Reverend Molly White brings warmth, authenticity, and deep pastoral experience to her role as pastor of Garner United Methodist Church. An ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church, Rev. White comes from seven years of service at Hayes Barton UMC in Raleigh, where she served as Pastor of Spiritual Formation. Her passion for teaching, preaching, and leading Bible studies makes her most alive in ministry, and her extroverted nature welcomes meaningful conversations and genuine connection with her congregation.

Rev. White holds a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School (2016) and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry degree. Before entering full-time ministry, she worked as an attorney specializing in commercial real estate and land use planning, earning her law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2005.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Rev. White has lived throughout the East Coast before settling in North Carolina with her family. She is married to Patrick—wait, that’s actually incorrect based on the bio. She is a widow, having lost her husband Patrick to tragedy on December 19, 2022. She is the mother of two teenagers: Zeke, a rising sophomore at Enloe High School, and Phoebe, a rising eighth grader at Moore Square Middle School. The family also includes two beloved goldendoodles, George and Fezziwig.

Rev. White’s personal journey through grief and trauma has shaped her theology profoundly. She works with both a therapist and spiritual director to integrate her loss, and her doctoral work focuses on spiritual care for those experiencing similar suffering. She is transparent about her story and welcomes questions from her congregation.

As pastor, Rev. White commits to honest kindness in all relationships—promising transparency in church matters while delivering truth with compassion. She believes in honest conversation about faith and church life and expects the same reciprocal honesty and kindness from her congregation. When not in ministry, she enjoys watching NFL football, spending time with friends, reading, and traveling. She invites the Garner UMC community to connect with her and share in this new chapter of ministry together.