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The Pacifica Synod of the ELCA welcomes its newest staff member in the position of Assistant to the Bishop for Anti-Racism Coordination, Desta Ronning Goehner.
Goehner is a spiritual director, lay leader, and lifelong Lutheran with nearly three decades of ministry experience across multiple expressions of church. She has served in congregational youth ministry, with Lutheran Retreats, Camps and Conferences (LRCC), the Southwest California Synod staff, California Lutheran University, and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.
Most recently, Goehner served as Director of Thriving Leadership Formation, supporting pastoral and lay leaders in leadership and spiritual formation. Grounded in the values of collective belonging, authentic presence, and sustainable change, her approach integrates spiritual practices, relational wisdom, and inclusive leadership. With experience in trauma-informed leadership, conflict mediation, and nonviolent communication, she brings a deeply compassionate and justice-rooted lens to all her work.
“I can’t do this work without being in relationship with Black, Indigenous, Latiné, and other people of color and culture in the church and wider community, as well as people who worship and serve in different languages,” Goehner said.
Goehner comes to this role with respect for the anti-racism and authentic diversity work already underway in the Pacifica Synod and seeks to join alongside those who have been faithfully leading this work to support and strengthen what is already in motion. Her vocation is deeply connected to reshaping church systems through an anti-racist lens, naming and dismantling white supremacy, anti-Blackness, anti-Immigration, and colonization within the church to support culture change with compassion and accountability.
“We continue to be committed to the work of anti-racism as a synod and we’re incredibly excited to have someone of Desta’s caliber stepping into this role,” said David Nagler, Bishop of the Pacifica Synod. “I look forward to seeing this work grow and strengthen under Desta’s leadership.”
Goehner brings a trauma-informed approach, along with change management processes and conflict mediation, to support culture change with compassion and accountability. Her faith compels her to listen to and believe people who have been marginalized, to build trust, to move forward in accountable relationships within community, to recognize when and where systems create harm, and to work with others to repair those systems so that all may be safe and able to thrive in ministry.
“As a white woman who benefits from dominant culture, I seek to use my voice and access in accountable ways, following and amplifying and supporting the leadership of those already engaged in this work,” Goehner said. “Collective liberation depends on people becoming free from the systems that create harm, especially for those who carry the greatest burdens of injustice. This work is challenging and necessary, and it can also be grounded in hope and joy as systems become less harmful for all.”
Goehner looks forward to building relationships and trust for culture change with the congregations and leaders across the synod.
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