What is Leading Women?

Leading Women (in North America) is a 3-day gathering that brings together 50-70 women priest who are interested in discerning a possible call to positions of Bishop, Cathedral Dean, Canon to the Ordinary or Cardinal Rector.

How Did Leading Women Get Started?

Leading Women was created in England in 2010. It offered formation for women priests who were willing to be the first cohort of women bishops when Parliament finally voted to allow women to be bishops in the Church of England.  England’s Leading Women was founded by several English clergywomen including Dean June Osborne, Canon Lucy Winkett, and Dean Jane Shaw.  Bishop Karen Gorham is now the coordinator of this continuing program.

In late 2014 a group in the U.S. decided a Leading Women-type gathering might be useful in The Episcopal Church as well.  We chose a single three-day event format and took guidance from what the Church of England was doing, along with elements from WEEL, Beautiful Authority and other programs of women’s leadership development in the church.  Canon Stefani Schatz invited Dean Jane Shaw, Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, and me to become the Leading Women 2016 planning team.  

In 2019, we held Leading Women ACC/TEC, a gathering for clergywomen from the Anglican Church of Canada as well as The Episcopal Church.  I coordinated the planning team which included Archbishop Melissa Skelton, Dean Amy McCreath, Rev’d Rhonda Waters, and Rachel Taylor.  

Our next Leading Women retreat, scheduled for November 7-10, 2022 at the Roslyn Center in Richmond VA is being planned by me, Bishop Mary Gray Reeves, Bishop Marty Stebbins, Bishop Phoebe Roaf, Dean Miguelina Howell, Reverend Yein Kim, and Reverend Jennifer Adams.  Watch for applications in early 2022.

Who Attends Leading Women?

When the planning team for the first US conference reserved space for our event, we boldly claimed thirty bedrooms.  As of the application deadline, over 100 clergywomen applied!  So we called the facility and reserved every available room (plus a few hotel rooms) and were able to admit about 60 women for the 2016 conference.

A similar number of women participated in our first Leading Women ACC/TEC in 2019, with a good mix of women from across the US (The Episcopal Church/TEC) and from across Canada (Anglican Church of Canada/ACC).  

Most participants had completed at least two calls, and all had references from their bishop or another person in leadership recommending them for this program.  All were exploring the possibility of leadership as a bishop, canon, dean and/or cardinal rector.

What Happens at Leading Women?

Leading Women offers plenary sessions, breakout groups, and time for networking and individual reflection.  Current and past bishops, canons, deans and cardinal rectors are on hand to share in more details about these positions.

Early in the gathering, a plenary session invites women bishops, canons, deans and cardinal rectors to share about their roles.  Participants begin to see how these roles are similar to and different from one another, and how their are different from the role of parish priest.  

A central part of Leading Women events are breakout groups, where women interested in a particular leadership role meet with women currently in that role.  We offer these breakout groups two or three times per event and encourage women to attend different groups.  Many women leave Leading Women most interested in a role that they were not considering when they registered. Much of this is due to the greater understanding they receive from these breakout groups.

Individual mentoring and paperwork review is another valuable part of Leading Women.  Participants may submit their resumes and other paperwork to members of our leadership team, and then have private sessions to review them.  Other participants sign up for individual time with someone currently in the role that they are considering.  

Networking is the final crucial part of a Leading Women conference.  Participants find value not only in making connections with people currently in these leadership roles, but also in making connections with other clergywomen throughout the denomination who are also interested in increasing their leadership capacity.  

Does It Matter?

Studies say Yes.

The time spent at Leading Women continues to encourage participants for years after the conference.  The connections they make to colleagues and other leaders in the church help them learn about interesting open positions.  The clarity they receive during the conference propels them into being strong candidates when they do apply.  

I have been surprised and delighted how often I hear from a Leading Women participant–even years later–that the work they did at Leading Women was a significant factor in them receiving their new call.  

What Does Leading Women Cost?

The total cost of a Leading Women conference is roughly around $20,000.  We are committed that cost will not prohibit attendance.  We ask participants to pay only some of this cost (with limited scholarships available).  All of our North American sessions of Leading Women have been mostly underwritten by grants and gifts.  We hope to continue offering Leading Women in the future, and continue to seek funding.  If you would like to help fund this work or know an individual or group that might, please contact me below.