Rev. Dr. Sarah Johnson
Senior Pastor / Head of Staff
Phone: 202-393-3700
Email: sarah.johnson@nyapc.org
I am a life-long learner with a curious mind and an open heart. I am a challenger and a risk-taker who loves to read, write, teach, and preach. I love to begin the day with a long run and a good cup of coffee, and a bookstore is one of my favorite places to lose track of time.
I also know that life is a precious gift, that relationships are exceedingly important, and that all people are made in the image of God. I believe that the church is called to the long hard work of justice as a part of God’s reconciling activity, to be a blessing to the neighborhood and city where it resides, and to cherish at its heart those with whom Jesus spent most of his time. I believe that life is stronger than death, that love rights a multitude of wrongs, and that grace wins in the end. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, I hold a Bachelor’s in Religion from Furman University, where I graduated in 2005. In 2008, I received my Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and was awarded the John T. Galloway Award in Expository Preaching.
I completed my Doctor of Ministry Degree from Duke Divinity School in 2019. My thesis, “Reclaiming the Cross this Side of Paradise,” challenged and examined popular western understandings of the atonement and explored why reclaiming a robust theology of the cross is essential for the church’s theology and ethics in today’s postmodern context.
Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for over twelve years, I served congregations in Chicago, Arizona, and most recently, Dallas, Texas as the Senior Associate Pastor at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church.
In my free time, I love cooking (and eating!), spending time with family and friends, and I enjoy all things fitness, sports, and the outdoors, including playing with my six-year-old yellow lab Lilly. I refuse to choose between the mountains and the beach, and I think pimento cheese deserves a separate food group. Lilly and I love adventures and cannot wait to explore our new city, Washington, D.C.!
I also know that life is a precious gift, that relationships are exceedingly important, and that all people are made in the image of God. I believe that the church is called to the long hard work of justice as a part of God’s reconciling activity, to be a blessing to the neighborhood and city where it resides, and to cherish at its heart those with whom Jesus spent most of his time. I believe that life is stronger than death, that love rights a multitude of wrongs, and that grace wins in the end. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, I hold a Bachelor’s in Religion from Furman University, where I graduated in 2005. In 2008, I received my Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and was awarded the John T. Galloway Award in Expository Preaching.
I completed my Doctor of Ministry Degree from Duke Divinity School in 2019. My thesis, “Reclaiming the Cross this Side of Paradise,” challenged and examined popular western understandings of the atonement and explored why reclaiming a robust theology of the cross is essential for the church’s theology and ethics in today’s postmodern context.
Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for over twelve years, I served congregations in Chicago, Arizona, and most recently, Dallas, Texas as the Senior Associate Pastor at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church.
In my free time, I love cooking (and eating!), spending time with family and friends, and I enjoy all things fitness, sports, and the outdoors, including playing with my six-year-old yellow lab Lilly. I refuse to choose between the mountains and the beach, and I think pimento cheese deserves a separate food group. Lilly and I love adventures and cannot wait to explore our new city, Washington, D.C.!