ATLANTA, GA —DECEMBER 15, 2025 — Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM) is honored to announce the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, as the recipient of the 2025 Church of Excellence Award, recognizing the congregation’s bold, decades-long commitment to empowering, affirming, and elevating women in ministry.
Founded in 1803 and led by Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Alfred Street has consistently embodied the values at the heart of this award: affirming women as clergy and lay leaders, removing barriers that hinder women’s leadership, nurturing the callings of girls and women, and advocating for women in ministry far beyond their own congregation.
From ordaining women as deacons as early as 1979 and ordaining the first African American female minister in Virginia in 1980, to building a present-day ministerial landscape where clergywomen outnumber men three to one, Alfred Street has been a trailblazer in Baptist life.
One nominator wrote that Alfred Street “eminently exemplifies values that affirm and ordain women for all expressions of ministry and leadership; demonstrates support of women in ministry by taking action to eliminate barriers… nurtures and cultivates the callings of women of all ages… and advocates for women beyond its own congregational community.”
A Church Where Women’s Leadership Is Normal, Expected, and Celebrated
In her nomination letter, Dr. Fredericka Sands described Alfred Street as a congregation where women’s leadership is so deeply embedded that gender becomes, as she writes, “a distinction without a difference.” She continues, “At Alfred Street, the oddity is the absence of women in leadership and ministry, not their presence.”
Sands noted that the congregation thrives because generations of women have been visible, empowered leaders. She writes, “Because one can ‘see it’ at Alfred Street, whomsoever is organically encouraged to ‘be it.’”
She also highlighted the church’s rich legacy of influential clergywomen and lay leaders, including the late Reverend Dr. Faye Savage Gunn and Deacon Patricia M. Wallace, reflecting that “on any given occasion, a formal clerical procession is comprised mostly of Alfred Street women.”
A Community Where Women Are Supported, Equipped, and Sent
Reverend Dr. Joy Challenger Slaughter shared how Alfred Street intentionally invests in women’s pastoral formation, writing:
“What stands out most is the way Alfred Street creates space for women of all ages to discern and live into their callings… ASBC intentionally nurtures emerging leaders, elevates women into visible positions of influence, and cultivates an environment where women ministers are supported, encouraged, and celebrated.”
She added, “Our pastor is also generous with our pulpit to women guest preachers… Alfred Street’s advocacy and encouragement extend beyond our walls, serving as a witness within the wider Baptist community.”
A Prophetic Commitment to Dismantling Patriarchy
In her powerful nomination letter, Minister Jessica Anderson described the ways Alfred Street provides sanctuary and affirmation for women navigating the barriers and harms they face elsewhere. She wrote: “I get to live and minister in the grandiosity of inclusion because of Alfred Street.”
Anderson praised the church’s bold use of inclusive language, noting, “Alfred Street refers to the Holy Spirit with she/her pronouns… pulling down Patriarchy is not just possible but necessary.” She emphasized that these choices are not symbolic but transformative. “Our language forms and constructs God… our church has made language decisions [that have] built a church where Mary, Tabitha, Esther, Hagar, Miriam, Jochebed, and the unnamed women would not only gain their names, but their titles.”
She celebrated the impact Alfred Street has on the next generation, writing, “These youth have not experienced a church where women did not lead, teach, and preach… Their reality is Baptist Women in Ministry’s vision.”
Reverend Dr. Meredith Stone, Executive Director of BWIM said, “Baptist Women in Ministry is privileged to include the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church on our list of Church of Excellence Award recipients. The commitment of Alfred Street and Rev. Dr. Wesley to uplifting women in ministry has had an impact not only on the congregation in Alexandria, VA, but on Christ followers throughout the United States who look to Alfred Street for pioneering leadership and guidance. We honor their courageous advocacy, and hope that by amplifying their powerful witness, more churches might follow in their footsteps.”
For more information, reach out to nikkihardeman@bwim.info.
About the Church of Excellence Award: Each year, Baptist Women in Ministry recognizes a Church of Excellence that has gone above and beyond in encouraging women in ministry and leadership. Churches have always been at the center of the Baptist movement toward affirming women in ministry. The Baptist Women in Ministry Church of Excellence Award was established in 2013 to honor churches that have taken bold, intentional, and consistent actions to affirm, empower, and provide opportunities for women ministers and leaders.
About Baptist Women in Ministry: Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM) is a national nonprofit organization committed to supporting Baptist women who pursue ministry and advocating for their full affirmation in ministry and leadership in Baptist life. BWIM envisions a future where women thrive as they minister and lead in Baptist communities. Learn more at www.bwim.info.