Martha Grace Reese, JD, MDiv

Author of Unbinding the Gospel Series
& President, GraceNet, Inc.

Martha Grace Reese is an ordained Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister who serves as President of GraceNet, Inc. She has initiated and provided leadership for five major Lilly Endowment grants, all focused on congregational vitality, spiritual leadership, transformation and evangelism in mainline congregations. The Unbinding the Gospel book series arose from one of these grants - The Mainline Evangelism Project, the only major, national study of evangelism in mainline churches. Reese currently directs The Unbinding the Gospel Project, with two objectives: (a) to coach 1000+ congregations in a process of prayer, faithsharing and evangelism, and (b) to study the dynamics of spiritual leadership and congregational transformation.

Reese has extensive experience as a consultant, researcher and systemic analyst for congregational pastors and denominational executives. Her work is grounded in seven years as senior pastor of a revitalizing congregation, tripling worship attendance in the first three years. She has also served as a middle judicatory minister, a consultant for the Lilly Endowment, on the boards of directors of several not-for-profit corporations, and has had extensive practice and training in centering prayer and Christian spirituality. In life before seminary, she was a corporate attorney.

Reese is a magna cum laude graduate of The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; DePauw University and the Facultad de Filosofia y Letras, Universidad de Madrid (BA, major in Spanish, minors in Economics and Religion); Indiana University School of Law (JD), and Christian Theological Seminary (MDiv). She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and is married to Cyrus N. White, President and Editor of Christian Board of Publication. They have two daughters.