Charting the Future of Christian Witness in Canada

The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath was ordained a minister of The United Church of Canada in 1999. Her first pastoral appointment was a two-point charge in Claresholm and Stavely, Alberta. After eight years serving congregations in Western Canada, she returned to Ontario in 2007 to become minister of Wall Street United Church in Brockville, where she served faithfully until her election as Moderator.

In 2023, Kimberly completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at McCormick Theological Seminary. Her thesis, Aware, Repair, Renew: Preaching Into Transformation in a Mainline Church, reimagined the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous into three movements — awareness, reparation, and renewal — as a framework for transformation within the church.

Elected Moderator of The United Church of Canada in 2025, Rev. Dr. Heath has spoken candidly about the changing reality of the church, encouraging communities to embrace their present context with courage and faith. “We are smaller than we used to be, and we are going to be smaller still,” she has written. “Rather than fear this, it’s time to embrace being small… God makes the small vibrant, vital and courageous.”

Throughout her ministry, Rev. Dr. Heath has contributed widely to the life of the church. She has served as Chair of Pastoral Relations in Foothills Presbytery, President of Bay of Quinte Conference, and a member of the Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council Transition Commission. In addition, she has led retreats, workshops, and preaching conferences to support clergy and nurture the spiritual life of congregations.

Born in Lusaka, Zambia, where her Canadian parents, Rev. Alan & Wendy Bennett, were serving as teachers through the United Church of Canada. After her parents moved back to Canada, Heath spent her early years in small towns across Canada as her father moved from church to church. She earned a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, and a Master of Divinity at Emmanuel College, Toronto.