Synopses & Reviews
Women have been among the most dynamic and successful ministers in all Protestant denominations; but in divinity school, Sarah Sentilles discovered that some of the best and brightest were having trouble and even leaving the church altogether. What was happening? To find out, she entered the lives of female ministers women of various ages, races, and denominations and emerged with the first real portrait of what its like to lead as a woman of faith today.
Filled with humor, heartbreak, and triumph, the womens stories take us from calls to the pulpit through ordinations and service. Despite many churches resistance conscious or not to re-imagining what it means to be a minister, many of these women are achieving remarkable transformations in their congregations. In their inspiring determination to perform the creative, life-giving work to which they are called, these women illuminate a way that the church can revitalize itself. Whats at stake is nothing less than the future of the church itself.
Review
PRAISE FOR
TAUGHT BY AMERICA "This is a poignant, touching memoir from a natural-born teacher. The education of Sarah Sentilles is something we can all learn from."Geoffrey Canada, author of
Fist Stick Knife Gun"Hauntingly eloquent."Janie Victoria Ward, author of The Skin We're In
Review
Praise for A CHURCH OF HER OWN "Sensitively written, provocatively insightful and filled with autobiographical integrity, Sarah Sentilles' brilliance in this book calls all religious institutions to a new consciousness about gender issues." --John Shelby Spong, author of JESUS FOR THE NON-RELIGIOUS
"What does it mean to be a woman with a religious vocation? Sentilles offers a restless collage of realities, romping, ruminating, fulminating, grateful, joyous, unsatisfied -- but for readers deeply satisfying because her frank talk gives permission for the honesty that trembles and makes all things possible. A must read for any woman anyone -- who cares about women in the church today." --Karen L. King, author of THE GOSPEL OF MARY MAGDALA
Synopsis
Thirty years after the first group of women was ordained by the Episcopal Church, women are among some of the most vital and successful ministers in all Protestant denominations, even as churches struggle to hold on to their members. Sarah Sentilles enters the lives of female ministerswomen of various ages and races, in a range of churchesto paint the first real portrait of what its like to serve as a woman of faith today.
Sometimes triumphant, sometimes hilarious, sometimes painful, their stories take us from their calls to the pulpit through their ordinations and service in congregations. These women show us how the church can be more welcoming to the women who are its lifeblood. And in their inspiring determination to perform the ministry to which they are called, no matter what the obstacles, we might well see the future of the church itself.
About the Author
SARAH SENTILLES earned her master of divinity degree from Harvard and is the author of Taught by America: A Story of Struggle and Hope in Compton. She lives in Camarillo, California.
Sarah Sentilles on PowellsBooks.Blog
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