In a preaching class, I was once told that a number of historic pulpits have a verse from John 12 carved into them: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” This was meant as a reminder that, when you’re the preacher, it’s not about you. It’s about Jesus. While I mostly agree with that idea, I also hold [...]
I’m a Mom and a Minister, But I Feel Like a Complete Mess!
“Get up! Where are your shoes? Stop! Get down! What are you wearing? Is it clean? Stop! Get off of that! Don’t eat off the floor! Put it down!” That’s my regular discourse every morning with my two children, ages 10 and 2. Particularly on this Sunday morning, I had to take a deep breath [...]
Momma’s Not Always Right
Editor’s Note: This is the debut article of a new column that will highlight the stories of young women on their way toward ordination. Submissions are welcomed and should be sent to alongtheway(dot)ycw(at)gmail(dot)com. There must be a pact that everyone signs upon graduating from seminary. It must say something like, “I promise to never let [...]
Long-Distance Relationship
I met one of the great loves of my life at an Interim Ministry seminar. Listless in a basement classroom at my seminary alma mater, I found myself alternately annoyed and intrigued by the laughter erupting from the small group at the far side of the room. As the week progressed, I discovered the source [...]
Evening Mass: Giving and Receiving
She was crying silently. Lighting candle after candle, and sobbing. But without really knowing it, she had come to the right place. The big church was lit sparingly. The side chapel glowed in the dusk, the glorious stained glass windows gleaming like jewels. On the altar the silver candlesticks reflected the flames, on the chalice [...]
Ministry on the “Outside”
I knew I was entering a different chapter in my calling when a colleague said to me, “Well, we’ll miss you in ministry.” I had finished 5 years of part-time staff work, 7 years of full-time pastoral work, and a year of schooling and interning in human rights/justice work. I was taking what we in [...]
Searching, Searching, Searching…
A post appeared recently in the closed Facebook network for The Young Clergy Women Project that caught my eye. In this post, a fellow YCW asked about the search process with her husband. He’s a pastor. She’s a pastor. They have a baby. And it’s time for them to search. So, she was looking for [...]
Detailing the Divine
When asked to consider the details of ministry, and particularly to offer ‘theological reflection’ on those details, anyone actually IN ministry would likely say: ‘Here’s the theology of details: There isn’t any (theology, that is)!’ At least, that’s what many of us would say on a good many days. But then there are those other [...]
In Praise of Clerical Fiction
I am a sucker for a good, trashy novel. When I first began discerning a call to the priesthood, I went through the normal stage of grappling with what it might mean to be a woman of the cloth. On the other side of ordination, I pictured a future populated by massive tomes of the [...]