On April 5, 2025, a milestone day for both her life and the wider church community, Pastor Melinda Mauia was ordained to the gospel ministry—a moment she describes as a profound gift from God and a historic breakthrough for Samoan women in pastoral leadership.
Mauia’s journey to this moment has been one of perseverance, faith, and resilience. Raised in a Seventh-day Adventist pastoral family, she witnessed the dedication and sacrifices of ministry from an early age. Yet, her path was far from straightforward. After seasons of personal struggle and spiritual searching, she found her footing through Yucaipa Youth Ministries and missional discipleship. Those early experiences ignited her passion for service and led her to Andrews University, where she overcame academic challenges to earn both a bachelor’s degree in theology and later a Master of Divinity in 2014.
Though doors to pastoral ministry did not open immediately, God redirected her path in unexpected ways. From teaching and coordinating in South Korea to serving in San Francisco and completing Clinical Pastoral Education in Loma Linda, Mauia gained deep experience in trauma care, cross-cultural ministry, and spiritual leadership. In 2021, she accepted the call to serve in the Santa Ana Samoan Church and New Hope Samoan Company, where she has faithfully led with humility and courage.
As a Samoan woman in ministry, Mauia has faced both cultural and gender-based challenges. “Sometimes my brothers could say the same thing I was saying, but it would be more readily accepted because of gender,” she reflects. Yet, she has learned to meet these moments with love, rooted in her Samoan upbringing and her calling to shepherd her people as a spiritual mother.
The ordination service carried the theme “I trust in God my Savior—He will never fail.” Surrounded by family, church members, and mentors, Mauia experienced the peace of God’s affirmation. A deeply personal highlight came when her father prayed the ordination prayer over her ministry, sealing the moment with family legacy and blessing.
Her ordination is also a historic first: she is believed to be the first Samoan female pastor ordained by a Samoan church—a glass ceiling broken for future generations. “I may be the first, but I won’t be the last,” she says. With gratitude to her family, community, and conference, Mauia continues to lead with compassion, determination, and unwavering trust in God who has guided her every step.