Maggie Kennedy Morey comes to ministry with a deep sense of calling rooted in attention—to God, to people, and to the world around her.
Growing up in the piedmont of North Carolina as the youngest of three, Maggie was shaped by a creative and faith-filled home. Her parents met through acting, and while her father went on to work in sales, her mother has long served in children’s ministry. That early blend of imagination, storytelling and faith continues to shape Maggie’s approach to ministry today.
Maggie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Religion and English from Mercer University, where she began exploring the rich intersections of theology, literature and the natural world. Her thesis explored themes of theophany (God showing up in ways you can see, feel, or experience) and storytelling in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time series—an early glimpse of her love for weaving faith, story, and meaning. She continued her formation at Duke Divinity School, earning a Master of Divinity in 2024 with a concentration in Faith, Food, and Environmental Justice, and was ordained to the Gospel Ministry the same year.
Maggie’s ministry experience spans preaching, teaching, and pastoral care across all ages, from children and youth to intergenerational settings. She describes her calling as a “work of attention”—paying close and compassionate attention to God’s movement, the needs of the community, and the call to live out love and justice together.
At Countryside, Maggie will provide pastoral and theological leadership for spiritual formation across the lifespan, with primary leadership for children, youth, and families and secondary responsibility for congregational care. She will provide strategic leadership for building a strong, sustainable children’s and youth ministry, supervise the Director of Youth Ministry, and lead the 8th-grade Confirmation program, helping young people claim faith as their own. In addition, she will support the Web-of-Care lay ministry, contribute to worship leadership, and help weave justice-centered theology into congregational life.
Maggie and her spouse, Jonathan, met at Mercer University. They enjoy camping, road trips, and exploring the outdoors together—and are excited about putting down roots in a new community.
Influences Shaping Maggie Kennedy Morey’s Philosophy of Ministry
Two theologians have had a profound influence on Maggie Kennedy Morey’s philosophy of ministry: Clarence Jordan and Norman Wirzba. Both emphasize a faith that is deeply lived in community, attentive to justice, and connected to the rhythms of everyday life. Their work inspires approaches to ministry that prioritize relationships, care for creation, and active engagement in the world around us.
Clarence Jordan (1912–1969)
A Baptist minister and founder of Koinonia* Farm in Georgia, Jordan believed faith should be lived out in community. He championed racial justice, economic sharing, nonviolence, and radical discipleship—putting Jesus’ teachings into everyday action. His Cotton Patch Gospel reimagined the New Testament in the American South to show that the Gospel confronts social systems here and now.
Koinonia Farm: https://koinoniafarm.org/clarence-jordan/
The Cotton Patch Gospels: https://koinoniafarm.org/cotton-patch/
*Named Koinonia after the Greek word for fellowship and joint participation.
Norman Wirzba (b. 1960)
A contemporary theologian, Norman Wirzba explores the intersection of faith, food, and creation care. He is the author of numerous books—including Food and Faith, Living the Sabbath, and This Sacred Life—that invite readers to see everyday practices like growing, sharing, and eating food as deeply spiritual. For Wirzba, living faithfully means nurturing relationships with God, our neighbors, and the earth, seeing the world as a gift rather than a resource.
Duke Divinity School, Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology; Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics: https://divinity.duke.edu/faculty/norman-wirzba
Norman Wirzba’s website: https://www.normanwirzba.com/