Women in the Church

As I was pouring a cup of coffee yesterday morning, I heard Matt Lauer announce that Maria Shriver's special report on A Woman's Nation would look at women in church and religious institutions. My ears perked up and I sat down eager to see who would be highlighted.

Immediately, several possibilities came to mind. Would it be The Right Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, or The Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President of the Disciples of Christ? Perhaps it would be The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundbland, a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and a pastor of an ELCA church in New York. Or, if focusing on local congregations, perhaps The Rev. Dr. Kelly Brill, Senior Minister of Avon Lake UCC, or Rev. Amy Miracle, Senior Minister of Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio. There are countless other women who could have been chosen for this segment who are highly effective and respected leaders of the Church. As I continued to listen, I was astounded and disappointed to see who was featured.

Follow this link to see the video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33247001/vp/33411440#33411440

While there is clearly meaningful ministry being done by the women who were featured in this segment (Victoria Osteen, Taffi Dollar, and Lisa Young), Taffi Dollar is the only woman who is technically listed as a pastor of her church; she is a co-pastor with her husband. If this had been a segment on "pastors’ spouses," my response would be entirely different. Pastors’ spouses (female and male) are important, and often provide an important ministry component to the church. However, this was to be a segment on "prominent women in churches and religious institutions."

While it may be newsworthy to demonstrate that women are beginning to have influence on the stages of mega-churches, I think it was a significant omission in a piece that was to feature "prominent women in churches and religious institutions" to not highlight that over 50% of people enrolled in seminary are women and that there are many highly credentialed and very effective women who hold significant church posts throughout our country.

I am not one who has felt as though gender has been a large barrier to my ministry nor am I one who often feels a need to be in dialogue about gender issues. However, listening to this segment made me feel as though our society had reverted back 30 years or more! There are many mainline churches today that are much more progressive about women than this segment portrayed. I am grateful to be serving one of them.