Quaker Leadership Center (QLC)

Welcome to our page!

Who are we?

The Quaker Leadership Center (QLC) was launched in 2022 by Earlham School of Religion (ESR) in Richmond, IN. Established in 1960 as a graduate theological division of Earlham College, ESR is the pre-eminent Quaker seminary in the United States. 

The Center is being funded with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative, which is designed to help theological schools in the U.S. and Canada prioritize and respond to the most pressing challenges they face as they prepare pastoral leaders now and into the future.

We are a ministry of ESR but seek to serve and connect a wide variety of Quaker leaders.

What is our Mission?

In a time of rapid cultural and congregational change,

We equip Quaker leaders to faithfully adapt by: 

  • Cultivating new connections among diverse Quaker expressions
  • Collaborating with existing partners to revitalize leaders and their ministry contexts 
  • Curating relevant resources from the wider world of faith and leadership 
  • Convening conversations about common concerns and new possibilities 
  • Creating spaces where leaders find their path to ministry and groups discern their vital futures
  • Companioning leaders and like-minded Friends as they incubate new ministries 

Pastors Conference

Join us on Friday, October 18th for a day of reflecting on the role of silence in pastoral ministry. Whether programmed or unprogrammed, Quakers have always valued silence as an important means of accessing divine grace and listening to God. Some talk about “centering down” or “communion in……
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Upcoming events

Pastors Conference

Join us on Friday, October 18th for a day of reflecting on the role of silence in pastoral ministry. Whether programmed or unprogrammed, Quakers have always valued silence as an…

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QLC news

Sow Your Seeds

Sow Your Seeds: A Friendly Reminder Reflection from the Quaker Leadership Center By Andy Stanton-Henry My meeting has been doing a series on the parables of Jesus. I didn’t have to preach last Sunday, but I spent some time meditating on the parable for the week: The Parable of the Sower. I didn’t get far.……

The Process is the Purpose

Friendly Reminder: The Process is the Purpose By Andy Stanton-Henry I was recently in a planning meeting with Frances Kreimer, Director of Education at Pendle Hill, and she used a phrase that got me pondering. We were talking about our shared commitment to bringing new Friends together in both the planning and programming of events……

Live Not By Lies

Live Not By Lies: A Friendly Reminder reflection from QLC By Andy Stanton-Henry At my meeting, we have been working through a sermon series on the Quaker testimonies. Last Sunday, we considered the testimony of integrity. As with all the testimonies, there are many dimensions to integrity. I’ve often reflected on integrity in the sense……

Re-Tell the Whole Story

Friendly Reminder: Re-Tell the Whole Story A biweekly reflection from the Quaker Leadership Center By Andy Stanton-Henry I’ve been talking a lot about stories lately. It was the theme of our last Quaker Leadership Conference and this will be the third Friendly Reminder about the topic. In my meeting, we’ve been journeying through the book……

Tell a Story

Friendly Reminder: Tell a Story By Andy Stanton-Henry We recently gathered for our second annual QLC Quaker Leadership Conference. In case you missed out, our theme this year was “Stories for the Future.” Together, we explored how we tell the story of the Quaker movement that evokes possibility for the future. Storytelling is an ancient……

Tell the Whole Story

Friendly Reminder: Tell the Whole Story By Andy Stanton-Henry In the last Friendly Reminder, I invited you to “tell a story” — to incorporate more narrative into your life, love, and leadership. Today, I would like to be a bit more specific in my invitation: “tell the whole story.” By “whole story,” I don’t simply……

Meet your QLC team

Let us know if you have questions, concerns, visitation inquiry, or request for resources

Della Stanley-Green photo

Della Stanley-Green

Director

Della is excited to see where God is leading the Center, ESR and the whole of the Religious Society of Friends. She is a Recorded Minister in Western Yearly Meeting and a trained spiritual director.

She recently completed a three-year interim as the leader of the Interim Co-Superintendent Team for Western Yearly Meeting of Friends, (33 Quaker Meetings in western IN and eastern IL). She also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the MBAOnline@UDayton program teaching “The Principled
Organization: Integrating Faith, Ethics and Work.”

Andy Stanton-Henry photo

Andy Stanton-Henry

Associate director

Andy is a writer, Quaker minister, chicken-keeper, and distraught Reds fan. He holds degrees from Barclay College and Earlham School of Religion, and is a doctoral student studying Open and Relational Theology. He carries a special concern for rural leaders, leading to his recently published book Recovering Abundance: Twelve Practices for Small-Town Leaders. Andy has also trained in spiritual direction, labyrinth facilitation, conflict transformation, and entrepreneurial ministry. A native Buckeye, Andy now lives in East Tennessee with his spouse, Ashlyn, their blue heeler Cassie, and their laying hens. 

Andy Stanton-Henry photo

Katrina McConaughey

Administrative Assistant

Katrina McConaughey is a lifelong Quaker originally from the Pacific Northwest. She recently relocated to central Indiana with her husband Shawn, after serving a four-year term with Friends United Meeting in Kenya. She is most proud of having raised two awesome adult children, but also loves gardening and is almost as proud to have grown a six pound sweet potato this year!