In this episode, Pastor Kelsey sits down with Rev. Delaney Schlake-Kruse to explore the intersection of faith, feminism, and leadership in the church. Together they discuss why the word feminism still raises resistance in many faith communities and how patriarchal assumptions have shaped expectations of leadership in ministry.

Delaney invites us to reimagine leadership by looking closely at how Jesus leads—not through domination, hierarchy, or control, but through relationality, mutuality, and power shared with others. Through a feminist lens, we explore what it might mean to cultivate leadership styles in the church that reflect the way of Christ, rather than the patriarchy.

About Delaney
Rev. Delaney Schlake-Kruse (she/her) is the rector at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Delaney recently completed her Doctor of Ministry, focusing on feminist pastoral leadership and congregational discernment. She lives in St. Louis with her family and enjoys gardening, taking walks, and drinking coffee.

Recommendations for further reading from Rev. Delaney:

Gender Disrupted: Jesus as a “Man” in the Fourfold Gospel, by Brittany E. Wilson
Theology for Skeptics: Reflections on God, by Dorothee Soelle
Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology, by Rosemary Radford Ruether
The Man with the Flow of Power: Porous Bodies in Mark 5:25–34, by Candida R. Moss
Behold the Man: Jesus and Greco-Roman Masculinity, by Colleen M. Conway

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