Kendra Plating

Interim Pastor of Congregational Care

We welcome the Reverend Dr. Kendra Plating as our Interim Pastor of Congregational Care. An experienced minister and chaplain, Kendra impressed us with her pastoral wisdom, vision, and leadership skills. We are confident she will preserve and build upon our long tradition of excellence in pastoral caregiving. Kendra served for nine years as Minister of Pastoral Care and Counseling at First Baptist Church of Greenville, SC, after serving for several years as a chaplain in hospital and hospice settings. More recently, she served as Senior Pastor of First Congregational UCC in Asheville.

Kendra will join the staff on January 20, 2026 in view of becoming our permanent Pastor of Congregational Care after a provisional interim of nine months. As she and our church welcome the new year after a period of transition, we believe this approach will allow time for careful discernment towards a mutual decision.

Kendra’s vocation has been shaped by years of pastoral care in congregations, hospitals, and hospice settings. Whether she is sitting at a hospital bedside, preaching and teaching, walking with families through transition and change, or speaking words of comfort at a graveside, she understands ministry as the practice of creating space for God to do God’s redeeming work.

Kendra holds a Doctor of Ministry from Candler School of Theology, a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University. Born and raised in Jacksonville, NC, Kendra relished a few years living in nearby Burnsville during high school. That time kindled her love of these mountains, and Kendra contentedly continues to make Asheville home with her wild and whimsical children and husband.