Women Preachers

This morning I went upstairs for coffee, shortly after 6:30. As I was pouring my coffee, a young college-age guy sat nearby, fixing a button on his outfit. He obviously worked in the Breakfast Room for Prince CC. Here's the conversation we had.

YG (young guy): Are you here for some big meeting or something?

C: Well, I’m here for a workshop.

YG: Oh yeah? What workshop?

C: The Preacher’s Oasis.

YG: Are you a preacher?

C: I am.

YG: Get out of here!

C: Yep, I’m a preacher.

YG: Wow. So were you at the synod meeting?

C: No, I’m from the Evangelical Covenant Church. I drove in from Madison, WI last night.

YG: Oh. So what does the EV Free think of women preachers?

C: Well, I’m not EV Free. I’m Evangelical Covenant. And the Covenant has been ordaining women for 30 years.

YG: 30 years? No way.

C: Yes, 30 Years.

YG: Wow. Well in the Synod it was a big deal this year. …The '95 decision was being revisited, no agreement could be made. Older guard feels real strongly that women shouldn’t preach… etc.. finally they came to some decision to take a hiatus from the discussion for 7 years. They did remove the word "man" from something, but they also decided that women could not be elected to the Synod.

C: What? Wow!

YG: Yeah, it was all pretty exciting. History in the making..

C: Exciting? How do the women feel about this?

YG: Well, they should be happy… there was some good ground made for them.

C: Hmmm... I doubt they feel very excited.

YG: Well, except for waiting for seven years, they should feel good about the ground made for them. But it was pretty exciting. I’m not even sure how I feel about the whole issue.



Interesting. I offered to talk or listen to him this week, if he wants to discuss the issue at all. If he's not on a 7-year hiatus, that is.

This conversation made me appreciate the Covenant. Granted, I can write this because I have a job as a senior-co-pastor in a good church. My stories of people opposing my calling are not extremely painful. Granted, there are moments when there is pain. There are ways people approach Jim and me differently, even in the most progressive communities. Still, I have been fortunate, and appreciate my denomination. Others may not feel the same way, as they still seek calls within the denomination they want to call "home", or as they continue to climb uphill everyday when they go to work. One friend of mine has left the Covenant for one that offered her a job, and has numerous women clergy.

We have far to go, I still believe. And yet, I am still thankful. Thankful for the women who went ahead of me and my colleagues. The women who fought the hard battles early on when it wasn't the "in" thing to do. The women who followed their callings.. and the ones who continue to move forward. And I am thankful for the men who can't believe this even has to be an issue because it is so obvious-and Biblical-that women and men are both gifted for ministry.

Thank you, to those who continue to plough ahead. And thank you to those of churches or denominations where the progress is slow or backwards... Thank you for following your calls anyhow, and hang in there.