Pastor

In 2026, Emily Alexander-Meinholz accepted the call to become pastor of Des Moines Mennonite Church. Emily is originally from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the rural churches of her youth formed a rich foundation for her faith. At age 8, she started a nonprofit with her best friend making hygiene packs for those experiencing housing instability in their community. Her path to the ministry continued at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. There she worked with Black churches, Latine churches and children’s afterschool programs. Leaders there affirmed Emily’s call to pastoral ministry and formed her understanding of racism and whiteness.

Emily continued her education at Duke Divinity School, where she earned her Master of Divinity. Emily focused on preaching, spiritual lifewriting, biography and women in church history. At Duke, she served as a chaplain intern at Duke Raleigh hospital and reengaged with her Mennonite roots, serving both the Raleigh Mennonite Church and Chapel Hill Mennonite Fellowship. Emily believes Anabaptist witness to peace is crucial – especially today. She is passionate about the local church and excited to work together to follow Jesus.

Emily and her spouse, Joe, married in 2025. He also attended Duke Divinity. They love hiking, exploring small-town America and even checked the chicken laws in Des Moines and were glad to learn they would be able to watch over a flock in addition to those believers at Des Moines Mennonite. Emily and Joe live in Des Moines with their dog, Preacher.

In her free time, you can find Emily reading a memoir and trying new coffee shops. If you would like to talk with Emily, please contact her at emily@desmoinesmennonite.org.