Our Pastor

Rev. Kimberly L. Detherage was born and raised in Louisville, KY. The daughter of the late Katherine and James Detherage and the sister of James, Kevin, and Sherry, she currently serves as the Pastor of St. Mark A.M.E. Church in Jackson Heights, New York, where, in 2010, she became the first female pastor in the church’s 196 - year history. Rev. Kim believes the church’s mission is to open its doors wide and minister to the needs of the congregation and the community. It was important to her, for the church to remain open during the pandemic: operating its food pantry, using its site to host COVID-19 antibody testing, vaccinations and mask giveaways, offering grief workshops, and partnering with other community organizations to ensure the safety and well- being of the community.

Rev. Kim, as she is affectionately known, is active in the community and the African Methodist Episcopal Church; she serves on several Boards and is the Dean of the Ministerial Institute that prepares students for ordination in the A.M.E. Church. Rev. Kim has served as the President of the local Corona East Elmhurst Clergy Association (CEECA), and she is on the executive board of Queens Power, an ecumenical grassroots organization made up of member institutions that seek to empower, train and advocate for better conditions of all people in Queens. Rev. Kim is a consultant and attorney engaged in the general practice of law; she is an advocate for justice, equality and parity for women, children and people of color. Rev. Kim is the past Connectional President of Women in Ministry in the A.M.E. Church worldwide where she served for eight years. She is a co-author of the clergy sexual misconduct policy in the Doctrine and Discipline of the AME Church and conducts sexual harassment workshops. A strong advocate for gender equity and parity in the church, Rev. Detherage has collected two volumes of women’s sermons, poems and literary works, championed two international conferences, and was a staunch promoter for the posthumous ordination of Jarena Lee, at the July 2016 General Conference (the first woman licensed to preach in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1819 and denied ordination). Rev. Detherage has authored several articles in the Christian Recorder, the AME Review, The Amsterdam News and chapters in the books: Black Women and Girls Matter, Saving the Lives of Black and Latinx Pastors, and Women with 2020 Vision: American Theologians on the Voice, Vote and Vision of Women.

Rev. Detherage has previously pastored Bethel A.M.E. Church in Arverne, New York, and Bright Temple A.M.E. Church in the Bronx, New York. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Boston College and her Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School. Rev. Detherage earned her Master of Divinity Degree from Emory University with Certificates in Black Church Studies and Women Studies. She completed five Units of Clinical Pastoral Education in the Emory University Health Systems and is an Itinerant Elder in the AME Church. Rev. Kim believes her strength is knowing that she is one of God’s daughters called to love, serve, empower, teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.