Pastor Cathy Roberts Ward recently received the pioneering 2025 Junia Award from the Association of Adventist Women. Ward says she felt called to ministry early in her life, constantly seeking the Holy Spirit to guide. She studied at Union Adventist University after raising her family, earning two undergraduate degrees (religion and leadership). She hails from Lincoln, Nebraska, and has also pastored in Michigan and Illinois.
She is currently working towards her Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry from Andrews University. She loves sharing Jesus through personal visits, small groups, and preaching.
When asked what guides her life and ministry she said; “Over the years I have studied the Bible diligently and there’s only one verse that has been a guiding force to me. Living life and facing one battle after the other I needed to come to realize that I don’t fight any battles on my own. But if I were patient, and trusted God long enough I would realize the truth is that the “Battle Belongs to the Lord.”
“This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15.
Pastor Cathy Ward and her husband Michael serve as a team in the Central Nebraska District churches of Beaver City, Broken Bow, Holdrege, and Kearney. They are proud parents of nine beautiful children—all college graduates.
The Association of Adventist Women created the Junia Awards for each of the 13 divisions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2024, named after the apostle Junia, whom Paul stated was a coworker and prominent among the apostles. Founded in 1980, AAW supports and encourages full participation of Adventist women in all levels of the church, including administration. Most Seventh-day Adventist biblical scholars believe equality was a kingpin of Jesus’ kingdom, Paul’s teachings, and Ellen G. White’s writings on creation and the home. Therefore, Association of Adventist Women advocates for equal treatment of women pastors, including ordination.
