Rev. Joanna Moseley Adams, trailblazing Atlanta Presbyterian minister, dies at 81

Most young children hold tea parties for their dolls. Rev. Joanna Moseley Adams lined hers up to preach to them.

“There was something from very early in her life that called her to the ministry,” said her daughter Elizabeth T. Adams, of Los Angeles.

Her childhood imaginary play turned into reality when Adams was ordained in 1979. “She was a real trailblazer,” said Rev. Rebekah LeMon, senior pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in northwest Atlanta.

Rev. Joanna Adams, age 81, died Aug. 7, three days after her second stroke. She suffered the first stroke in June 2025 while on vacation in the Mediterranean. She died in hospice care at Piedmont Hospital.

Adams was born at Emory Hospital on Oct. 17, 1944, although she grew up in Meridian, Mississippi. She returned to Atlanta to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Emory University, where she eventually accepted a date from Alfred Adams.

“She declined to go out with me for about a year and a half,” Al Adams, of Atlanta, said. His persistence paid off, as the couple enjoyed 60 married years together. These years were filled with travel, service, religious worship, family, and most recently, her beloved French Bulldog, Katie Lucille, who was a great comfort during her stroke recovery.

The Adamses eventually welcomed two children, Elizabeth and Sam. When the children were young, Adams decided to pursue her lifelong calling to the ministry, and graduated at the top of her class from Columbia Theological Seminary. She then became the first woman to be ordained and installed in a full-time position in the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. “It was a tough thing to climb into that,” said her husband.

But climb she did, and being the force of nature that she was, she made her mark. “Her fingerprints are all over this church and the city,” said LeMon.

Adams was a gifted preacher who was committed to making Atlanta a better place. (Courtesy of Trinity Presbyterian Church)

A gifted storyteller, Adams was magnetic in the pulpit. “Part of what made her preaching successful is that she could say things that were incredibly hard and challenging and not let you off the hook,” LeMon said. “She didn’t accuse or shame you, but made you feel like you were in it with her. She cast a vision for the future and said, ‘Let’s go there together.”

According to her son, Sam, of Richmond, Virginia, one cornerstone of her ministry was a devotion to caring for Atlanta’s most vulnerable populations, like those with food and housing insecurities and mental illness.

For example, as Atlanta’s homeless population climbed in the early 1980s, Adams established Central Presbyterian Church’s night shelter, a model that other organizations successfully emulated.

Adams also felt strongly about tolerance, inclusion and social issues. In partnership with local Muslim and Jewish leaders, she founded Higher Ground, an organization designed to encourage interfaith dialogue and service. Additionally, she advocated for the rights of Presbyterian LGBTQ+ members to marry and become ordained.

All told, she eventually helped to found over a dozen community nonprofits, such as Intown Cares, the Georgia Committee for Religious Liberty, the Agape Center and more. She also served on many local boards designed to enrich and improve the lives of her fellow Atlantans.

This was important to her as a proud Southern woman. “She was committed to making the South and Atlanta specifically a better place,” said daughter Elizabeth. She also reveled in her Southern identity in the kitchen, known especially for her fried chicken, gravy and biscuits.

Above all else, her loved ones report that she had an irrepressible joy. “She always had a twinkle in her eye,” said Elizabeth. Added husband Al, “She had a lot of love to give, and she gave it. She was a marvelous person and leader both in church and the community.”

Her gifts are far from lost to the world, however. In 2027, a compilation of her sermons will be published in the book, “I Love to Tell the Story: Sermons for All Occasions.” “It will be a long-lasting tribute to her,” said her son, Sam.

Additional surviving family members include her brother, Dr. Jack Moseley, and two grandchildren.

A family visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Trinity Presbyterian Church. A memorial service (also at the church) is planned for Friday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. The service will also be livestreamed.

The church will host a reception immediately following the service.