Rachel Gough

Rev. Rachel Gough serves as co-pastor at Monroe Covenant Church and works to bring shalom to the community of Monroe, Washington. Rachel’s journey reflects God’s hand on her life.

Raised in a Christian home, Rachel committed herself to God and his work in the world while a teenager on a mission trip in Mexico. However, in her younger years, Rachel only encountered clergywomen on television; in her home, they were ridiculed.

Rachel’s world fell apart after she divorced an abusive husband and her own parents ended their marriage. She questioned everything—family, God, faith, faithfulness—and she began a new trajectory away from God and the church. 

Today Rachel believes this difficult season was an essential part of her faith journey. After a period, she wanted to believe God was real and live in relationship with him. She expected condemnation from the church, family, people who had known her, and even God. But when she returned home, both literally and figuratively, she found embrace, belonging, belovedness, mercy, and grace. She was meeting God for the first time. The God of her young years was sparse, one dimensional, and unlike this new encounter.

During Rachel’s return to faith, her mother began attending seminary and shared about God and his love for women. These revelations reignited Rachel’s faith, and she too began studying and reading the Bible in a way that it would not be used as a harmful weapon. Rachel had some unlearning to do and began attending seminary classes uncertain where it might lead. She pursued a Master of Divinity thinking, “I’m just going to attend classes and see what happens.”

Rachel continues her story. 

During this time, my husband Bryan and I moved from Seattle to Monroe. Through a sermon series and our study from our previous church, we were thinking about a ministry of place and faithfulness to that place. Before I started seminary, I attended a program at Seattle School of Theology called Leadership in the New Parish, which was about ministry of place and being committed to community and neighbors while cultivating shalom so all people can flourish and thrive. It’s not just about evangelism but holistic healing for an entire community.

Wherever we ended up, we wanted to dig in, be known characters of the community, and a stay in that community the rest of our lives. We wanted our home to be a safe, secure home for our children and a welcome place for our adult kids and grandchildren because I missed that.

After a few years, we found Monroe Covenant Church. I had a negative experience at a different church with a male pastor who was dismissive of me. Sitting on my front porch crying my eyes out, I asked God, “What is so horrible about being female?” I heard God reply, “The way that man sees you is not the way I see you.” This message affirmed I was on the right path, and it didn’t matter that I’m a woman.

Finding Monroe Covenant felt like finding home. Our former pastor, Mac Taylor, asked me to preach within a few months even though he barely knew me. I joined the preaching team. Then I volunteered for many more leadership opportunities. He took me to pastors’ meetings in the community; he supported and encouraged me. The church chairman took me to lunch and asked, “Have you ever thought about being our next pastor?”

Rachel was ordained June 2023. Tearing up, she recalls the moment Alice Lee placed the stole around her shoulders proclaiming, “You are now yoked to the church!”  Overwhelmed with emotion, Rachel marveled, “Me, of all people!” 

As a clergywoman, Rachel finds varied work: sitting with people in good and challenging times, watching healing occur before her eyes, seeing people realize a new understanding of God and learn of their belovedness. Rachel loves her job. While she has had many jobs in her life, until now none has made her feel, “I want to do this for the rest of my life!” 

Rachel continues to describe her work,

Monroe is the place Bryan and I pour out our affection, energy, and time. You can be so creative in ministry making it fun! You must really listen and pay attention to where you live, the needs and gifts available in your own community. Our “Shalomies” group at church studies books and imagines ways we can bless our community in new and interesting ways of faith, faithfulness, healing, and wholeness for the whole community. Sometimes, I sit with someone, and something helpful comes out of my mouth. In those moments, I feel like a literal vessel of the Holy Spirit. To see healing before my eyes is joy! It’s not because of me; it’s the Lord’s work. It’s very rewarding!

Pastor Rachel also faces challenges. She continues, 

There are four or five women pastors in Monroe. Every quarter all pastors, mostly men, meet for lunch. Some male pastors are lovely, encouraging, talk to and include us. Others keep us at arm’s length and aren’t interested in collaborating or getting to know us. Can’t we move forward as a unified body of Christ in our city? We don’t have to agree on everything. Couldn’t we set that aside and work together through challenges? We’ve worked hard to do that in our own church; to face and discuss difficult issues, seeking understanding and searching for common ground. God has been gracious, but it can be scary.

Finally, Rachel has co-pastored with Michelle Huskamp since 2020. Rachel finds co-pastoring the greatest invention of all time, and Michelle is a great gift in her life. They complement each other each having different strengths and gifts. Together they cover everything as well as support each other. Rachel feels it is not good for health and ego for pastors to feel alone. Having someone to bear witness and share the load is a huge blessing.

As a clergywoman, Rachel Gough is grounded in the God who pursued her, called her, and equips her to serve her church and community.