The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Chapman serves as Pastor and Teacher of Westfield Church, United Church of Christ, in Killingly, Connecticut, where he has led a remarkable revitalization since joining in 2012.

He earned his Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Witness and Proclamation from Candler School of Theology at Emory University (2019), where his capstone project, The Year of Mark, received the People’s Choice Award. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Candler (2010), where he worked closely with the Office of Worship and received the Hoyt Hickman Award for Outstanding Liturgical Scholarship. A 2007 graduate of Elon University with a degree in Religious Studies, Jonathan was recognized as a Leadership Fellow and received the W.L. Monroe Christian Education and Personality Award. He was ordained in the United Church of Christ at Elon Community Church, where his call to ministry was first nurtured.

Dr. Chapman is a participant in the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, a decade-long program of the Pension Boards of the United Church of Christ designed to cultivate innovative, resilient pastoral leaders. He also consults with congregations across the country on revitalization, worship, and church communications.

He married his husband, the Rev. Greg Gray, in December 2014 at Westfield Church. Together, they share a deep commitment to faith, community, and justice. Jonathan serves on the boards of the Westfield Cemetery Association and the Westcott-Wilcox Home and is an active member of the Windham Association Council.

Selected Awards and Honors

• Elon University Alumni Award (Service to Church and Society), 2013

• Danielson Lions Club Humanitarian Award, 2017

• Killingly Springfest Humanitarian Award, 2017

• Elon LGBTQIA Community Enrichment Award, 2018

• George Racine Sr. Humanitarian Award, Northeast Connecticut Chamber of Commerce, 2019

• D.Min. People’s Choice Award, Emory University, 2019

• Elks Distinguished Citizenship Award, 2019–2020