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, Radical Welcome and her latest, Church Tomorrow?: What the 'Nones' and 'Dones' Teach Us About the Future of Faith - she recently wrapped 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. 

Spellers previously served as chaplain to the Episcopal 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 in 2005 at St. Paul's Cathedral-Boston, where she founded The Crossing, a ground-breaking church that weaves Episcopal tradition together with voices from the margins. Before that, she was an award-winning religion journalist in East Tennessee and led admissions and career services 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 2019. A native of Kentucky, today she and her husband make their home in New York. She is passionate about dancing and singing, listening and building bridges, and helping people to fall in love with God and get free.