Becoming the Church of Tomorrow: Conversations with Canon Stephanie Spellers

Becoming the Church of Tomorrow: Conversations with Canon Stephanie Spellers

Bishop Jeffrey Mello, Bishop Laura Ahrens, and the Episcopal Church in Connecticut welcome author, priest, and prophetic leader the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers to spur conversation and transformation among us in February 2026. Based on Canon Spellers’ new book, Church Tomorrow?: What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach Us About the Future of Faith, the Rev. Canon Spellers will help us to wrestle with the decline of traditional religion, the firsthand wisdom of nonreligious Millennials and Gen Zs, as well as our call to be courageous, bold representatives of Jesus Christ in the world.

Feb. 1, Feb. 2, Feb. 3 and Feb. 22
Various sites across ECCT

Livestreaming on Feb. 1 from St. Luke’s, Darien, and Feb. 2 from St. John’s, West Hartford, on ECCT’s YouTube channel

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers is one of the Episcopal Church’s leading thinkers around 21st-century ministry and mission. The author of The Church Cracked Open and Radical Welcome, her newest book – Church Tomorrow?: What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach Us About the Future of Faith – wrestles with the decline of traditional religion and the spiritual wisdom of nonreligious young Americans. After nearly a decade working alongside the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, she is currently Canon in Residence at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York.

Spellers has served as a chaplain to the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops, directed evangelism and reconciliation at General Theological Seminary, and led church vitality efforts in the Diocese of Long Island. Her professional ministry began at St. Paul’s Cathedral-Boston, where she founded The Crossing, a ground-breaking church that weaves Episcopal tradition with voices from the margins. Prior to priesthood, she was a newspaper reporter in East Tennessee. A graduate of both Episcopal Divinity School and Harvard Divinity School, she grew up in Kentucky and now lives in New York with her husband Albert and their two cool cats. Keep up with her work at www.stephaniespellers.com.

Follow up from Clergy Day 2025

Dear Siblings in Christ,

I am writing to follow up and offer clarification regarding the licensed lay ministry requirements outlined during Clergy Day, November 18, 2025. 

We encourage everyone involved in our parish and diocesan ministries to participate in the Safe Church Program and reap the benefits it offers. It supports our shared commitment to a healthy, transparent, and trustworthy culture in our faith and tradition and provides a concrete tool to help us live into our Baptismal call to “respect the dignity of all human beings.” 

For your reference, I am attaching Appendix A of both the Model Policy for the Protection of Children and Youth and the Model Policy for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults from The Episcopal Church (adopted in Connecticut in 2019). This document details the training protocols for lay and ordained leadership in ECCT. Completion of Safe Church training is not mandatory for those serving as Eucharistic Ministers; it is mandatory for Eucharistic Visitors.

I apologize for the confusion at Clergy Day and appreciate the grace and understanding we offer each other. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need additional information.

Peace,

Marsha McCurdy Adell (her/she)
Director of Lay Vocations & Ministry

madell@episcopalct.org
203.639.3501 ext. 127

Living in Hope: A Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat

Living in Hope: A Pre-Lenten Clergy Retreat

January 20–21, 2026
Camp Washington

Overnight & Wednesday-only prices available. Overnight spaces are limited!

Join clergy colleagues from across ECCT to unwind and refuel. Our time will be guided by the Rev. Callie Swanlund, Episcopal priest and author of From Weary to Wholehearted: A Restorative Resource for Overcoming Clergy Burnout.

Make arrangements to extend your retreat at Camp Washington through Wednesday night with Diane Atwood at Camp Washington, datwood@episcopalct.org.


About From Weary to Wholehearted: A Restorative Resource for Overcoming Clergy Burnout.

Even in the midst of the sometimes-exhausting work clergy professionals move through in ministry, Callie Swanlund calls us to show up in ministry and in the world with our whole hearts, vulnerably and courageously. Part of our retreat time together will address sources of weariness, including overwhelm, loneliness, comparison, lack of inspiration, and more.


MAKING CLERGY EVENTS AFFORDABLE

Discounts for Retired clergy (use code Retired) and less-than half-time clergy (use code Clergy25) are available.

Scholarships are also available. Contact Jeanette Wheeler, Program Assistant to the Bishop Suffragan & Events Coordinator for more information or to request a scholarship.