Rev. Dr. HiRho Park Named Director of Belonging, Inclusion and Cultural Engagement

Rev. Dr. HiRho Park

Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. has announced the appointment of Rev. Dr. HiRho Park as Director of Belonging, Inclusion and Cultural Engagement for the Horizon Texas Conference, effective July 1, 2026.

An elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, Park currently serves as lead pastor of Bethesda United Methodist Church in Bethesda, Maryland. She brings more than two decades of denominational leadership to the role, including 15 years at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, where she directed professional development initiatives with a particular focus on clergywomen and racial-ethnic clergy.

"Dr. Park is a nationally recognized voice in intercultural leadership, cross-racial and cross-cultural ministry and clergy development," said Bishop Saenz. "Her depth of experience, her published scholarship and her pastoral heart make her uniquely prepared to help the Horizon Texas Conference grow into the diverse, Spirit-led community God is calling us to be. I am grateful she is joining our team."

“I have spent my career building on the belief that the most transformative thing the church can do is truly welcome people across every line of difference,” said Park. “I am honored to bring that work to the Horizon Texas Conference’s diverse mission field, and I cannot wait to begin building relationships with the clergy, congregations and communities who make this conference home.”

Park holds a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from Boston University and a Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary. She is also an International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach and holds professional certifications in Digital Transformation from MIT, Higher Education Management from Vanderbilt University, and Diversity and Inclusion from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

She is the author and co-editor of several books on intercultural leadership and cross-racial and cross-cultural ministry, including Develop Intercultural Competence (2019), Contextual Theology: Intersectionality of Gender, Race, and Class (2020), Nevertheless She Leads: Postcolonial Women's Leadership in the Church (2020), and Breaking Through the Stained Glass Ceiling (2013). She is also the creator of the A Diverse Church by Design certificate program, which she developed and implemented in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference.

As Director of Diversity and Cultural Engagement, Park will work alongside conference leadership, clergy and local churches to advance the Horizon Texas Conference's commitment to pursuing and embracing diversity as it builds a more inclusive, multicultural community of faith.

Park is married to Rev. JongWoo (JW) Park. They have one daughter, Felicia Park.