Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment-Phobe

Erin S. Lane works for the Seattle-based non-profit Center for Courage & Renewal as an Assistant Program Director for Clergy & Congregational Leader Programs. She has a Masters of Theological Studies degree from Duke Divinity School and is coeditor of , an anthology of writing from young Christian women on the intersection of faith and gender. Lane is an experienced communication strategist for authors and organizations and writes at Holy Hellions for those "faithful rebels" who question the culture of sexism, stereotypes and Sunday School answers without losing hope in the God who reconciles all things.

Parker J. Palmer (PhD, University of California at Berkeley) is a world-renowned writer, speaker and activist who focuses on issues of education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is founder and Senior Partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, which cultivates leaders in some of society’s most crucial roleseducating children, caring for patients, serving congregations, fostering civic community and leading teams and organizations. He has reached millions worldwide through dozens of poems, hundreds of essays and many books, including and Palmer’s work has been recognized with eleven honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press and the William Rainey Harper Award. In 1998, the Leadership Project named Palmer one of the thirty "most influential senior leaders" in higher education and one of the ten key "agenda-setters" of the past decade. In 2011, he was named an Visionary, one of "25 people who are changing your world." A member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker), Palmer and his wife Sharon live in Madison, Wisconsin.