👩 Introducing Our Newly Appointed Pastor, Effective This July
“Kelly excels as a preacher and creative planner for worship, but perhaps her greatest strength is in pastoral care. She is deeply engaged in the lives of her parishioners and demonstrates a rare combination intentionality, wisdom and grace to her pastoral visits.”
As Pastor Lisa shared during our service on April 21, her appointment at Mars Hill United Methodist Church will come to an end this June. We’re beyond grateful to Lisa for her witness and ministry to our congregation and community. And, we’re excited to welcome our new pastor effective July 14, 2024.
Rev. Kelly Dotson has been appointed pastor of Mars Hill United Methodist Church, effective July 2024.
Rev. Kelly Dotson has been serving the Wellspring Congregation in Asheville as associate pastor since July 2022 after being ordained an elder in full connection in the Western North Carolina Conference.
Kelly has been pastoring churches across Western North Carolina for the past decade, serving churches in Canton, Otto, Franklin, Morganton and Nebo. The longing of Kelly's heart is to share the good news of God's love with those who have been exiled from the church and to work towards bringing God's Kingdom to "earth as it is in heaven."
Kelly is affectionately known as preacher woman, Pastor Kelly and PK. She is the niece of Stan Dotson, a longtime employee of Mars Hill University.
In addition to serving as senior pastor at Mars Hill United Methodist Church, Pastor Kelly will serve as Chaplain at Brooks-Howell Home in Asheville, affording our congregation more flexibility around our worship times and new ministry opportunities. We look forward to new and existing opportunities of sharing our ministry to Mars Hill and Madison County with Bright Hope Laurel United Methodist Church as they welcome their own new pastor in July.
From our District Superintendent
Kelly is an ordained elder in the Western North Carolina Conference. She is a member of the LGBTQ community and is the parent of two adult children.
Kelly is currently Associate Pastor of Wellspring United Methodist Church in Asheville. In this role, she provides pastoral care, worship leadership, preaching, strategic planning and small group facilitation. Before coming to Wellspring, Kelly led the congregations of Nebo and Snow Hill UMC. Before responding to her call to ministry, Kelly was a social worker for twenty years specializing in the area of children's welfare.
Kelly brings to her present appointment many of the gifts and graces of a social worker. She is highly relational and extraordinarily compassionate. Kelly excels as a preacher and creative planner for worship, but perhaps her greatest strength is in pastoral care. She is deeply (and appropriately) engaged in the lives of her parishioners and demonstrates a rare combination intentionality, wisdom and grace to her pastoral visits.
One of the things I find most striking about Kelly is that she is truly a life-long learner. Recently she has completed advanced work in consensus building techniques and is close to completion of a two-year certificate program at Duke Divinity School in Conflict Transformation.
Kelly does a remarkable job at loving people where they are while gently and consistently encouraging them toward broader horizons.
When asked to describe a theological theme that guides her pastoral work, Kelly appeals to the First Epistle of John: "Beloved, let us love one another because love is from God … (1 John 4:7). "It is my goal," says Kelly, "for all to know they are created in the image of God and loved by God."