Susan Cosio
- Name
- Susan Cosio
- Year of Ordination
- 2010
- Item sets
- Women's Ordination - People
- Media
Cosio_Headshot.jpg
Rev. Susan Cosio never planned on becoming an ordained Covenant pastor. In the thick of parenting three school aged children, Susan enrolled as a student at Fuller Theological Seminary because, in her words, “I felt like I needed to go to seminary. I knew I was called to go…but I didn’t know why yet.” That leap of faith resulted in a Master of Divinity from Fuller in 2004, earned by taking courses at the Sacramento and Menlo Park satellite locations as well as at the main campus in Pasadena.
Following graduation, Susan was hired as a hospital chaplain in Sacramento and began to fall in love with the role. Susan began considering becoming a Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains. To her surprise, a non-negotiable requirement for board certification was ordination. A longtime attendee and leader at her local Covenant congregation, Susan sought ordination in the ECC while simultaneously completing her board certification requirements for chaplaincy.
In 2010, Susan was ordained to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church and soon after, earned the title of Board Certified Chaplain. Susan served as a hospital chaplain in Sacramento for twenty years, caring for thousands of patients, families, and hospital staff. Susan also served as the President of the Covenant Chaplains Association for five years, including during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023 Susan retired from hospital chaplaincy, much to the dismay of hospital staff.
Thankfully for the ECC, Susan was never a one-dimensional minister. Throughout her career as a hospital chaplain, Susan also earned the title of spiritual director, completing her spiritual direction training at Journey Center in Santa Rosa, California. This training has allowed Susan to serve as a faculty member for the Bread of Life Spiritual Direction Training Program and a supervisor for trainees at Journey Center. Susan has also served faithfully on many ECC leadership teams, including Advocates for Covenant Clergy Women, the Executive Board of the Pacific Southwest Conference, ECC Health and Development Team, the Board of Ordered Ministry, and on the Leadership Team for the PSWC Spiritual Directors Association.
In Susan’s “retirement” she has spent countless hours leading contemplative retreats for various groups, such as healthcare personnel and women, and often hosts a weekly women’s lectio divina group in her home, ensuring that all attendees have their fill of Good Earth Spice Tea, lemonade, and Jesus. In fall 2025, Susan led nearly twenty women through Gospel accounts of Jesus’ interactions with women and, concluding the series with a Christmas dessert potluck and presentation by a local nonprofit director who founded an organization that supports job training for marginalized women around the world.
While Susan has served in a wide variety of ministry leadership roles, a role near and dear to her heart is that of mentor. The pastor who never planned to be ordained has supported countless women through the discernment of call process. Susan can often be found in conversation (over Good Earth tea, of course) with women of all ages who, just like her, feel called to pursue ministry leadership, education, and credentialing “but don’t know why”…yet. Susan paired with Rev. Tammy Long in August 2025 for the first ever PSWC “Still Finding My Voice” retreat at Mission Springs in Scotts Valley, California. Over twenty women from ECC churches across Northern California attended the three-day retreat to discern, connect, and dream about what God may be unfolding in their life and ministry. In the short time since the “Still Finding My Voice” retreat, attendees have gone on to pursue ministry licensing, serve in pastoral and spiritual formation roles, create and implement new ministries in their local churches, serve with renewed vision and clarity of call, and more.
Susan is a sought-after preacher, speaker, and writer. She has been featured on NPR discussing matters of faith and spiritual care and was a writer for The Davis Enterprise newspaper, authoring articles and features on religion and spirituality. When not in the pulpit, Susan hikes and adventures with her husband, Gib. Susan and Gib can often be found in Southwest Airline terminals across the country hustling between connecting flights to visit their adult children and all-star grandson. Susan credits the support of her family and a wealth of ministry colleagues for the grace and space to live into her calling as a mentor, ministry coach, and confidante.
Susan currently serves as a Resource Pastor at University Covenant Church in Davis, California, where she and Gib are longtime leaders. Susan provides pastoral care to staff, the congregation, and the community, and regularly leads small groups on Sunday mornings as well as University Covenant’s Longest Night service, a service focusing on grief and God’s grace. Susan also hosts Stations of the Cross, a contemplative worship experience exploring the redemptive power of Christ.
Susan’s impact on her local church, community, and the ECC at large is undeniable. And God is still unfolding her call.