Narrative Summary
Interview with Ellen Brantley by Andreea Balanean
Ellen Brantley was born in Minnesota in the early 1960s and was raised as a Christian.
Her mother grew up in the Presbyterian Church and her father in the Roman Catholic Church;
however, when the couple married, the whole family converted to Catholicism. That is, until
Ellen was six years old and her parents got divorced. Following the divorce, her mother decided
to take the children back to the Presbyterian Church. It was Presbyterianism that really provided
her with a lot of strength and community support during the time of trouble in the family. The
church was kind of an extended family to Ellen, who had always had a relationship with her dad,
but he wasn’t in her home anymore. The pastor at the church became a dad to her in some ways;
therefore, Ellen contributed that as being a large part why her faith is important to her today.
It was in the church that Ellen first came in contact with women associate pastors and
began to truly believe that women can do anything, even become pastors. That experience,
alongside a few role models in Ellen’s life, really helped her decided that she wanted to become
a minister. Her role models, such as her mother and two sisters, are strong and dedicated to faith.
Also, a woman in her childhood church was among the first who told Ellen that she should attend
seminary and become a minister. When Ellen finally attended seminary, she had a woman
professor who was a professor of preaching, and who soon became a mentor for her.
Ellen got an Undergraduate Degree in Organizational Communication from Bethel
College, now Bethel University. A year later she went to seminary at Union Theological
Seminary in Virginia and got her Master in Divinity.
Her education enabled her to enter her current position as a minister of the Word and
Sacrament at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Alongside her position as a minster, she also
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serves the presbytery, the governing body of the Presbyterian Church, on the ministry and
nominating committees.
Ellen has certain qualities and strengths that make her a good minister. Some of her
strengths in the leadership role are her compassion, understanding, and gentleness. She has also
been told that her prayers are very nurturing. Ellen believes that she brings a fresh perspective to
the Bible and its stories because she is a woman. Her interpretation of some of those stories
opens them up to women in the congregation because a woman is interpreting them. A key
strength and success to her ministry is that Ellen believes a healthy church is one where
everybody is in ministry together; therefore, everyone is involved and the congregation
resembles a family.
Ellen believes that everything she does in life is influenced by her faith, which is a
foundation. She defines everything that happens to her in terms of her faith and what place God
has in her life. Due to this belief, she is able to withstand hardships and criticisms that may come
her way. She is certain that God has called her to ministry, even if other people don’t believe the
same; therefore, those oppositions don’t cause her to question her own calling.
A piece of advice that Ellen would give anyone concerning religion is that if they are
searching, they should keep searching and asking questions. She believes that a big part of her
faith—and a big part of the Presbyterian denomination in particular—is that rather than giving
people the answers, they allow for questions. According to Ellen, religion is a journey that one
never completely gets to figure out. This is because faith is seeking, asking questions, moving,
and, hopefully, growing along the journey.
Toward the end of the interview, Ellen shared one of her favorite quotes that she tries to
live by, which I believe is a great summary of her life and passion. The quote is attributed to
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Saint Francis of Assisi who said, “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” Ellen
realizes that her ministry is not just about the preaching that she does on Sunday morning and the
words that she uses to show the Gospel, but that it all has to be backed up with actions. I believe
that having this philosophy will make her ministry flourish, and she will touch countless lives
here on earth through what she does.
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