The Rev. Cody J. Sanders, Ph.D., is serving as interim pastor to UBC following the a twenty-five-year-long pastorate that concluded in retirement in May 2026. Cody also serves as Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership at Luther Seminary. Previously he served as interim pastor at The Table MPLS, pastor to Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA, American Baptist Chaplain to Harvard University, and Advisor for LGBTQ+ Affairs in the Office of Religious, Spiritual, and Ethical Life at MIT. He is a scholar in the area of pastoral theology, care, and counseling and has pubished a number of books, including, Beyond Affirmation: Ministry in LGBTQIA-Inclusive Churches (2026), A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth, revised edition (2026), Spiritual Care First Aid: An All-Hands Approach for Church and Community (2025), and Corpse Care: Ethics for Tending the Dead (2023). He and his partner, also named Cody, lived in Saint Paul.