Strong Women, Strong Faith

For September's Taproom Theology, we were joined by Rev. Debbie Eisenbise to share the stories of women of the Bible and how their relationships with each other gave them courage to step up, speak up, and act out.

These women found courage through one another — courage to step up when the moment demanded it, to speak truth with conviction, and to act boldly in ways that changed the course of God's story.

Debbie Eisenbise is an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren (36 years) and has served as a settled and interim/transitional pastor for her own denomination and the United Methodist Church.

Debbie is a spiritual director, mentor, and supervisor with the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is also an end-of-life doula and formerly taught courses in successful aging and holistic end-of-life practices as an Adjunct Professor at Western Michigan University.

She consults with churches in transition, leads workshops across faith communities, and presents widely on advance care planning, holistic end-of-life care, pastoral care, death and dying, and ministry in times of crisis. She also facilitates difficult conversations for families navigating aging and major life changes.

Debbie's ministry includes extensive intergenerational work. She is a biblical storyteller and monologist, longtime family camp leader, and chaplain for her district's 4th–5th grade camp. She currently serves at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Kalamazoo as Minister of Spiritual Formation for Children and Youth and Digital Engagement, with a particular interest in how online resources can strengthen and inspire church community. She is also on the pastoral team of the Living Stream Church of the Brethren.