Rev. Bere Gil Soto
Rev. Bere Gil Soto serves as the Director of Young Adult Leadership Development at NBA. With experience as a therapist, pastors, and non-profit consultant, Bere brings a heart for holistic growth to her role. She sees the young adults in her programs as her congregation, bringing her pastoral heart and therapeutic training to guide emerging leaders as whole persons who integrate their spirituality with their leadership calling.
Bere’s approach is grounded in liberation, empowerment, and the belief that authentic leadership flows from understanding one’s complete self in connection and commitment to the community. Her own journey reflects the power of intergenerational mentorship—honoring those who believed in her calling at a young age while paying that legacy forward by creating pathways for the next generation of leaders.
Bere holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Christian Theological Seminary, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí in México. She is an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
Getting to Know Bere
Why do you feel “called to care” about Disciples health and social service ministry?
My calling to care was shaped early by witnessing my mother respond to God’s call when my brother was born with cerebral palsy. What began as informal gatherings in people’s homes—parents sharing tips and support—grew into a nationally recognized non-profit that my mother led, providing holistic care for children and youth with disabilities. She often said she prayed for my brother to be a preacher while pregnant, not knowing his pulpit would be outside church walls. Through her, I learned that intersectional care means creating spaces for healing while also advocating for rights, training leaders, and nurturing whole communities.
Today, as Director of Young Adult Leadership Development, I see this same calling lived out in a different context. The Church has too often failed young adults by exploiting their energy and skills rather than nurturing their development. True caring means seeing young adults not just when we need them, but investing in their growth as whole persons. Like Jesus, who fed people before preaching and built relationships before healing, I believe leadership development is itself a form of caring ministry—one that honors young adults’ gifts while supporting their spiritual, professional, and personal flourishing.
Ministry extends far beyond pulpits and four walls. It’s found wherever we respond to God’s call to care for one another, where we choose nurture over exploitation, community over convenience.
Who is a hero of yours and why?
This is a hard question because I admire so many people, but one I’d consider a hero—or shero, may I say—is Dr. Elsa Tamez, a Mexican Methodist Liberation Theologian. Dr. Tamez is not only a brilliant mind but a woman of true convictions and integrity who stands for her beliefs, even when that means giving up tenured positions at recognized higher education institutions.
She’s written extensively about the often misinterpreted view of Scripture that perpetuates oppression in the name of God. Her courage to speak up for and with those who have been silenced deeply resonates with my calling and my current work with young adults—especially as their vocations and callings take forms the Church isn’t always ready to support because we’re not willing to understand or invest in what falls outside the norm.
Dr. Tamez has inspired me throughout my own journey, from initial discernment through seasons where my calling has taken different forms while staying true to its essence. Her example of integrity has given me courage to remain authentic to my vocation, even when it doesn’t fit traditional expectations.
My favorite quote of hers captures why her theology speaks so powerfully to leadership development: “God’s silence is mysterious… When God speaks all the time, people become deaf. They don’t hear the cry of the poor and of those who suffer. They become full; they no longer walk and hope. They don’t dare to do anything. They no longer endure. God remains silent so that men and women may speak, protest, and struggle. God remains silent so that people may really become people.”
If I tried to find you in a supermarket, what aisle would you be in?
Definitely the fruit section. My child is rather fond of ANY fruit and we have to stock the pantry quite frequently!
