SHUMC LEADERSHIP

Rev. Deborah Lerner, pastordeborah@shepherdofthehills.org
Senior Pastor
Rev. Deborah Lerner is a graduate of the School of Theology at Claremont. She grew up on a ranch and in a small town in West Texas and spent her first career in the field of data processing as a Programmer /Analyst / Data Base Manager. She is the mother of three sons, Josh, Ben (married to Jenna), and Sam, and grandmother to Sarah and Hailey. As a late comer to ministry she is grateful to have finally settled in to the vocation God created her for. When she has time she loves to read and play the piano (not well). Pastor Deborah has served at Paradise Valley UMC, Trinity UMC, Spirit of Hope UMC, and most recently was senior pastor at First UMC of Gilbert. She has been at Shepherd of the Hills since July 1, 2018, and looks forward to all God has for us to do together.

I am serving as the Associate Pastor at Shepherd of the Hills since July 1, 2018. Before coming to Shepherd, I served as the co-pastor at Grace UMC in Mesa, AZ for two years. My roots in the Methodist Church date back to my teenage years in Northern Mexico. I completed a bachelor’s degree in theological studies at Seminario Juan Wesley in Monterrey, Mexico. My journey has been blessed with amazing opportunities for ministry such as setting up a Satellite Immigration Office at a UMC Congregation, being a facilitator for the Hispanic Latino National Plan of the UMC, pulpit supply, and Pentecost Journey Facilitator for churches exploring Hispanic/Latino Ministry opportunities. Further studies included an MDiv from Drew University in New Jersey. 2020 is the year I celebrated my ordination as an Elder. My closest family is my husband Javier, our two children Natalia and Esteban, as well as my father and three siblings. Contemplating nature, walking, creating beaded jewelry, reading, painting and making other art projects (when I am not too busy with ministry!) are some of the things I enjoy doing.

