The Riverdale Presbyterian Church, observing its 160th anniversary this year, is installing a new pastor on May 7 following a multi-year search.
“I have felt warmly welcomed and I’m excited about serving this historic church and community,” says Rev. Krystin S. Granberg. “It’s wonderful how I’ve been received.” Krystin, as everyone calls her, becomes the church’s 13th installed pastor since its founding in 1863, the year its building was completed.
She had served as the church’s interim pastor since 2017, while the search was in progress. The church’s Pastoral Search Committee officially extended a “call” to make Krystin the permanent pastor in late winter. Their work was approved by the New York City Presbytery in March.
Since her ordination in 1996, the Princeton Theological Seminary graduate had made her career as an interim pastor, with Riverdale being her sixth interim slot. What made her want to “settle down”?
“I felt called to this church,” she says. “The church was intriguing, the search committee was honest and open, and I’ve always felt that God has surprises for us. I also love the diversity of the congregation, including age, gender, and race. The congregation also comprises people from many religious backgrounds.”
“The congregation’s commitment to weekly worship is outstanding and remained so even during the pandemic.”
The religious diversity of Riverdale as a community also appeals to her.
“I’m certainly glad to work with my interfaith brothers and sisters. There’s an orientation to service in Riverdale that goes beyond any individual congregation – a commitment to the world. Working in service together. I’ve been excited to see how God is leading this congregation with its commitment to social justice, service to the community, and growing in ways that can deepen our connections to one another.”
Like many modern pastors, Krystin came to the ministry in a roundabout way. After receiving her undergraduate degree in communications from Denison University in Ohio, she worked in advertising and marketing for a magazine in her native New Jersey. Then came a stint selling advertising for The New York Times in Dallas and New York. She taught English in China for three years before attending seminary.
What drew her to theology and the church?
“A spiritual 2×4 slammed me in the back of the head, and suddenly I knew what I was called to do.”
