Rev. DJ del Rosario (he/him/siya) is a husband, father, pastor, photographer, and author. He met his best friend and wife, Elaine, in seminary, and together they are raising three daughters who are the joy of their lives.
DJ is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. His pastoral path has taken him from associate pastor in a suburban congregation, to solo pastor in rural America, to Lead Pastor of Bothell United Methodist Church. There, the congregation grew to become one of the largest United Methodist churches by attendance in the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area. From there, DJ went on to serve as Lead Pastor of Federal Way United Methodist Church, and now serves as Lead Pastor of First Church Seattle United Methodist Church.
DJ’s denominational and community leadership includes board service with the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women (GCOSRW), the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry, Seattle Against Slavery, and UMCLead. He has chaired the Provisional Member committee of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, and held roles as Vice-Chair of the Princeton Theological Seminary Alumni Executive Council and Alumni Trustee on Princeton’s Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the Seattle Pacific Seminary Board of Advisors.
DJ is the author of Wind in the Wilderness, a seven-session Lenten Bible study exploring the continuity between the prophetic tradition and Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God, calling readers to confront issues of justice in today’s world. He served on the Advisory Team for the United Methodist Confirmation curriculum and has contributed to Disciplines, the Upper Room Devotional, and various blogs. He appears in video discussions of James A. Harnish’s Make a Difference: Following Your Passion and Finding Your Place to Serve, was a regular contributor to The Abingdon Preaching Annual (2012–2019), and served as a writer and presenter for Disciple Fast Track 2.
DJ has spoken, led worship, and preached at events at the conference, jurisdictional, and General Conference levels.
When he’s not working, he loves a great cup of coffee, tennis, taking photos, reading, listening to podcasts, and spending time with his family.
