About Jason

Rev. Jason Coker is Co-Lead Pastor of The Oceanside Sanctuary in North San Diego County, an historic congregation founded in 1875. When Jason became pastor in 2015, the church had fewer than 40 active members and was preparing to close after decades of decline. Today, with more than 400 active members and annual contributions exceeding $500,000, The Oceanside Sanctuary is thriving — larger and stronger than at any time in its 150-year history.

Jason brings this lived experience of congregational transformation to his coaching and consulting with pastors and denominational leaders. His approach blends practical ministry wisdom with nonprofit leadership, community organizing, and academic research. He has pastored with churches large and small in California, Utah, and Ohio, and previously served as a director of development and communications at North San Diego County’s largest social service agency.

Ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Jason is deeply involved in ecumenical and interfaith organizing. He has served as a board member for the Pacific Southwest Region and the San Diego Organizing Project, founded the North County Clergy Coalition, and spearheaded the Trans Ally Clergy of San Diego campaign in 2022.

Jason holds an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he is currently completing PhD research on women’s religious disaffiliation as an act of decolonial praxis. He is also a part-time member of the Human Development faculty at California State University San Marcos, where he teaches courses in nonprofit leadership, social policy, and anti-racism in human development.

Together with his wife and ministry partner, Rev. Jenell Coker, Jason has served churches for over thirty years. Together, they are the proud parents of three adult daughters and one grandson.