Melanie Bockmann

Worship Pastor

Melanie moved to Orlando in 2022 with her husband, Tim, to serve as WholeLife worship pastor. Melanie and Tim are originally from the Seattle area and have three grown sons who live with their families in Washington state and Colorado. 
 
Melanie holds a BASc in Psychology from the University of Washington, an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Biblical Languages emphasis, an MA in Religion from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD in Religion from Vanderbilt University with a major in Homiletics & Liturgics and a minor in Religion, Gender, & Sexuality.

Prior to graduate school and joining the WholeLife pastoral staff, Melanie was a senior copywriter at an advertising firm and a freelance writer. In addition to writing marketing and advertising copy, Melanie wrote a media column for youth and authored four books published by Review & Herald (now Pacific Press). She is currently working on her fifth book.

Melanie likes power tools, remodeling, refinishing projects, figuring out how to do a variety of amateur undertakings on YouTube, and organizing and fixing things. Melanie also enjoys observing Florida wildlife (which is the main reason she agreed to join Randy, Ken, and Lucas on the weekly podcast #ThisIsWholelife).  

As the worship pastor, Melanie loves the creative challenge of imagining worship services oriented toward a limitless God. As a preaching coach, Melanie loves being part of the theological explorations and homiletical expressions of WholeLife’s many gifted preachers. As a person with a heart for inclusion and diversity, Melanie is committed to continually tearing down barriers that stand in the way of people pursuing God, and welcoming every person into love, acceptance, and participation in the community and worship life of the WholeLife family.