About Canon Stephanie

The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers is one of the Episcopal Church’s leading thinkers around 21st-century ministry and mission. The author of several books - including The Church Cracked Open and Radical Welcome - she recently wrapped up nearly a decade as canon to the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, with responsibility for guiding the entire denomination’s work on evangelism, racial justice, new ministry development and environmental stewardship. An honorary canon in the Diocese of New York, she currently serves as Canon in Residence at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. Her newest book, Church Tomorrow?: What the 'Nones' and 'Dones' Teach Us About the Future of Faith, will be released in December 2025.

Prior to her service with the Presiding Bishop, Spellers served as chaplain to the Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops, directed and taught mission and evangelism at General Theological Seminary, and led church vitality efforts as a canon in the Diocese of Long Island. Her professional ministry began in 2005 at St. Paul's Cathedral-Boston, where she founded The Crossing, a ground-breaking church that weaves Episcopal tradition together with the voices of young adults, people of color and LGBTQ+ people. Before that, she was an award-winning religion journalist in East Tennessee and led admissions and career services efforts at Harvard Divinity School. 

Spellers graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wake Forest University and went on to earn master’s degrees from both Harvard Divinity School and Episcopal Divinity School. She received an honorary doctorate from the General Theological Seminary in New York City in 2018. A native of Kentucky, today she makes her home in New York's Harlem neighborhood with her husband Albert. She is passionate about dancing and singing, listening and building bridges, and helping people to fall in love with God and get free.