The Reverend Guillermo Alejandro Arboleda (pronouns: he/him/él) is an ordained priest/pastor in The Episcopal Church. He is the Program Manager for New Church Starts in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Denominational Center. He provides coaching, consulting, training, and support to synod leaders and mission developers across the United States and Caribbean as they start new worshiping communities. He works remotely from Savannah, GA, but also travels regularly to visit new church communities. Guillermo's local work in Georgia includes community organizing, political advocacy, and facilitating trainings in antiracist and culturally inclusive leadership. Guillermo delivered a talk called "Amazing Grace & Mass Incarceration" at TEDxSavannah 2023 (see below). 

 

Guillermo serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for JUST (Justice Unites Savannah Together), an interfaith community organizing and advocacy organization that works on affordable housing and literacy rates in Savannah and Chatham County. He is the Missioner for Racial Justice for the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia a member of the Diocese of Georgia's Racial Justice Georgia committee. Guillermo serves the Diocese of Georgia as a trainer for its Leading With Grace (LWG) program, which empowers and trains church leaders to plan for change and build systems of shared leadership. He regularly consults with congregations seeking to improve their cultural and racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is a Facilitator-in-Training of Kaleidoscope Institute.

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Guillermo was born and raised in Long Island, NY to a family of Ecuadorian, Dominican, and Puerto Rican heritage. While growing up, he learned the Christian faith in United Methodist and Baptist churches. Guillermo graduated from Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA (B.A. 2012) and Duke University Divinity School (M.Div. 2015) in Durham, NC. In Durham, he first encountered The Episcopal Church and fell in love with the Anglican way of being Christian. In 2014, he and his spouse, Kelly Steele, did summer internships in Savannah and were "adopted" by the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. Guillermo served as a lay pastor and deacon at St. George’s Episcopal Church, Savannah, from 2015-2016. He and Kelly were ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 2016. Guillermo then served as the Rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Savannah, GA, from 2016-2024.

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He is married to the Rev. Kelly Steele, who serves as the Rector at St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Skidaway Island) in Savannah, GA. She was the Mission Developer and Founding Pastor of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Savannah. Kelly and Guillermo regularly collaborate on other ministries in the Diocese. Guillermo is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He primarily uses these skills in church contexts, but occasionally branches out into other creative endeavors. In his spare time, Guillermo enjoys listening to podcasts, working out, reading fiction and humor, watching action movies, cooking, and walking his dog, Reina. 

 

Email Guillermo at TheRevGAA@gmail.com. Follow him on LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook to learn more.

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Land Acknowledgment: Guillermo resides in and typically works from Savannah, GA, located on the ancestral homelands of the Guale, Muscogee, and Yamasee peoples.

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¡También se habla español!