Rev. Shannon E. Karafanda

Rev. Dr. Shannon E. Karafanda is part-time writer and a full time Holy Mischief Maker. She is ordained in the United Methodist Church and serves as an Executive Pastor. Shannon’s latest mission is to help people learn the magic sauce that makes life fun and meaningful at the same time. She’s started a movement of Holy Mischief to help people discover unexpected ways that make them feel like they matter.

She grew up in Morrow, Georgia, went to school at Georgia Tech, and worked as a computer programmer before pursuing her call to ministry in 1999. Oddly enough, she's discovered that programming and ministry are very similar. They both deal with people looking for answers, for new users the design is often just as important at the content, and change is difficult in either situation.

She earned her Masters from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. In 2017 she earned a doctorate of ministry in Transformational Leadership from Boston University. Her doctoral research on Growth Mindset shows how an organization's or an individual's mindset can be a catalyst for growth and success.

Shannon lives with he-who-shall-not-be-named-in-sermons (her husband), her three children and overly affectionate black lab in Peachtree City, GA. When she's not working, she spends most of her days ignoring the mess her kids have made, deciding if she should put on actual clothes vs her pjs, and checking facebook constantly just to prove to herself that most people aren't that exciting either.

When she's not on facebook, you can find her on twitter, blogging, reading books that no one would expect a minister to read, painting and running (usually not all at the same time).

You can find her blog at www.ShannonKarafanda.com and subscribe to her updates there as well. She blogs regularly on spiritually, finding your purpose, prayer, and of course Holy Mischief!