Last Christmas Eve, a new post appeared in one of my clergywomen groups on social media. It began, “How many pastors are sitting at their desks crying this morning? Just me?” Spoiler alert: It wasn’t just her. The replies started…
The leader-mother quandary
Kim Caldwell was introduced by the University of Tennessee as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team April 7, 2024. Long before Caitlin Clark’s extraordinary shooting and passing abilities brought unprecedented exposure to women’s college basketball, the UT…
Loneliness in clergywomen — its causes and impacts and what we can do about it
A 2022 Barna study found 65% of Protestant pastors in the United States feel lonely at least sometimes, with 18% experiencing isolation frequently. These numbers are up significantly from Barna’s 2015 research. In addition, a 2020 survey revealed that 20%…
Let’s talk about those clergy resume ‘gaps’ for mothers
There are a lot of ways to approach the delights and demands of ministry and motherhood. Some clergy take a break from paid work when their children are young. Some accept part-time roles, whether because their households need the income,…
The rest we must have
My 9-year-old son has formally declared sleep his nemesis. “It’s so boring,” he complains. “I have too much I want to do.” He is, and always has been, wide awake and ready to play or create by 5:00 a.m. He…
Want to get a sense of what it’s like to be a clergywoman? Watch ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’
When Iron Man, the first installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was released in 2008, my husband and I went to see it on one of our weekly date nights. We were obviously out of ideas for activities that would…