Voices of Women of the Cloth

Although the number of women serving as religious leaders in the United States has long been small, in recent decades that number has increased significantly in some denominations. Even so, their stories often go untold, and their perspectives are regularly left out of broader examinations of clergy.

In Voices of Women of the Cloth, nineteen clergywomen representing eleven different denominations and some nondenominational churches share their stories through interviews. The women range in age from their twenties to their nineties and hold or have held positions including senior or assistant pastor and minister, priest, hospice chaplain, military chaplain, teacher, Roman Catholic sister, and wedding minister. These women display dedication, wisdom, and perseverance in their chosen careers; they offer new and valuable ways of looking at spiritual matters and a unique perspective on an important but often underrepresented segment of the clergy.

This collection of interviews presents the personal narratives of nineteen clergywomen in the United States, sharing how they became members of the cloth.