Sara Wilhelm Garbers (she/they), M.Div., Ph.D.

Executive Director  | September 2025 – Present

Westminster Town Hall Forum (Minneapolis MN)

The Westminster Town Hall Forum is a lecture series focused on issues of the day from an ethical perspective. The Forum is not a religious organization. People of all faiths and no faith are welcome at everything we do. We have a longstanding partnership with Westminster Presbyterian Church, which has been the home of the Town Hall Forum since our inception in 1980.
The Forum launched in 1980 with its first speaker—Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Its mission: to invite voices of conscience to address the issues of the day from an ethical perspective. Since then, more than 350 speakers have addressed Forum audiences, including, among others, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Thomas Friedman, Maya Angelou, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, David McCullough, Marcus Borg, Marian Wright Edelman, Barbara Brown Taylor, David Brooks, Salman Rushdie, Gwen Ifill, and Bryan Stevenson. While the issues and speakers have changed over the years, the Forum has retained its core value: Ethics matter.

 

Research Fellow | 2024-Present

Louisville Institute (Louisville, KY) and Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Recipient of prestigious two-year, $30,000 grant from the Louisville Institute together with Hille Haker of Loyola University on a project entitled: “Entangled Responsibility: Clergy Sexual Abuse in an Ecumenical Perspective.”  This project brings together survivors, advocates, scholars, and clergy from the Catholic and Protestant traditions to addresses the North American Church’s responsibility in view of sexual-spiritual violence. It intends to: 1) attend to the testimonies of survivors; 2) examine necessary changes to theology; and 3) explore practical models of justice and responsibility as well as developing new educational approaches, including templates for the implementation of local workshops, courses, or the theological, ethical, and practical training of future ministers. Book project currently under contract with Fordham University Press.

 

Donor Relations Manager | May 2024-August 2025

St. David’s Center (Minneapolis, MN)

Member of the Community Relations team, focused on individual giving from $500+ annually. Responsible for a portfolio of over 150 plus tasked with building new relationships as a part of the $30 million campaign (launching this fall).

• Networking and fostering relationships aimed to enhance financial support.
• Work with building major gifts donor base and build a mid-level giving program.

 

Senior Associate Minister | Jan. 2018-May 2024

Meetinghouse Church (Edina, MN), United Church of Christ

Senior leader of a congregation of 1000+. This role focused on developing strategic plans and initiatives that communicated the community’s story, built a sense of community, and created new ministries and pathways for the nurturance and growth of the congregation. Oversaw and drove organizational and operational efforts including strategic and financial planning and programming implementation. Led diversity and justice efforts along with development and fundraising. Managed and supervised all connection and community building initiatives internally and externally, including all events. Weekly responsibility for public speaking, teaching, and group facilitation. Directed communication staff and projects, including social media and digital marketing.

Key Accomplishments

• Start and lead new weekly service focused on formation for justice (which had grown to 300+).
• Secured matching fund grants of $100,000 from members for financial campaign (led efforts to secure over $1.2 million total in donations last year).
• Developed visioning and strategic planning process leading to new values and strategic priorities.
• Led DEIB programing and efforts to change the church name from Colonial to Meetinghouse Church.
• Co-senior leader of staff. Supervised 5 direct reports (11 total) and worked with over 250 volunteers.
• Oversight and planning responsibility for $2+ million annual budget and $10 million foundation.
• Senior staff co-leader with reporting to and working collaboratively with our church council (board).
• Collaboratively developed programing and formation for toddlers through college aged students.
• Oversaw digital marketing campaign initiative with more than 500 new YouTube subscribers in 4 months.
• Led COVID efforts to move ministry to online/live-streaming format.

 

Director of Formation and Contextual Education & Instructor | 2016-2018

United Seminary (New Brighton, MN)

Member of the President’s Leadership Team, responsible for developing formation programming for students, alumni, and external constituencies. Cultivated relationships with stakeholders to facilitate internship and employment opportunities for graduates. Partnered with the Director of Spiritual and Vocational Development on all matters related to student formation, contextual learning, and internships.

Key Accomplishments

• Developed an integrative strategic plan for formation that included all relevant constituencies.
• Created programming for continuing education and mid-career skills augmentation in personal and spiritual formation within United’s context of providing a progressive theological education.
• Designed and taught new formation classes.
• Integrated assessment, academic, and interview data into individualized plans for students.
• Built collaborative relationships with the Director for Assessment, Chaplain, Professors, and Academic Advisers, along with ecumenical and interfaith leaders to ensure effective support of students’ formation.

Pastor of Connections | 2013- 2018

First Covenant Church (Minneapolis, MN), Formerly Evangelical Covenant

Member of church’s leadership team. Steward of internal and external connections. Fostered relational spaces for authentic points of engagement with the mission and ministry of First Covenant. Advanced the implementation of mission, vision, and values in the life of the community and its members through communication and connection. Preached regularly, taught classes, counseled members, and led community events. Responsible for all social media, email, website organization and development, and all marketing and promotional efforts.

Key Accomplishments

• Implemented strategic marketing efforts across social media platforms.
• Led all connection and community events.
• Developed processes for trauma-informed and interculturally competent pastoral care systems.
• Oversaw implementation of new client relationship management (CRM).
• Built a new website in line with vision and strategic plan.

Doctoral Student, Teaching & Research Assistant | 2013-2022

Loyola University (Chicago, IL)

Fully funded doctoral student (5-year award including stipend) in ethics. Worked with professors to support their research. Edited faculty manuscripts. Served as a teaching assistant for undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics and theology. Also pursued my own academic interests and research.

Key Accomplishments

• Led re-design of website for Theology Department.
• Developed website and social media platforms and promotional collateral for faculty.
• Vice President of Professional Development for Graduate Student Caucus.

Director of Admissions | 2011-2013

Luther Seminary Office of Admissions (St. Paul, MN)

Led the Admissions Team at the largest ELCA seminary. Cultivated relationships with denominational leaders in order to achieve enrollment goals. Led all communications and marketing efforts including advertising campaigns across digital and print platforms. Served on the leadership team for campus-wide DEI efforts. Oversaw a budget of $250,000.

Key Accomplishments

• Increased enrollment by 6% in one year while also increasing denial rate by 200% (formerly nearly all students were admitted, which made for student success and retention issues later on).
• Implemented a prospective student communication plan which bolstered missional identity.
• Engaged in ecumenical and intercultural relationship building to enhance campus diversity.
• Facilitated improvement of this department’s team dynamics; became a flourishing and high functioning work environment.
• Developed Admissions rubric in line with ATS degree program standards, thereby enhancing academic assessment prior to enrollment.

Associate Director of Admissions | 2007-2011

Recruiter | 2005-2007

Bethel University- Seminary Office of Admissions (St. Paul, MN)

Hired as a recruiter; promoted twice in two years, eventually to Associate Director leading 14 team members and recruitment for the St. Paul and San Diego campuses. Served as liaison with Communications and Marketing, developing all branding efforts and nation-wide marketing campaigns. Oversaw external foundation relationships and ensured that donor intent related to selecting scholarship recipient was met. Energized recruitment efforts through a focus on Bethel’s institutional ethos and mission. Established recruitment plans, directed on and off-campus events for prospective and enrolling students, and implemented strategies to exceed goals. Chair of Admissions Committee, Marketing Committee, and Scholarship Committee.

Key Accomplishments

• Served as lead recruiter for a program with most diverse enrollment in institution’s history (50% of those enrolled were students of color versus the total student body which was 11% of students of color).
• Developed innovative recruitment strategies such as Who’s Who in Community Ministry that led to new relationships with external constituents with a focus on building relationships with leaders in the African American community in the Twin Cities.
• Led overhaul of all seminary marketing and branding including a new website.
• Responsible for growth in enrollment to largest numbers in institutional history through building needed infrastructure and systems and investing in external relationships.
• Implemented data integrity projects and oversaw CRM database transition.