Three decades after the decision to allow the ordination of women to the priesthood, nine lay women in the Church of England have written their thoughts on 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 group, meeting, sharing and reflecting together. Edgewise? collects their individual perspectives on being a lay woman in the church since the opportunity for ordination became a reality, with some threads and themes in common 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 and beyond.