Rev. John Cullinan was called as our Settled Minister in June of 2024. He arrives at UUBerks after seventeen years of ministry in Los Alamos, NM. A Massachusetts native and a Catholic by birth, John is a “come-inner” to Unitarian Universalism, having come to it through the doors of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee some time after college. He received his MDiv from Meadville Lombard Theological School in 2007, and did his student ministry at Unity Temple UU Congregation in Oak Park, IL. He received a BA in Theatre Arts from Marquette University in 1994, with a minor in Theology.

In addition to a deep love for liturgy and worship, John’s ministry is based in the work of growing spiritual depth and maturity, encouraging people to explore the depths of their own spirit and find the courage to be their whole selves, while exploring the ways each person’s deep soul connects to others and to that something larger that he calls the Great Heart at the Center of All Things.

Rev. John serves the wider UU community as a member of the UUMA’s Good Offices team for contract and call negotiations. He previously served as a member of the UUA’s Commission on Appraisal from 2009-2014, and was a co-author of their report, Who’s in Charge Here?: the Complex Relationship Between Ministry and Authority. His sermon collection, Your Life is a Gospel, is available from Amazon.

Outside of ministry, John has kept his hand in with the theatre world over the years as an actor, director, and playwright with local theaters. He is a former director, teacher, and performer with Santa Fe Improv.

Contact Rev. John Cullinan

Follow Rev. John at:

Bluesky: @jcullinan.bsky.social

Facebook: facebook.com/john.cullinan

Website: revjcullinan.com