"Our church isn't ready for a woman in the pulpit."
Fair enough, but it's time to get ready.
The very first time I saw a woman in the pulpit, not even to preach but simply to pray, was during my first semester of seminary. The only reason I could even conceive of the possibility of women ministers was because I spent a full year studying and writing a thesis about them when I was a senior in college. (I really wish I could remember who or what the Divine used to inspire that particular project.)
Twenty-five years later I have the good fortune of knowing LOTS of clergywomen, in addition to being one myself. What an absolute delight! These women are so committed and gifted. They are doing outstanding, faithful ministry. And yet I still regularly run into church folks who tell me that their congregation is not ready to be led by a female. Here’s what that statement communicates to me:
“We recognize it might be a tough road here for a clergywoman.” I am grateful for this awareness. Sometimes churches will call a clergywoman out of desperation (e.g., “we can’t find anyone else who will agree to what we can pay,” “we’ve tried everything else, so we might as well try a female pastor”). This installation of women into precarious situations is called the glass cliff phenomenon. At other times pastor search team members might eagerly call a clergywoman, but their enthusiasm is not representative of the overall congregation’s openness to female leadership. Either case is a setup for disaster.
“We are willing to cut our pool of quality candidates in half.” At many mainline seminaries women now make up half of the student population. Not all seminary students become ordained ministers, choosing instead to exercise their calling and skills in other arenas. But in an era in which many clergy are leaving congregational ministry and in which a fresh approach to church (which women in ministry offer) is called for, it is an interesting choice automatically to send all women’s resumes and profiles to the “reject” pile.
“We can imagine a future in which we are ready for a clergywoman.” In other words, not ready now doesn’t equal never ready. That means that the barriers to women in ministry in these congregations are more cultural than theological, and cultures can shift with enough thoughtful, persistent effort.
“It is time for us to start getting ready for that future.” This is the uncomfortable part. It is going to mean congregations actually making those thoughtful, persistent efforts to change the culture, not just continuing to project that at some vague point their churches will become magically open to women’s leadership. What does this push look like? For starters, it includes (but is not limited to) scheduling guest preachers who are female, using books and materials from women in various ministries, installing laywomen in leadership roles, noting and nurturing ministry skills in girls during their child and teen years, and eliminating exclusively male language for pastors.
I spent a lot of time during my youth wondering why I had no female role models at church (in ordained ministry, that is - I had influential Sunday School teachers). Luckily, I knew to ask this question because I had strong women mentors in other spheres of my life. I wonder how much vitality and joy and creativity and care churches are missing out on in the name of not being fully ready for a different but equally effective kind of leadership.
It’s time to change that.
The UCC has been ordaining women since the 1800s. When I first started pulpit ministry there were 13 women in the most rural churches in South Dakota. By the time I left that Conference there were only 2. The more conservative the church, the less likely even now to call a woman. And, with few exceptions, women are less likely to be paid Conference guidelines. How do I know ? I've retired and in subsidized housing because with the exception of a non parish setting I never had social security paid in, and even that setting didn't meet Conference guidlines for adding to my pension.
Reality sux