I am delighted to be a contributor to this publication.

RevGalBlogPals is proud to announce the publication in April of There’s a Woman in the Pulpit: Christian Clergywomen Share Their Hard Days, Holy Moments & the Healing Power of Humor (SkyLight Paths Publishing).

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and at Chapters.

Be informed and inspired, delighted and supported, encouraged and entertained by stories and prayers from the unique perspectives of clergywomen.

“In ministry, we constantly balance the sacred and the ordinary, juggling the two as expertly as we manage a chalice and a [baby] bottle. Even as we do things as simple as light the candles, set the table, break the bread and pour the wine, we invite people into a holy moment…. The women [in this book] not only have a wellspring of deep wisdom, but they also have the ability to dish out their knowledge with side-aching humor…. I am thrilled that their great wisdom and intelligence will be bound into the pages that I can turn to, lend and appreciate for years to come.”

—from the Foreword by Rev. Carol Howard Merritt

Learn—and laugh—with these women of the church, all members of the RevGalBlogPals web ring, bound together by a deep commitment to ministry, as they reveal what it really means to be a woman in the pulpit. Over fifty clergywomen representing fourteen denominations share the details of their intimidating balancing act—juggling the isolating expectations of perfection from their congregations and the shared human realities of everyday life.

“Although many seminaries offer a course in boundary training, this training tends to focus on issues like dating parishioners (don’t) or embezzling church funds (really don’t). There is little to nothing offered about Personal Life Boundaries. At what point does a single pastor inform her congregation that she is seriously dating someone?…What if a church member receives a fatal prognosis on the day of her sister’s bridal shower?”

—from “What They Will Remember,” by Rev. Jan Edmiston

Intended for laypeople, women hearing a call to ministry and clergy of all denominations, these stories and prayers will resonate with, challenge, encourage and amuse anyone who has a passion for their work and faith. A group reading guide will be available on the SkyLight Paths Publishing website – consider choosing it for your book group!