Rev. Joanie Tankersley received her Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA and is an ordained pastor in the PC(USA). She has been married to Bill Tankersley for 41 years and they have 2 married sons and 5 grandchildren. Bill and Joanie moved to Truckee full-time from the Bay Area and began attending TLPC in October, 2012. November, 2013, she joined the TLPC staff on a part-time basis in the areas of adult spiritual formation and pastoral care. Beginning June 1, 2014 Joanie will become an associate pastor at TLPc
Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and a Secondary Teaching Credential from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. She also did graduate work in Clinical Psychology at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Before becoming a pastor she worked at Peninsula Hospital’s Mental Health Center in Burlingame, CA.
Her ministry background includes serving as the Christian Education Director at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Santa Rosa, CA. While there she started a church-based summer day camp for the community. She then served as Pastor of Children’s Ministries at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto and Cupertino, CA. Her pastoral responsibilities also included overseeing Women’s Ministries.
From 1996-2012 Joanie served as an Associate Pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, CA where her pastoral responsibilities included teaching and overseeing adult ministries and spiritual formation, pastoral care and counseling as well as launching and developing new ministry initiatives (a prayer ministry, visitation ministry to shut-ins, Deacons, women’s cancer support, and women’s spiritual formation ministries).
“My passion for ministry focuses on helping people experience the relentless and unconditional love, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ as an essential spiritual reality and then encouraging others to discover the deep meaning, purpose and joy of using their God-given gifts and abilities to serve others,” said Tankersley.
A native of San Antonio Texas, Joanie is the eldest of three daughters and spent most of her childhood in a rural area of Michigan. “Our family attended the local Presbyterian Church which confirmed the strong faith in God’s love and care instilled in us by our mother.”
Joanie enjoys being a Grammie to her 5 grandchildren as well as yoga, hiking, camping, skiing and generally being out-of-doors in the beautiful Tahoe area.