Rev. Dr. Joe Cobb’s return marks a milestone for the UMC

A full-circle moment: Rev. Dr. Joe Cobb returns to United Methodist Ministry

 When the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church was called to order in July, the Rev. Dr. Joe Cobb (M.Div. ’89) was there to greet the assembly in his role as mayor of Roanoke, Va., the city where the conference gathered.  

Just a week earlier, Cobb’s clergy credentials had been reinstated by the Great Plains Conference, following the United Methodist Church’s 2024 General Conference decision to allow clergy who had surrendered or lost them to return to active ministry. Cobb had surrendered his credentials in 2001 after coming to terms with his identity as a gay man.  

In Virginia, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson surprised Cobb by presenting him with a stole, as his former spouse, the Rev. Leigh Anne Taylor (M.S.M. ’87), stood by.  

For Cobb, the moment was nothing short of extraordinary. “I’ve been watching the denomination wrestle with this,” he said. “I didn’t really imagine this would occur in my lifetime.”

A marriage, a family, and a turning point

 Cobb entered Perkins School of Theology in the 1980s, earning his M.Div. in 1989. It was a turbulent era for LGBTQ persons in the church and in society.  

“There was a solid and supportive gay community in Dallas, but at the same time, there were evangelical conservative firebrands there speaking out against homosexuality,” he said. “But there were also professors at Perkins — Victor Paul Furnish, Joe Allen and David Switzer, who were looking at this issue more holistically.”  

At Perkins, Cobb met Taylor, a master of sacred music student who also earned a master’s in choral conducting. They married and built a family together, raising two children. As Cobb came to terms with his identity, the marriage fell apart. The divorce, finalized in 1999, was painful.  

In 2001, Cobb surrendered his clergy credentials in the Kansas West Conference and moved to Roanoke to start a new phase of his life. 

Still, Taylor and Cobb remained determined to prioritize their children’s well-being. Over time, they forged a new bond, built on honesty, respect and love redefined. Ultimately, Cobb and Taylor wrote about their shared journey in a book, Our Family Outing: A Memoir of Coming Out and Coming Through (Total Publishing Media, 2011). The book offers a rare dual perspective on a marriage transformed by one partner’s coming out. 

Revisiting the breakup of the marriage was painful, but Taylor believed their story could help others.  

“There was a climate of secrecy around homosexuality at the time; I wanted to break the silence so that other people could feel safe to speak too,” she said. “I was willing to do it [write the book] if only to send a life preserver to just one woman.” As it happened, many spouses and parents reached out after reading the book.  

For Cobb, the writing process was equally healing. “We were able to share stories and experiences with each other that we had kind of kept to ourselves,” he said. Writing the story brought “healing and hope for our families and for other people.”

A public theologian

 After leaving the United Methodist Church, Cobb was ordained in the Metropolitan Community Church in 2006, where he served nearly 20 years. In Roanoke, his ministry expanded beyond the pulpit. In 2018, he was elected to city council, and in 2025, he was sworn in as mayor. 

“I’ve always had this sense of listening very closely to the marginalized voices to find a better way to acknowledge those voices and create a larger table where people can gather and express their experiences and how we can work together to make meaningful change in the community,” he said.  

His political role isn’t that different from that of a pastor. “I get to show up and be present and celebrate extraordinary things happening in our city,” he said.  

Today, both Cobb and Taylor have found happiness in new marriages. Cobb lives in Roanoke with his husband, James, with whom he has shared more than 20 years. Together, they are raising two children, Ginny and JJ. Taylor, who serves as director of connecting ministries in the Mountain View District, lives nearby with her husband, Hugh. The families remain close, celebrating holidays and milestones together. 

Taylor believes their story offers a vital witness to the church and to families everywhere.  

“What God taught me is that we don’t throw out our LGBTQ family members,” she said. “Joe and I could stay in a loving relationship and redefine what that meant. In our marriage vows, I said, ‘With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you.’ I could still be true to that. I could still honor Joe Cobb. And he could honor me.”  

Cobb is still exploring options for extension ministry in his reinstated role. But the reinstatement itself, he said, created both closure and a new beginning. 

He said, “Standing on that stage at annual conference, with Leigh Anne at my side — it was a full circle moment of healing and reconciliation — something I’ll treasure the rest of my life.”