Growing up, Pastor Jess C. Horsley wanted to be Luke Skywalker. Jess, too, grew up on a small farm, away from the action and adventure of the world. In 1999, Jess left the family farm and enlisted in the Marine Corps, spending 4 years traveling the globe. After a combat tour in Iraq in 2003, Sergeant Horsley left the military and attended Morningside University, graduating in 2006. Since then, Jess has spent time in a number of eclectic jobs: film critic, action figure and comic book reviewer, security guard and high school English teacher to name a few!

In 2009, Jess began serving in full-time ministry as Youth & Family Minister at Kirkwood UMC in St. Louis. After graduating from Eden Theological Seminary and receiving the Grauer Award for Pastoral Promise in 2018, Horsley served as Associate Pastor & Leadership Excellence Fellow in St. Louis before being ordained an Elder in the UMC and becoming PWC’s Pastor of Ministries. As Pastor of Ministries, Jess serves with the GrowGroups as well as the staff and teams who lead PWC Kids, PWC Students, Spiritual Formation and Outreach & Missions ministries.

Jess is married to high school sweetheart & love of his life, Shelly. They are attempting to properly raise two amazing kids, violist Amelia and break-dancer Warren. Their family is completed by Samson, the tuxedo rescue cat. When Jess isn’t leading small groups, teaching, preaching, or helping people find new questions to ask, he’s playing Fortnite with his son, reading dystopian teen novels with his daughter, watching sci-fi and horror movies with his spouse, and collecting comics, sneakers and tattoos.