Rebecca Rutherford

I live with my husband, Toby, and two daughters in Marianna, Florida, but have Indiana roots. I grew up moving around Southern Indiana as the daughter of a United Methodist Preacher. I did my undergrad at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, receiving a BA in Social Studies - Secondary Education. I taught high school social studies a couple of years in Kentucky before entering seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary. While in seminary, I served as a Youth Director in Selma, Alabama and Bardstown, Kentucky. After completing my Masters of Divinity, I began full time ministry as a Children's Director at Navarre United Methodist Church in Florida. During my time there I ran summer camps where I developed my own curriculum each year and also began to write my own discipleship curriculum for children. I was commissioned and ordained as a deacon in the Alabama West Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church during these years. I served in Albany, Georgia for several years as the Associate Pastor at Albany, First United Methodist Church where I focused on developing a discipleship pathway for adults and teaching confirmation. I then returned to the Gulf Coast to serve as the Associate Pastor at Spanish Fort United Methodist Church where I continued to teach adults and confirmation. I am currently serving as the Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church of Marianna and the founding pastor at a new church start in Cottondale, Florida. 

 

During my time in Albany and Spanish Fort I was able to get involved in missions which took me to India, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Tanzania. As a part of my work in Tanzania, I was a part of a team that went to train children and youth workers in the Tanzania United Methodist Church how to teach them the Bible. I have since then written and developed curriculum for short and year long studies for children. I have worked on publications with Cokesbury, Abindgon Press, World Methodist Evangelism and Seedbed Publishing. 

 

I have self proclaimed wanderlust and love to travel. I have been all over North America, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, India (Asia) and Africa. My favorite places are sitting on a beach, in the mountains or visiting a new National Park. I grew up camping and fishing in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, so I am no stranger to the outdoors. I love spending time with my family and taking trips to Chicago to watch the Cubs play, hiking in the South West or going to Disney World. I also enjoy watching my daughters play year-round beach volleyball. 

 

As a wife and a mother, a sister, daughter, pastor and friend, I want to use all of my experience and knowledge to help build lives and churches. My desire is to continue to use my experience in pastoral care to guide and coach individuals or groups. I am passionate about social justice and spiritual transformation (holiness). I love to teach, train and equip others to do ministry. And I would personally love to walk beside you whether it be in a coaching relationship, a discipleship consultation or helping you develop or write curriculum. So, let's get to know one another over coffee or zoom!