way to a life centered in the divine whose nature and longing for creation is Love. I am active in the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ (SNEUCC) and serve on the Committee on Ministry (COM) for the Hampden Association. 

I completed my Master of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, and my undergraduate degree in Gender & Women’s Studies and Religious Studies at Connecticut College. I took up rowing in the past couple years and that is a central part of my life now. I love physical activity and learning the strength of my body. I am a singer/songwriter. I live in Holyoke with my partner Natalia. She’s Puerto Rican and likes the heat turned to 70 or higher. I am a New Englander and prefer a crisp 66 with a sweater and hat on. 

Rev. Lindsey came to South first as a part time Bridge Pastor in 2019-2020. She then served as South’s Designated Term Minister for a 5 year period, from October 2020 through October 2025. She was called as South’s Settled Minister in November 2025.

Looking to meet our pastor further?

Schedule a 1 on 1 virtual coffee date with Rev. Lindsey