Gives voice to the many lesser-heard lay women in the Church of England. Nearly thirty years after the decision to allow the ordination of women to the priesthood, Edgewise collects the thoughts of nine lay women in the Church of England, asking what it means to be committed to being 'lay' in the contemporary church and world. For more than twenty years, the writers have been part of an Anglican lay women's 'cell group', meeting, sharing and reflecting together. This book collects their individual perspectives on being a lay woman in the church since the opportunity for ordination became a reality, with some common threads and themes and others unique. The result is a fascinating, thoughtful snapshot of several lives and diverse experiences which presents rich material for reflection by all in the twenty-first-century Church of England.