Stories from an Unintentional Preacher

Stories from an Unintentional Preacher is a memoir and social history of a woman who inadvertently stumbled into the ordained ministry and eventually church pulpits. Following early years of elementary school teaching, raising children, and experiencing divorce, she took up the challenge as a mid-career woman, went back to school, earned a PhD in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and set out to teach in theological education.

The unintentional journey into preaching came when, based on her commitments to feminism, she found herself face to face with the tradition of male-dominated institutions of religion, merely because she needed a part-time job to support her children and herself in graduate school. She had never been interested in being a church pastor–let alone preaching, but suddenly this is where she lands.

As the protagonist’s life story unfolds throughout the late 20th century in the United States, readers will enjoy following one woman’s life as she weaves together her sermons along with stories from her professional career and personal life. The sermons in this memoir speak not only to her life, but the wider social structures within society then–and as now: racism, sexism, widespread poverty, our addiction to war, and the urgency of climate change. Readers will be pulled into and through this book as pulpits continue to be put before her as she moves from professor at Union Theological Seminary in NYC, to academic dean of a Methodist seminary in Kansas City, and finally, to becoming the first woman to be a president of one of the largest, mainline Protestant seminaries in the United States–at the Pacific School of Religion, in Berkeley, California.

“Stories from an Unintentional Preacher is both memoir and historical document. Eleanor’s life stories, interspersed by her socially aware sermons, amount to a social history of justice movements in the second half of the twentieth century. It is a pleasure to hear the friendly tone of this Kansas-born-and-bred daughter transform into a powerful and clear-eyed preaching voice. Dr. Meyers’ unintentional step into the pulpit is a testament to what can be achieved when choice and persistence are motivated by efforts toward fairness and justice. You will applaud the author and her women (and a few male) colleagues–working within the system to bring positive change–as we follow Dr. Meyers’ journey to becoming the first woman in the United States to be president of a large, mainline Protestant seminary.”

Patricia Contaxis, MA, LMFT, writer, musician, naturalist.

“In the pages of this memoir, you will meet a successful and dynamic campus minister, pastor, and leader within theological institutions. The fact that Eleanor began doing this work in the 1970s when women faced constant challenges to their vocations makes her story all the more incredible. You will be inspired by Reverend Meyer’s life story and challenged by the sermons interspersed within her journey. 

Eleanor’s dedication to transforming theological education has likely impacted generations of leaders. She understood the future of theological education was not for the classroom but for the potential to guide society toward greater justice. Eleanor’s words will inspire her readers as they inspired students, faculty, and congregants who first heard them, calling us to respond to the continued challenges of sexism, racism, poverty, and climate change in our world today. 

Eleanor writes of her tears at difficult moments of her work, plus in moments of grace-filled support…and we, her readers, shed tears of gratitude for a leader who chose to give much to many. Despite constant challenges to her work, Eleanor made her voice heard, and we will be well served to continue to listen.”

Jacob Buchholz, MDiv, DMin, Co-senior pastor

Claremont United Church of Christ, Claremont, CA