Kate Coleman: ‘When the Spirit is left to move, women rise up to lead’

As a student, Rev Dr Kate Coleman was open to all kinds of religions…but not Christianity. Being inexplicably drawn to Jesus took her by surprise

Kate Coleman never intended to blaze a trail, yet her ministry has been marked by firsts: in 1996 she became the first Black female minister in the Baptist Union, and was later appointed the denomination’s first Black female president. She was also the first Black female chair of the Evangelical Alliance Council and has been recognised as one of the top 25 female racial justice champions in Britain and Ireland. 

When she was first asked to be a church elder (itself a miraculous event as her church was, up until that point, not supportive of women leaders) she was wary of saying yes. She knew God had called her, but was understandably reluctant to be the cause of a potential church spilt. She describes the fallout as “a baptism of fire”.

Three decades on, she’s written books, started a leadership consultancy and is still pioneering new ways to equip and resource female leaders around the world. No doubt there are plenty more firsts still to follow.