The now-retired Baptist pastor that I have known for 20 years may have changed his mind. When I first began talking with him about women’s equality, he assured me that the Scriptures did not back up women deacons or pastors. He has several dynamic daughters and said, “We have never discussed it, but I would think they would agree with me.”
My thought then and it’s the same now, is that they don’t agree with him. And that might be the reason they have never discussed it.
In fact, one daughter is married to a low-key pastor who just never seemed to click with any of his congregations. Someone told me that when the search committee hired him, they really wanted what his wife could bring to the church, and to get her, they had to choose him. I saw this played out over several years.
This retired preacher’s daughter is now head of a religious entity and is doing a fabulous job. So my preacher friend asked his pastor if she could come speak to the church about what she is doing, since the ministry is one that their church supports.
The pastor said no.
But then he turned around and asked her to speak to a men’s prayer breakfast which was not located inside the church building.
When it hits home, we begins to see things differently.
Will you pray with me that this woman’s ministry will continue to be successful and that both the older retired pastor and the young now-pastor will completely change their minds about what women can do in the church?
bWe Baptist Women for Equality's Blog 
What a sad lot we are! Why do we stand for it? I wonder what effect a ‘Stay away’ day would have?
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I don’t think enough women care enough or know enough to be effective enough on a stay away day. I agree with you. That is sad.
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Just wait for the next generation. You’ll see stay-away days. The kids growing up now aren’t going to stand for any of this when they get old enough to do something about it.
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Exactly!
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Shirley, I love your persistence in the face of overwhelming patriarchy. (Let’s not let them set the agenda by using the ‘complementarian’ vocabulary.)
We have a vision of the church as a large, powerful bull. The only way to get the bull moving is to pull gently on the ring through its nose.
Good leadership is impossible to ignore. Some may choose to stand still but the church will follow good leadership. Sadly it may not happen quickly.
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I live close to the 4th largest city in the US and in my town which is growing by leaps and bounds in spite of the economy, there is only 1 Baptist church among 120 that might consider women as deacons. They don’t have any however. So in this whole local Baptist association, there is no church that has women serving fully. This keeps the churches bound closely together and no woman can make a headway into this because it is the normal way to do things. No pastor has the courage to speak up and make a change. Thank you for your encouraging words. All of you give me courage, and you all are an affirmation that I am doing what God has called me to do. I am just a laywoman who has a burning desire that all of God’s children have an equal opportunity based on their gifts, not on the gender they were at birth.
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Someday maybe the silliness of saying, “She can only speak as long as she’s not inside the doors of a certain building” will occur to the guy. Sheesh!
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Don’t they see their silliness? This is a young pastor who would not let the woman speak behind the pulpit. I heard her speak at a fundraising banquet for her entity and she is captivating. As we sat around the table and the religious bigwigs sat before their dirty plates and glasses, she preached the message of love and redemption to them. I have invited her to attend our conference, not as a speaker, but just to come. Shirley
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Shirley, that’s great news. Is she coming?
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I don’t know yet. I haven’t asked her yet. But I will. Thanks for the other comments.
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