Rev. Dr. Fran Mayes

Rev. Dr. Fran Mayes grew up in a fundamentalist church and learned through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Michigan that she was not infallible. “My walls were widened in a church that called itself ‘irenic’ but still evangelical.” A feminist crisis in the 70’s led her to questioning everything. She credits CFT (known as the Evangelical Women’s Caucus at the time) with rescuing her from total disillusionment. Called to professional ministry, she graduated from a Catholic seminary and followed up with other classes and ordination. Mayes served as a pastor in both the American Baptist and Metropolitan Community Church denominations. Her dissertation was Polyamory and Holy Union in UFMCC. She has four children, ten grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She lives in rural Michigan with a cat named Sunshine where she enjoys gardening, sewing, and playing with babies.