The Gathering, A Womanist Church
Origins, Stories, Sermons, and Litanies
by Irie Lynne Session, Kamilah Hall Sharp and Jann Aldredge-Clanton
Foreword by Frederick D. Haynes III
Preface by Phillis Isabella Sheppard
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Rev. Dr. Irie Lynne Session is co-pastor of The Gathering, A Womanist Church, a spiritual entrepreneur, and Chief Illuminator of DreamBIG Courses, Coaching, Content Creation, & Connections. She holds a Master of Divinity with a certificate in Black Church Studies and Doctor of Ministry in prophetic preaching and transformative leadership.
Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp is a St. Louis, Missouri, native currently residing in Texas with her spouse, Nakia, and daughter, Anaya. She is a co-pastor of The Gathering, A Womanist Church in Dallas and a PhD candidate in Biblical Interpretation-Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School. Kamilah holds a Bachelor of Science in business economics, a Master of Divinity, and a Juris Doctor degree.
Rev. Dr. Jann Aldredge-Clanton, an ordained minister and author, is co-chair of Equity for Women in the Church, ministry partner of The Gathering, adjunct professor at Richland College, and co-leader of New Wineskins Community. Her books include Praying with Christ-Sophia, Changing Church, and Inclusive Songs for Resistance & Social Action.
“The Gathering, A Womanist Church is the first book on womanist ecclesiology. . . . The authors share their scholarly knowledge and experiences of womanist church, biblical exegesis, sermons, and litanies to demonstrate that womanist church is a living reality and that the time for womanist churches to multiply is now.”
—Dr. Karen Baker-Fletcher, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
“This thought-provoking and inspiring resource details the genesis and development of The Gathering, outlines practical steps in establishing a womanist-based ministry, and shows that womanist ecclesiology leads to the spiritual healing and transformation of those oppressed by white supremacist, hetero-patriarchal capitalist society.”
—Rev. Dr. Tamara E. Lewis, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
“When you try something really hard, and you feel God’s windy Spirit at your back, and it works, you want to shout it to the whole world: ‘Look what God will do! Alleluia!’ The women of The Gathering, with the Spirit’s help, have done something really hard, and so beautiful. This book is their alleluia, and all of us with ears to hear are blessed by it. Shout it from the mountaintops, sisters!”
—Rev. Dr. Katie Hays, author of We Were Spiritual Refugees
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