The Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins is the General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, the first woman ever chosen to lead a mainline Protestant denomination.

Rev. Watkins also is the first woman ever selected to deliver the sermon at the national prayer service that is held the day after the presidential inauguration.

As General Minister, she is universal pastor of the 700,000-member denomination, responsible for representing the wholeness of the church, for reconciling differences, and for helping the church retain its clarity of mission and identity.

As General President, she is the chief executive officer for the denomination, responsible for overseeing the work of the church's various structures. She is serving a six-year term that extends through 2011.

In the ecumenical world, Rev. Watkins is regarded as "head of communion" and as the chief representative of the church in national and world ecumenical councils. She preaches a message of unity and inclusivity, tolerance and hope and reconciliation.

She has an extensive background of service both in the U.S. and abroad. She is a member of the Geneva-based Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC). For two years early in her ecumenical career, she was a missionary in the Congo, working on adult literacy programs. In 2007, she visited several Mideast countries, focusing specifically on the plight of Iraqi refugees.

On Jan. 21, 2009, Rev. Watkins preached at the National Prayer Service in Washington D.C. at the invitation of then President-Elect Barack Obama. She also has been named to President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

She has led congregations in Oklahoma, Connecticut and Indiana. In the academic world, she held positions as Director of Student Services at Phillips Theological Seminary in Oklahoma and Associate Vice-President for University Relations at Phillips University.

She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Phillips Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity from the Yale Divinity School, and a Bachelor's Degree in French and Economics from Butler University. She also has been awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Phillips Theological Seminary, Northwest Christian University and Bethany College.

Rev. Watkins is married to the Rev. Dr. Rick Lowery. They have two children, Bethany and Christopher.