About
Rev. Carol Howard Merritt (@CarolHoward) is a minister whose writing, speaking, and teaching is anchored in theological wisdom and sociological insight. She’s a sought-after keynote speaker, especially on the topic of ministering in a new generation.
After being raised as a conservative Baptist and attending a fundamentalist Bible college, Carol studied at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas and became a Presbyterian (USA) Minister. She’s known for serving growing Presbyterian (USA) churches, especially those with a deep commitment to serving the poor and disenfranchised.
A pastor for almost two decades, Carol has served Presbyterian (USA) churches in the swamps of Cajun Louisiana, a bayside village in Rhode Island, and an urban neighborhood of Washington, DC. This breadth and depth of practical experience informs her consultations with denominational governing bodies, seminaries, and local churches.
She is the award-winning author of Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation, Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation, and Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church. She wrote the devotionals, I Am Mary and 30-Day Journey with Julian of Norwich. She is a frequent contributor to books, websites, magazines, and journals. She is a regular writer at the Christian Century where her blog is hosted
She was a founder and host of UNCO, an open-space “unconference” that attracts church leaders across denominations and generations, and she co-hosted the thought-provoking podcast, God Complex Radio, with Derrick Weston.
Carol is married to Rev. Brian Merritt. When not at a podium, pulpit, or an airport, Carol can be found in Bedford, New York, where she serves as the Pastor of Bedford Presbyterian Church.
After being raised as a conservative Baptist and attending a fundamentalist Bible college, Carol studied at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas and became a Presbyterian (USA) Minister. She’s known for serving growing Presbyterian (USA) churches, especially those with a deep commitment to serving the poor and disenfranchised.
A pastor for almost two decades, Carol has served Presbyterian (USA) churches in the swamps of Cajun Louisiana, a bayside village in Rhode Island, and an urban neighborhood of Washington, DC. This breadth and depth of practical experience informs her consultations with denominational governing bodies, seminaries, and local churches.
She is the award-winning author of Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation, Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation, and Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church. She wrote the devotionals, I Am Mary and 30-Day Journey with Julian of Norwich. She is a frequent contributor to books, websites, magazines, and journals. She is a regular writer at the Christian Century where her blog is hosted
She was a founder and host of UNCO, an open-space “unconference” that attracts church leaders across denominations and generations, and she co-hosted the thought-provoking podcast, God Complex Radio, with Derrick Weston.
Carol is married to Rev. Brian Merritt. When not at a podium, pulpit, or an airport, Carol can be found in Bedford, New York, where she serves as the Pastor of Bedford Presbyterian Church.
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Books by Carol Howard Merritt: I Am Mary: Advent Devotional (Chalice Press, 2018) Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with a Loving God After Experiencing a Hurtful Church (HarperOne, February 2017) 2017 Gold Medal from Living Now Book Awards Named one of the top books of 2017 by Englewood Review of Books Named one of the top books of 2017 by Religion on the Line Named one of the top ten books of 2017 by the Academy of Parish Clergy Named one of the top ten books of 2017 by Spirituality and Health Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation (Alban, 2010) Named one of the top ten books of 2010 by the Academy of Parish Clergy Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation (Alban, 2007) 2008 Award of Merit from the Religious Communicators Council Christian Century's top ten practical theology books of 2008 Carol's Monthly Column: "Church in the Making," Christian Century The Associated Church Press Award of Merit Books to which Carol has Contributed: Foreword for The Moral Basis for Democracy, by Eleanor Roosevelt (Open Roads Media, 2016) Foreword for Faithful Resistance: Gospel Visions for the Church in the Time of Empire, by Rick Ufford-Chase (Unshelved, 2016) Foreword for Sacred Habits: The Rise of the Creative Clergy, edited by Chad Abbott (The Davies Group, 2016) Foreword for There's a Woman in the Pulpit, edited by Martha Spong (SkyLight Paths, 2015) Foreword for A Year of Spiritual Companionship, by Anne Kertz Kerning (SkyLight Paths, 2016) Foreword for The Girlfriends' Clergy Companion: Surviving and Thriving in Ministry, by Melissa Lynn DeRosia, Marianne J. Grano, Amy Morgan, and Amanda Adams Riley (Alban, 2011) |
Foreword for The Open Source Church: Making Room for the Wisdom of All, by Landon Whitsitt (Alban, 2011)
Foreword for Reaching Out in a Networked World, by Lynne Baab (Alban, 2008) Sick and you Cared for Me, featuring Rob Bell, James Martin, and Richard Rohr. Edited by Jim Knipper (Clear Vision Publishing, 2014) Pastoral Work: Engagements with the Vision of Eugene Peterson, edited by Jason Byassee and L. Roger Owens (Cascade Books, 2014) Fighting for Peace: Your Role in a Culture Too Comfortable with Violence, with Tyler Wigg-Stevenson and the Barna Group (Zondervan 2014) Naked and You Clothed Me, featuring Rob Bell, James Martin, and Richard Rohr. Edited by Jim Knipper (Clear Vision Publishing, 2012) Talking Taboo: American Christian Women Get Frank about Faith, edited by Erin Lane and Enuma Okoro (White Cloud Press, 2013) Renew 52: 50+ Ideas to Revitalize Your Congregation from Leaders under 50, edited by David J. Lose (Center for Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, 2012) Hungry, and You Fed Me, featuring James Martin, SJ and Richard Rohr, OFM, edited by Deacon Jim Knipper (Clear Vision Publishing, 2012) Nominated for an Excellence in Publishing Award by the Association of Catholic Publishers The Hyphenateds: How Emergence Christianity is Re-Traditioning Mainline Practices, edited by Phil Snider (Chalice, 2011) |
