‘Me, a 24-year-old woman, leading a church? It felt absurd!’

Sasha Gerry was hesitant to accept when she was asked to lead a church in Brixton. Here, she tells our editor Tola-Doll Fisher about her journey away from shame and into leadership and why she believes honest discipleship and mentoring can help us step into freedom in Christ

Tola-Doll Fisher (TDF): I really want to speak with you about your experiences as a young, female church leader. But before we get there, tell me about your formative years.

Sasha Gerry (SG): I grew up in Suffolk in the same house my whole life. My parents became Christians when they got married, so I was raised in the faith, attending a Church of England church. In the countryside, my siblings and I were essentially the ‘youth’. I also attended events run by the Stewards’ Trust from a very young age. They gave me a charismatic experience of faith that contrasted with the traditional Church of England services.