Author

Kelly Ryan

Missioner for discipleship, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

 

The Rev. Deacon Kelly Ryan is missioner for discipleship in the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Prior to that, she worked to strengthen the communication capacity of Lilly Endowment grantees in religion through the Evaluation and Communications Project at the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. From 2020 through June 2023, she facilitated a learning community of grantees as the director of the Thriving Congregations Coordination Program. 

Prior to that, she spent 12 years as senior director of communications for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, overseeing its online learning resource Faith & Leadership, after working as a communications strategist and newspaper reporter. 

Since ordination as a vocational deacon in 2024, she has served as deacon and children’s minister at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina. Ryan holds a Master of Divinity degree, a certificate in Christian education and an MA in Christian practice from Duke Divinity School, as well as a BA in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

‘I eat Christ.’

By Kelly Ryan Missioner for discipleship, Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

A two-year-old’s joy at taking communion reminds us that the resurrection is about saying yes, writes Kelly Gilmer.

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Scholarships available for the Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising 

Applications for the Thomas H. Lake Scholarship are now open! This scholarship supports participants in the Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising (ECRF), a program designed to help religious leaders explore the spirituality of fundraising and gain skills essential for their work. 

Applications will be accepted until Monday, August 3, 2026. Applicants should expect to hear a decision by the end of August.

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