There'S a Woman in the Pulpit

Rev. Martha Spong, who has devoted her life to fostering community and helping churches work through transitions by intentional interim ministry, is a United Church of Christ pastor. She is director and active member of RevGalBlogPals, a social media ministry making community for clergywomen across lines of denomination, generation, nation and orientation since 2005.

• ForewordRev. Carol Howard MerrittIntroductionFierce and Fabulous for Jesus: God's Calling and Our IdentitySwingingRev. Ruth EverhartCouldn't You Wait Until I'm Dead?Rev. Patricia J. RaubeThe Accidental LeaderRev. Robin CraigWorn InRev. Dr. Teri McDowell OttI Sit at My Desk: A PrayerRev. Julia SeymourFinding My VoiceRev. Hilary CampbellHigh Heels in the PulpitRev. Rachel G. HackenbergQueerRev. Katie MulliganLeaving WellRev. Amy FettermanBallsRev. Kathryn Z. JohnstonCome Down and Help, PleaseRev. Sally-Lodge TeelA Taste of Heaven and a Splash of Glory: Sharing the SacramentsDrop by Precious DropSuzy Garrison MeyerOf Water and the BodyRev. Joanna HaraderTornRev. Julie WoodsA Touch on Her HeadRev. Martha SpongThrough the Eyes of a ChildRev. Catherine MacDonaldA Prayer at TableRev. Karla MillerBy Water and the WordRev. Jennifer Burns LewisOpen Table, No ReservationsRev. Julia SeymourGod Gives Us LifeRev. Jemma AllenHostessingRev. Monica Thompson SmithThree SistersRev. Bromleigh McCleneghanThe Worst Communion EverRev. Martha SpongAshes to Angels: Ministry and DeathThe Weight of AshRev. Deborah LewisBefore the ResurrectionRev. Joanna HaraderFrom the Pen of the Hospital ChaplainRev. Liz CrumlishThe Moses BasketRev. Elizabeth Evans HaganOld Man’s HandRev. Martha SpongOne Saving GraceRev. Anna SchererA Million Little Deaths: A PrayerRev. Karla MillerLife DisruptedRev. Deb VaughnOf Facebook and AngelsRev. Julia SeymourThey Don’t Teach That in Seminary: What We Learned Through ExperienceThe Pastor’s ViewRev. Diane M. RothWhat They Will RememberRev. Jan EdmistonLocks, Doors, a Walk-in Safe, and the Keys to the KingdomRev. Jennifer Garrison BrownellThe Good Samaritan TestRev. Sharon M. TempleOnly Four LettersGillian HoyerA Prayer for the PlungerRev. Rachel G. HackenbergThe Eruption of StoryRev. Kerri ParkerBlessed BedbugsRev. Rosalind C. HughesPossessive VoiceRev. Cheryl HaraderTo Laugh at MyselfRev. Liz CrumlishDon’t Call Me "Reverend"Rev. Denise AndersonI’m Here Because God CaresRev. Erin CounihanIt’s Complicated: Being Pastor/Partner/Parent/PersonAlways the Pastor, Never the BrideRev. Michelle L. TorigianPreaching Ahead of YourselfRev. Robin CraigHow Does That Work?Rev. Beth BirkholzI Rise Before the SunRev. Stacey Simpson DukeOut Standing in Her Field: A Pastoral (De)CompositionRev. Holly S. MorrisonWhy Is My Pillow Hot? A PrayerRev. Julia SeymourA Vegetarian in the ChurchRev. Teri PetersonUnclosetedRev. Patricia J. RaubeI Pray with My Eyes OpenRev. Mindi Welton-MitchellThe ParsonRev. Katherine Willis PersheyOur PheetoRev. Martha SpongOutside Over There: Moving in the World Beyond Our ChurchesWhat Are You Looking For?Rev. Sarah E. Howe Miller, PhDSoccer and StarbucksRev. Rachel G. HackenbergThe Body of Christ ShimmiesRev. Marci Auld GlassAt the BarnRev. Laurie BrockNo MasksRev. Martha DanielsOut of the PoolRev. Katya OuchakofSaint Paul versus Danielle SteeleRev. Amber BelldeneI Am Grateful: A PrayerRev. Karla MillerLearning in the ShipyardRev. Liz CrumlishWho I Am Is Not What I DidRev. Julie CraigThe Priest I Want to BeRev. Sara IrwinFor Some ReasonRev. Stephanie AnthonyRunning with PatienceRev. Julia SeymourAcknowledgments

"Lyrical, grace-filled, brutally honest.... Resonate[s] with depth and authenticity that call us back to the messy, beautiful gift of faith community. Don't miss it."—Rev. Dr. Amy K. Butler, senior minister, Riverside Church, New York City"My neck and throat are sore after reading this book; my neck from nodding all the way through and my throat from laughing out loud. There's a Woman in the Pulpit offers a circle of witness for women pastors and a universal message of joy and hope. A great gift for us all!"—Rev. Susan Sparks, pastor, Madison Avenue Baptist Church, New York City; author, Laugh Your Way to Grace: Reclaiming the Spiritual Power of Humor“Once again Martha Spong and RevGalBlogPals ... have found a way to strengthen women in their ministries and to do so with transparency, poignancy and wit. Whether you are a woman in ministry or know a woman in ministry, these stories will touch your soul and intensify your own faith and faithfulness.”—Jenee Woodard, curator, The Text This Week (www.textweek.com)“For many pastors, the practice of ministry can be lonely at times. But this fantastic book made me feel like I was sitting with my girlfriends, honestly discussing both the beauty and pain of being a woman in the pulpit. To say that I could identify with most of the stories would be an understatement. I am so thankful for their courage to give voice to our experience!”—Rev. Shannon J. Kershner, pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago“Refreshingly down-to-earth humor.... These preachers welcome us into their callings and into their lives [and] send us out again encouraged and renewed for the work and life ahead.”—Rev. Dr. David J. Lose, president, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia; founder, WorkingPreacher.org; blogger, In the Meantime (davidlose.net)“Reading these brief reminiscences of lives lived in ministry to others, I laughed and cried and marveled and knew that I was standing on holy ground. These stories and poems are like well-polished gems. Each is so real and so immediate that, even though it is no more than two or three pages, I feel that I know these women and what a blessing they are to those whose lives they touch. Next time I wonder why I teach in a seminary where we prepare people to minister to God’s people, I will pick up this book and remember that I, too, have been called.”—Deborah Sokolove, director, Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion; coauthor, Calling on God: Inclusive Christian Prayers for Three Years of Sundays“Vital.... [A] treasure trove of wisdom and grace.”—Landon Whitsitt, executive, PCUSA Synod of Mid-America; author, Open Source Church: Making Room for the Wisdom of All; producer, Theocademy“Seeps with stories and humor that remind each of us that we are not alone and that we can love our roles and our people.”—Rev. Jeremy Smith, United Methodist pastor, Portland, Oregon; blogger, HackingChristianity.net“Touching, insightful, funny, marvelous.”—Mary E. Hunt, PhD, Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER); coeditor, New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views