Ann Ferguson, PW program coordinator, joined the conversation
on leadership, reflecting on what PW does to develop leaders
at the local, presbytery, synod and national levels. "At
all levels women practice general leadership skills---working
in committees, planning, evaluating, keeping tasks on schedule.
Presbyterian Women offers a safe setting where first-time leaders
have the strong support of working with experienced leaders.
"The local PW groups are one of the key entry points
for new church members. Education about what it means to be a
Christian, and more specifically a Presbyterian, happens here.
On the presbytery and synod levels, women become familiar with
church polity, providing the 
groundwork to lead on a national level.
"At the churchwide level, women involved in PW can attend
General Assembly as an observer, attend orientation sessions,
watch committees at work and reflect on the experience with other
members of the Churchwide Coordinating Team. Women then take
this experience back to their congregation, inspiring and educating
the next group of future leaders.
"Leading in our diverse culture is a challenge for everyone,
white women and women of color. In PW women of all ethnicities
have the opportunity to work together. An exciting new element
in PW's leadership program is dialogue groups. Participants from
various race-ethnicities, including European American learn new
methods of talking about what is important to them. There are
no 'tokens' in a dialogue group. Everyone is an individual. The
women appreciate their cultural differences and similarities,
practice dialogue and problem-solving skills and build coalitions
to address problems."
How
can Presbyterian Women shape a life? 
Finding Your Voice: Learning to
Lead . . . Anywhere You Want to Make a Difference
Leadership
and the New Science: Discovering Order
in a Chaotic World 
The Web of Inclusion 
Leading
Minds 