Meet our New Student Rev. Christiane Swartz

I am blessed to be a mom of two beautiful young women, wife to a wonderful husband of 24 years, a daydreamer, a social worker at the VA, Associate Pastor of a generous and inclusive rural church, musician, adventurer, fly-fisheress, and lover of furry critters. My career as a social worker has spanned almost three decades and led me to church and then seminary as I continue to explore the role of God and spirituality in the suffering of the world. 

After finishing my M.Div. in 2024 and becoming ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 2025, I realized I was not finished wanting to learn in an academic/seminary environment. My decision to pursue a Doctor of Ministry with a focus in Spiritual Renewal, Contemplative Practice, and Strategic Leadership is deeply shaped by the urgent need for wise pastoral leadership in today’s polarized US political climate and also a transformative trip to Kenya last year with Disciples Women’s Ministries’ Woman-to-Woman Worldwide. I am excited to begin my D.Min. at Claremont School of Theology and eager to apply these insights to serve my community and the wider Disciples network.  

I preach the first Sundays of the month at Geyserville Christian Church in Geyserville, CA, with a focus on inclusion and community, and have spearheaded efforts to make our services more accessible to the local Spanish speaking community. My sermons can be followed on my Substack page “Disheveled Grace.”  I enjoy my role every Sunday sharing in the music ministry on guitar and vocals.

I believe the most important thing humans do for each other is to show up – to meet each other in our deepest brokenness and darkest places and to sit with each other until it’s not dark anymore. I am passionate in my advocacy for and with marginalized populations and amplifying voices that are not heard. I have sought this out in my ministry in both work and volunteer capacities ranging from counseling and advocacy with the homeless, sick, hungry, and oppressed, to sharing music, to helping at the local food pantry and county jail, and in my current volunteer service as a Chaplain in Sonoma County. I always thought I was giving my time to ministry, but ministry keeps giving me life, and I am excited for this next chapter.