To be a religious professional is a unique and challenging experience. Now add to that, being young, female, and newly ordained. In The Girlfriends’ Clergy Companion: Surviving and Thriving in Ministry, Rev. Amanda Riley and three other clergywomen take on the issue of what it means to be a young, female clergyperson and the common difficulties that often arise, both personally and professionally.
Although the book offers life lessons for ministers of all ages and genders, Riley states that the book seeks to offer support for young female religious professionals and to let them know that they are not alone in their experiences of awkward bar conversations, receiving comments about their earrings during communion, and trying to balance work, friends, and family.
“Especially for young clergywomen, I think a lot of us start out and we all have our own experiences and we don’t how different things can be depending on our contexts,” stated Riley. “There is something very unique about the experience of being clergy, and for us, being young women clergy. It’s just helpful to have other people to share the journey with.” According to Riley, developing a group of friends as well as colleagues has an important source of support for her throughout her ministry.
After graduating from McCormick Theological Seminary, Riley took her first call at the First Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, MI as part of Lilly-endowed two-year residency in parish program. After finishing her residency and taking a second call in mid-Michigan, Riley reached out to young clergywomen in the Detroit and Huron presbyteries.
With no planned bible studies, worship services, or agendas, Riley and what eventually became a group of three other women and her, began meeting regularly to discuss their experiences in and outside of the church. While on a retreat at the end of their first year of meeting together, one group member suggested sharing their experiences and lessons learned with the larger public.
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| Rev. Amanda Riley, one of four co-authors of The Girlfriend’s Clergy Companion: Navigating Life in the Parish with Style and Grace. |
Despite Riley’s initial hesitation about writing a book, she was soon persuaded and by the end of the retreat, the book’s title had been chosen, its chapters outlined, and the collaborative writing process had begun.
“[We wanted to communicate] a sense that they [young clergywomen] are not alone in the uniqueness of the journey that they’re walking,” said Riley. Riley acknowledges that the book does not address all issues that religious professionals will face and that authors’ common demographic—all white, young, heterosexual, Presbyterian women—greatly influences how their perspectives on and experiences in the parish.
However, Riley emphasizes that the book is for more than just young clergywomen. “All of the authors and I believe that there are life lessons that are applicable to anyone in ministry regardless of age or gender.”
Amanda Riley and other authors of "The Girlfriend’s Clergy Companion: Navigating Life in the Parish with Style and Grace" will be speaking at McCormick Theological Seminary on October 6th from 6:30 – 8:00pm. The event will include a discussion of the book, a Q&A with Amanda, and time for networking with other religious professionals. To learn more about this event, contact Christine Vogel.
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