The Rev. Molly James, dean of formation for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, has been appointed deputy executive officer of the General Convention.
James was selected after a churchwide search during the past several months. In this new role, she will oversee parochial and diocesan reporting; coordinate with other professionals working in convention and meeting planning; work collaboratively with the deputy for legislation; and assist the executive officer in his various ministries.
She also serves as chair of the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitution and Canons.
A deputy to General Convention in 2018, James led the Legislative Committee on Ministry. She was also a deputy at the 2015 General Convention, and served as assistant secretary to the Legislative Committee on Governance and Structure.
Ordained in 2005 by the Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen in her home state of Maine, James has served as a hospital chaplain and a parish priest. She holds a PhD in theology from the University of Exeter, an MDiv from Yale Divinity School, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tufts University.
James serves as an adjunct professor at Hartford Seminary and at the University of St. Joseph, focusing on ethics and pastoral care.
She has helped reimagine and administer ordination discernment in the diocese. Her doctoral research became the book With Joyful Acceptance, Maybe: Developing a Contemporary Theology of Suffering in Conversation with Five Christian Thinkers: Gregory the Great, Julian of Norwich, Jeremy Taylor, C.S. Lewis, and Ivone Gebara (Wipf and Stock, 2013).
James has served as co-chair of Young Clergy Women International and as a board member for the Society of Scholar–Priests.
James and her husband, Reade (a mechanical engineer), live in West Hartford with their children Katherine and Halsted.
Adapted from Office of Public Affairs
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
