She Lives! Equity for Women in the Church at the Alliance of Baptists Gathering
She Lives! Sophia Wisdom is working in the world through Equity for Women in the Church! Several weeks ago Equity for Women in the Church held two meetings at the annual Alliance of Baptists Gathering in Atlanta. These were not just informative business meetings where leaders spoke; they were sacred circles where stories were told and every voice was heard.
Clergywomen told stories of pain from rejection of their call, of overcoming formidable obstacles, and of Grace along the journey. One clergywoman, through tears, told of internal and external challenges she is facing in trying to fulfill her call. We paused to lift her in prayer. Another told of supporting and encouraging her students as they expanded their vision of what a pastoral call for women can be. One young woman expressed how the stories shared in circle that day had opened her heart to the option of pastoring a multicultural church. She later wrote: “What a beautiful, honest, and inspiring group! As I begin searching for other ways to minister, I will be keeping my eyes and heart open to nonwhite churches. That had never occurred to me as a viable option. That’s why we need community–to call us to a bigger vision.”
These stories reconfirmed the importance of our mission: Equity for Women in the Church, Inc. is an ecumenical movement to facilitate equal representation of clergywomen as pastors of multicultural churches in order to transform church and society. The stories told in these sacred circles renewed our commitment to this transforming work and increased our faith in the fulfillment of our mission.
Among those in one of our circle meetings was Rev. Dr. Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar, professor in the Department of Women’s Studies at United Theological College in Bangalore, India. After the meeting, she came to our Equity table in the exhibit hall to continue sharing stories and resources with Rev. Sheila-Sholes Ross, co-chair of Equity for Women in the Church, and with me. Dr. Anderson-Rajkumar is in the US as a visiting scholar and adjunct professor at Columbia Theological Seminary for the 2014-2015 academic year. An ordained Lutheran minister, Rev. Anderson-Rajkumar has for many years been preaching, teaching, and advocating against the oppression of women and for gender equality in religion and all aspects of society. As we shared experiences, we discovered much in common as clergywomen in patriarchal cultures. Whether in India or the US, clergywomen continue to struggle to find opportunities to use our pastoral gifts, education, and call. And women in India, the US, and around the world continue to suffer abuse and inequality because of patriarchal religious teachings. We also shared our passion to change church and society and our belief in the power of Divine Wisdom working within and among us to bring this change.
Also at the Alliance of Baptists Gathering, Rev. Sheila Sholes-Ross and I, co-chairs of Equity for Women in the Church, gave a report to the whole assembly.
I began with a brief history:
Birthed in 2011 as a community in the Alliance of Baptists, Equity for Women in the Church held a strategy meeting at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in October of 2013. Clergy, denominational, and seminary leaders across the country from various races, genders, and 10 denominations participated in this conference. The consensus of participants was to form an ecumenical, multicultural 501(c)(3) organization that would include the original Alliance community. In the spring of 2014 a Board of Directors formed and developed Bylaws. In June of 2014 the organization became incorporated, and in December received tax exempt status.
Rev. Sholes-Ross, currently pastor of First Baptist Church, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, described our current projects:
1. Calling in the Key of She
The purpose of this project is to impact girls and boys at an early age by educating them, exposing them to female clergy, and allowing them to explore various aspects of ministry available to all persons. The project includes three main components: (1) develops a curriculum that is age-appropriate and addresses various theological models of female/male clergy, presents female characters in the Bible in a positive light, highlights historical female clergy and contemporary female and male clergy leaders, explores diverse images of God including female and gender-neutral images; (2) involves participants in ministry experiences; (3) shows participants female/male clergy in practice.
2. Retiring Pastors Initiative
This project enlists senior/solo pastors who may retire in the next 3-5 years to prepare their congregations to consider women pastoral candidates. A survey will identify pastors who are willing to use specific strategies to break down barriers that may hinder a congregation from considering and calling the best candidate irrespective of gender. Retiring pastor participants will receive resources such as books, videos, consultation, and online support.
3. The Lydia Project
This project will provide financial support to clergywomen who create new and renewed multicultural, welcoming and affirming Christian communities who practice inclusivity in language, gender, and race. Equity will partner with seminaries/theological schools in selecting clergywomen to support.
Rev. Sholes-Ross invited those gathered at the Alliance of Baptists to support Equity for Women in the Church by becoming founding partners of this unique, visionary organization.
We also invite you to become a founding partner: Equity Membership Form