ADM Fellowships Program
ADM Fellowships Program
Engaging our world with the gospel
ADM Fellowships raise up Christian women
to engage a sceptical and hurting world with the good news of Jesus.
Since appointing our first cohort of ADM Fellows in 2016, the program has provided financial and institutional support for Christian women to complete a major project and pursue avenues for public gospel witness.
Fellowships News
Fellows in the Media
Books by ADM Fellows
ADM Fellows have released a number of books into the world! Join us in celebrating each of our authors as they continue to engage our world with the gospel.
Imperfect Reflections: The Art of Christian Journaling
2018 Senior Research Fellow Rev. Dr Kirsten Birkett, Christian Focus Publications
Bringing Forth Life: God’s Purposes in Pregnancy and Birth
2021 Fellow Jodie McIver, Youthworks Media
Shakespeare, the Reformation and the Interpreting Self
2019 Senior Research Fellow Dr Roberta Kwan, Edinburgh University Press
10 Dead Gals You Should Know: Leaving an Enduring Legacy
2023 Senior Fellow Rachel Ciano (with Ian J Maddock), Christian Focus Publications
The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church
2019 Senior Research Fellow Rev. Dr Dani Treweek, InterVarsity Press
The Bible in Australia
2017 ADM Senior Research Fellow, Dr Meredith Lake, New South Books
When We Are Invisible
2020 ADM Senior Creative Fellow Claire Zorn, University of Queensland Press
Raising Kids Who Care
2020 ADM Summer Fellow Susy Lee, 598press
Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book
2020 ADM Senior Research Fellow Robyn Wrigley-Carr, SPCK Publishing
The Spiritual Formation of Evelyn Underhill
2020 ADM Senior Research Fellow Robyn Wrigley-Carr, SPCK Publishing
Impact
“There is a dearth of local Christian role models of Southeast Asian Buddhist cultural background. I have intentionally sought out ways to be equipped for this ministry. Through an ADM Senior Fellowship, I am seeking a sense of community, empowerment as a woman in ministry, professional development and to be financially released for this project”
– Amanda Mason, 2020 ADM Senior Fellow
“The Fellowship was a game-changer for me. It put around me the resources I needed to do my best work, to finish the book, and I think, to grow as a person who has something to say.”
– Dr Meredith Lake, 2017 ADM Senior Research Fellow
“Bringing Forth Life would not have come into existence without Anglican Deaconess Ministries and their fellowships program. Alongside the practical support and community they provided, having someone external believe in my idea was what really made the book happen.”
- Jodie McIver, 2021 ADM Fellow
“I have appreciated the time to publish more papers, which adds to my ability to contribute in the field. This has also been a valuable time for thinking through future avenues. I have new impetus to continue writing and publishing.”
– Rev. Dr Kirsten Birkett, 2018 ADM Senior Research Fellow
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to have been an ADM Senior Research Fellow. My ministry to both single Christians themselves, and the wider Christian community on this topic is all the richer for it. I’d love to see the Fellowships Program continue to be a blessing to other Christian women involved in various forms of vocational, word-based ministry and theological research.”
– Rev. Dr Dani Treweek, 2019 ADM Senior Research Fellow
“The ADM Fellowship came at a perfect time in order to propel and equip me to meet the challenges of providing an Asian Australian voice that points to Jesus. Now I feel like I’m getting a seat at the table, and gatekeepers are open to hearing that my work could help them. I’m so thankful for where God has put me now, and ADM played an instrumental role in getting me there.”
– Grace Lung, 2019 ADM Summer Fellow
Support ADM’s Fellowships Program
2025 ADM Fellows
2025 ADM Fellows
Dr Leisa Aitken
ADM Senior Fellow
Fellowship project: Rediscovering hope
Dr Leisa Aitken is a clinical psychologist who has been counselling for nearly 30 years. She recently completed a PhD through the University of Sydney on ‘The Psychology of Hope’, and, alongside clinical practice, Leisa regularly speaks at schools, churches and conferences on this topic. She is a member of the Clinical College of the Australian Psychological Society.
Leisa will use her ADM Fellowship to write a book exploring how believers can nurture their experience of hope. Her book will look at what the Bible says about hope as well as how theologians and philosophers have reflected on hope throughout history. Engaging with psychological and neuroscience research along with her clinical experience, Leisa will explore how hope generally, and hope in Christ specifically, can best be understood and nurtured.
“As we look back to Jesus’ death and resurrection, we find the grounds for our hope, and this propels us forward to the wonderful eschatological plans of God for the New creation. This vision of hope in both God’s deeds from the past and promises for our future inevitably impacts our present experience and motivates us to participate with Him in the task of blessing the world—an inherently hopeful activity! I anticipate that by helping believers develop an excitement about God’s presence in their future, it enables them to be more confident now to share and live out the hope-filled message of Jesus to a world often in despair.”
Jeri Jones Sparks
ADM Senior Fellow
Fellowship project: Church culture that reaches South Asian cultures
Jeri Jones Sparks is an Indian-Australian Tamil woman who is passionate about equipping the local church to reach those from South Asia and the Hindu world. Jeri has been the Outreach Minister at St James Anglican Church Croydon since 2020,the Director of the Good News Series and part of the SATYA Network Committee.
Jeri will use her ADM Fellowship to undertake a research and development project with the goal of establishing an engagement strategy for local churches so they can effectively reach the South Asian community. This project meets the opportunity to reach the biggest migrant group of Australia with a culturally fluent model for engagement.
“I have a vision to see the kind of cultural humility and honour that is required of Christ’s unified and diverse body, that will enable us to effectively engage the South Asian community with the good news of Jesus. Ultimately, I want to see more and more positions of meaningful leadership held by key South Asian Christians to reach the South Asian community, the tables where decisions are made and the platforms where church culture is shaped being increasingly South Asian.”
Danielle Terceiro
ADM Fellow
Fellowship project: The holy fool in the 21st century
Danielle Terceiro is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. She has just completed a PhD by publication in the area of Literature and Theology on "Teaching children to read the world: Retelling stories in picture books, graphic novels and animations" at Alphacrucis University College.
Danielle will use her ADM Fellowship to write a scholarly yet accessible book on ‘The holy fool in the 21st century’, examining contemporary novels, movies and multimodal texts and considering why the Judeo-Christian idea of the ‘holy fool’ is still a compelling one, even for religious sceptics. She hopes to help readers grapple with the continuing cultural power of this Judeo-Christian trope, and its continuing appeal to secular readers as a way of making sense of the world.
“I believe that Jesus is the ‘first among fools’ and that the wisdom of the cross is the balm for our hurting age. Jesus lived as a holy fool, drawing the ire of the leaders around him. He deliberately feasted with the ‘sinners’ in his society. And of course, Christians understand that the whole trajectory of Jesus’ life is a ‘foolish’ one: a life lived toward crucifixion, outside the camp of respectability.”
Nicky Fortescue
ADM Senior Fellow
Fellowship project: Understanding our creatureliness as a way to facilitate maturity, godliness and love
Nicky is a Family Systems coach and qualified Pastoral Supervisor who is actively engaged in learning, teaching, coaching, and applying Bowen Family Systems Theory in various contexts. Nicky is on the Faculty of the Family Systems Institute, specialising in Systems in Ministry, and holds a Graduate Certificate in Professional (Pastoral) Supervision and a Certificate in Family Systems Theory and Practice.
Nicky will use her ADM Fellowship to work on a project that takes Family Systems Theory and applies it to Christian leadership and church communities. Nicky believes the theory can help Christians better navigate the challenges of being human in relationships, providing time and space for wiser choices and greater compassion, grace and forgiveness in our interactions.
“When God created humans, he placed us in families. As most will attest, being in a family presents us with challenges alongside blessings, profoundly shaping the way we engage in relationships as adults. Interestingly, as creatures, the relationship challenges we face are quite predictable. While it is natural to focus on the faults of others, real growth comes from recognising and managing our own reactions, seeking to take responsibility for ourselves while staying lovingly connected to others. By developing emotional maturity, individuals can gradually bring greater love, grace, and maturity to their relationships and, in turn, positively influence the broader systems they are part of.”
2024 ADM Fellows
2024 ADM Fellows
Esther Counsell
ADM Senior Fellow
Fellowship project: Protestant Civil Religion and the English Commonwealth, 1520–1640
Esther Counsell is a historian specialising in early modern British history. She is currently preparing her PhD for submission at the University of Cambridge, and also holds an MPhil in Early Modern History (Trinity College, Cambridge). Esther has presented her work at numerous academic conferences, and is currently a casual academic at the University of Western Sydney.
Esther will use her ADM Fellowship to complete a book and several articles based on her PhD research, which focuses on reformed Protestant ecclesiology and ideas of civil religion in post-Reformation England.Her research highlights the integral role of Christian religion, and specifically reformed Protestant thought, in the development of the modern state - particularly through the establishment of principles with deeply biblical origins such as the rule of law, constitutional monarchy, and freedom of conscience. In looking at how reformed Protestant models of civil religion uniquely shaped the English commonwealth, Esther’s work also aims to engage a new generation of Christians to learn from their reformed Protestant heritage in navigating the intersections of church and state.
“Historians can play a special part in Christ’s church, and can further the Church’s mission by teaching new generations of the truths of the Christian faith, and of the witness and boldness of past Christians who went before them and who thought deeply about important issues before them, also. We can help the Church to present an intellectually-robust Christianity, that remains both human and heartfelt. Scholarship should be about opening your heart, as well as your mind, to the transforming presence of God.”
Rev. Ruth Schroeter
ADM Fellow
Fellowship project: A Pastoral and Theological Exploration of Embodiment - How the gospel teaches us to see the beauty and value of our bodies
Rev. Ruth Schroeter is a deacon with the Anglican Church of Sydney with extensive pastoral experience, most recently serving as an Associate Minister at St Andrew’s Cathedral. She holds a Bachelor of Theology and Certificate of Clinical Pastoral Education from Moore Theological College. Ruth is also an experienced dancer, and has taught dance for many years.
Ruth will use her ADM Fellowship project to research and write on the topic of embodiment - exploring what it means for us to be body, mind and spirit. Drawing on her personal history and ministry experience, Ruth will present a theology of embodiment with a strongly pastoral focus. Looking to Jesus – the most profound expression of embodiment, as God entered His world in human form – Ruth’s project explores historical, cultural, and religious views that shape how we think about ourselves as physical beings, and considers how these ideas might better align with how the Bible presents God’s view of us as embodied beings.
“I hope to provide a pastorally sensitive and theologically rich resource which encourages us to view our bodies as God does, and to become better stewards of this wonderful part of our humanness which offers such potential to express the goodness of God as we glorify him with every part of ourselves.”
Kate Morris
ADM Fellow
Fellowship project: A Different Normal: Building a Gospel-Shaped Family with Neurodivergent Children
Kate Morris is a child educator specialising in supporting gifted students. She is currently completing a Grad. Cert. in Autism Studies (University of Wollongong) and holds a B. Arts/Education specialising in Gifted Education (UNSW) and a Dip. Bible and Missions (Moore Theological College). Kate has engaged in long term cross-cultural mission in France with CMS, and is passionate about helping Christians understand and embrace neurological differences.
Kate will use her ADM Fellowship to write a book that engages Christian parents of neurodivergent children in a Biblically framed conversation about neurodiversity and parenting. Drawing on both her professional and personal experiences of parenting neurodiverse children, as well as the perspectives of other neurodivergent Christians, Kate will bring distinctly Christian approaches to neurodivergence and to parenting neurodivergent children.
“I have heard from innumerable Christian parents that they also find there is a distinct lack of material addressing parenting neurodivergent children from a Christian point of view. I would love to write a book to be part of this conversation. This book would seek to engage parents in Biblical reflection, inject hope into their outlook, deeply encourage them in their work as parents, and bolster their understanding of the experience of neurodivergence for the sake of their children and their families as a whole.”
Dr Justine Toh
ADM Senior Fellow
Fellowship project: Keeping House – A Provocation
Dr Justine Toh is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity (CPX), where she writes about popular culture, social trends, contemporary society, religion, and spirituality. Justine holds a PhD in Cultural Studies (Macquarie University), and her work has been published in The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Online, ABC Religion & Ethics, The Canberra Times, The Guardian, and more.
Justine will use her ADM Fellowship to write a book exploring a distinctly Christian vision of care. Through the metaphor of “keeping house” – or the work of attending to the flourishing of all the members of all the “houses” we inhabit, she will explore how the work of care frequently goes unacknowledged, and yet remains essential to our individual and communal flourishing.
““If my first book Achievement Addiction ended with the recognition that all of life is a gift and that, ultimately, we do nothing to earn our success in life, then this book dwells in the recognition that our lives have always been graced. In other words, we have always been kept, and cared for, by others. Follow the logic long enough, and you bump into God pretty quickly, only to realise (of course!) he was there all along. I want people to know, in their beloved bones, this knowledge that “is too wonderful… too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6).””
Miriam
ADM Senior Fellow
Fellowship project: Mental Health and Ministry Talks
Miriam is an accredited mental health social worker, counsellor and supervisor. She holds a B. Arts/B. Social Work (University of Sydney), M. Divinity (SMBC), and a M. Clinical Counselling (ACU) and currently works as a counsellor. Miriam also has extensive cross-cultural experience, and has worked in counselling and chaplaincy across a range of professional contexts.
Miriam will use her ADM Fellowship to prepare a series of workshops to equip pastoral caregivers and ministry staff to better serve the mental health needs of their church communities. In doing this, Miriam brings her experience working in the intersection of psychology, counselling, and theology to provide practical, evidence-based tools to equip Christian communities in responding to mental health challenges.
“From personal experience, I know that vocational ministry is complex, demanding, glorious, and gutting. With hands on experience in ministry and mental health, I aim to provide ministers and congregation members with tools to thrive physically, mentally, relationally, and spiritually in their calling.”
Our Fellows Alumni
ADM Visiting Fellows
Professor Sarah C. Williams
Sarah is a Research Professor in the History of Christianity at Regent College Vancouver, a Research Associate at St Benet’s Hall Oxford, and one of the world’s leading experts on the history of Christianity.
Sarah taught a two-part masterclass at ADM’s 2020 School of Theology, Culture & Public Engagement: ‘Prayer as Political Resistance: The Radical Theology of First Wave Feminism’. She was also a panellist at the STCPE Opening reception event on ‘Faith in Action: Past, Present and Future’ and she delivered the Closing reception keynote address, entitled: ‘Prayer, Agency and Cultural Transformation’.
Professor Karen E. Mason
Karen is a Professor of Counselling and Psychology and Director of the Hamilton Counselling Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is author of “Preventing Suicide: A Handbook for Pastors, Chaplains and Pastoral Counsellors” (IVP).
Karen taught two masterclasses at the ADM’s 2020 School of Theology, Culture & Public Engagement: one on suicide prevention in faith communities and another on the same topic aimed specifically at clergy and ministry workers with special attention to topics such as suicide and preaching.
Dr Michaela O'Donnell Long
Michaela is Senior Director of the De Pree Centre for Leadership at Fuller Seminary, where she is also Adjunct Professor of Practical Theology and Leadership. She is an entrepreneur who has started several businesses, most notably, she is co-founder and CEO of Long Winter Media.
Michaela visited ADM in September 2019. She was the keynote speaker at the 2019 ADM Annual Funding Event and Evening Showcase event. She also taught an Engage Masterclass for women on innovation, empathy and imagination, as well as meeting with the 2019 ADM Fellows and women in our 2019 Incubator program.
Learn more about past ADM Visiting Fellows and their activities:
About the ADM Fellowships Program
About the ADM Fellowships Program
ADM Fellowships raise up Christian women to engage a sceptical and hurting world with the good news of Jesus, as they serve Christ in the church, the community, and the world.
ADM established its Fellowships Program in 2016 and appointed its first cohort of ADM Fellows in 2017. ADM has so far seen 23 Fellows through its year-long program, with 5 current 2023 Fellows.
Supporting Christian Women
The Fellowships Program reflects ADM’s commitment to see women serve Christ and his Church by supporting them to undertake high-quality major projects which give them credibility in their area and open up further opportunities for them to contribute to serving God’s people and engaging a sceptical and hurting world with the good news of Jesus.
At present, many Christian women who have a desire to make a significant contribution to the Church and its witness have limited access to support and funding that would allow them the time, space and training to do this. As a result, Christian women at the early-mid career stage can end up needing to leave these projects aside for financial, family and other reasons. Sadly, this can mean the Church too often misses out on the particular contributions women might make to its ministry and mission.
The ADM Fellowships Program was developed to address this need and to expand the capacity of Christian women to serve Christ in the church, the community and the world. In creating the program, we drew on best-practice models of early-mid career Fellowships, which are used extensively in a wide variety of contexts from universities and theological colleges through to government, philanthropic foundations and even banks.
Fellowships Program Structure
ADM Fellowships provide 6-month or 1-year Fellowships to Christian women to complete a focused project at the ADM office and engage the public with their work. The maximum bursary for ADM Fellows who undertake their project 5 days per week for one year is $60,000, and for ADM Senior Fellows, $80,000. To suit many women’s needs for flexible work, Fellowships can also be held ‘part-time’ (2,3 or 4 days per week, bursary pro rata).
In addition, ADM Fellows are provided with tailored professional development opportunities in project management and Christian public engagement, as well as avenues to connect with mentors and networks. ADM Fellows also become part of a growing Fellows Alumni network, providing ongoing support and encouragement.
The Objectives of the ADM Fellowships Program are to:
Enable the completion of high-quality major projects by Christian women that will give them credibility in their field and set them up for further opportunities to serve Christ and his Church, particularly in engaging a sceptical and hurting world with the good news of Jesus;
Train and equip Christian women to share their contributions with wider public audiences, through providing integrated theological and professional development in a supportive Christian environment;
Progress Christian women at the early-mid vocational stage towards sustainable pathways to continue their work, and promote the creation of more pathways for Christian women and girls to serve Christ in the church, the community and the world.
The numbers at a glance
ADM began offering its Fellowships and Senior Fellowships in 2017. To date, ADM has hosted six year-long cohorts of Fellows (2017-2022), with the seventh cohort (2023) having begun on February 1. Each cohort has had 4-5 Fellows, with a total of 35 Fellows so far. (Note, however, that many of our year-long Fellows took up ‘part-time’ Fellowships of 2, 3 or 4 days per week). ADM has also hosted three cohorts of Summer Fellows (2018, 2019 and 2020), with a total of 11 Summer Fellows. ADM offers an International Visiting Fellowship each year by invitation, sometimes connected with the Annual Public Lecture or other major event.
Program Ambassadors
Program Ambassadors
What people are saying
“I am a huge fan of the ADM Fellowships program. It is the most generous and important Christian fellowship program in Australia. The diversity of fellows and topics is inspiring, yet the goal remains the same—to make the wisdom of Christ public in our questioning world. ”
“The ADM Fellowships Program is an innovative program which seeks to empower, equip and encourage amazing Christian women to contribute to the common good in the ways only they can. I love seeing these women better understand the gift they are to the church and the world, and grow in their unique skills and gifts.”
“ADM Fellowships are a marvellous opportunity to advance the name of Jesus through the creative and industrious work of the Fellows. The Fellowships have already had a huge impact in unleashing women with extraordinary ideas and gifts.”
“I love and support the work of ADM and am particularly thankful for the Fellowships Program. Its very existence affirms the contribution of women in many spheres and shows them doing it with excellence and intelligence. In my pastoral work, I want to encourage women to grow in their faith and talents and to have the opportunity to live purposefully for Christ. This program enables and encourages a seat at the table.”
“Through its Fellowships Program, ADM is a national leader in inspiring and resourcing women to attempt great things in dependence upon God, for the good of the church, and of the society we are called to love.”
“Spending a week with Anglican Deaconess Ministries was one of the highlights of my whole career. What ADM is doing to empower Christian women for public vocation is unparalleled—truly, I can’t think of another organisation like it.”
“It’s always hard – perhaps particularly for women - to create the conditions in which to research, think and write – whether that’s done inside the university or, as in my case, outside it. Much of this book was written, hotdesking around public libraries, between the preschool drop off and pick up times. After two and a half years of that, I received a generous part-time Fellowship from Anglican Deaconess Ministries , a Christian foundation for women. An absolutely critical intervention, that enabled me to keep going and finish the book, and to do my best writing. So thank you to all at ADM.”
“There’s nowhere else like this organisation, as far as I’m aware, anywhere in the world.”
Announcing the 2025 ADM Fellows
Anglican Deaconess Ministries is delighted to announce our 2025 Fellows cohort. With ADM’s support, these four women will bring together their areas of expertise and their faith to complete major projects that engage our sceptical and hurting world with the gospel.