Inventory
One of my childhood pastors was female.
As a teenager, some of my best mentors were female pastors.
I went to seminary for three years and earned an M.Div. (and many of my professors were ordained female clergywomen).
My home church as well as the regional Committee on Ministry discerned that I have a call to ordained ministry.
The General Minister and President of my denomination is a woman.
The congregation I serve unanimously called me to be their first female solo pastor.
I'm preparing to go to a second preaching conference just for young clergywomen - at the National Cathedral, nonetheless.
I have a phenomenal support network of "real life" female clergy friends, the RevGalBlogPals, and the Young Clergywomen Network.
I believe that God called me to the ministry of Word and Sacrament.
So how come, when a community member calls to challenge my role as an ordained pastor (asking repeatedly, "But where is it in the Bible where it says women can be ministers?"), do I end up in tears?
27 response(s):
Do you mean that somebody called you on the phone specifically to challenge the validity of your ministry???
Mean/stupid people suck!
Yes, because I was in the newspaper for the "Ask the Clergy" thing.
grrr... so sorry to hear this.
WAY more people validate than challenge your call, katherine. though i too have shed tears when the one call or letter rocks my world.
((((katherine)))
did you mention mary magdalene being the first called to proclaim the Gospel of the resurrection?
that's in the Bible. four times.
shooey.
You cry because you are a warm-hearted human being who would never be so callous to another person and it likely breaks your heart that someone else was so cruel. And diminuitive.
I am so sorry that happened to you.
Taking pilates for months means that I can probably kick some ass. Please feel free to direct my fists ;)
Send that person over here.
I have had a few random people call me on things when I've been in the paper - but the one that stands out is the person who said I was a bad influence on the young people I was teaching because I had a beard. She mailed me the article (with a picture) with my face all crossed out along with the note.
But yours is worse because it is an important part of who you are. People calling you out of the blue on such a thing is just plain wrong. I'm sorry it happened.
Thanks for the back-up, y'all. :-) I needed it.
Two more points:
1. I was nice to him.
2. I didn't cry until AFTER I hung up the phone, thank the Lord.
just a hug from here.
First of all ministry is still a relatively new frontier for women. You are a pioneer girl! You are changing the way the world thinks for your little girl and ones all over the world!
Lastly, I would like to say that my response to your inquisitive caller is the following: "In Christ Jesus we are all children of God, through faith. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female; for we are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:26
Just take a deep breath and realize that through God you are changing the world one person at a time. His approval is the only one that truely matters.
Katherine - I think it's an amazing calling! And I question, catholicism sometimes on the decision to not allow female priests.
I just don't understand it!
sheesh...what jesus does ask us to do is 'go to the nations and make disciples' doesnt mention anything about male or female doing that job. wouldnt you just love the big J to get hold of some of those people who are stuck trying to suck the life out of that which is good and give them a good shake...in a righteous anger sort of way. ;)
xx
oh my goodness. this is making me want to cry. okay - there i go.
Katherine you are clearly called by God as was recognised in your ordination. Hold on to that affirmation and don't let narrow minded people undermine that calling.
I am a male Methodist minister in the UK. I am grateful for the training I received from a female minister at college where a half of my colleagues were female. I am also grateful that for the last four years I have worked under an excellent female Superintendent minister.
One day these objections to female clergy will seem as perverse as those who two centuries ago claimed that it was Biblical to uphold slavery. As with them we will ask how people could have so corrupted the love of God.
Tears are a gift, not evidence of inconsistency. I celebrate your many gifts.
You would be one I would call if I were in crisis - that should say enough in itself.
Any time you are in the paper you are going to get crack-pot calls and letters for a week or two. Some people really need to get lives.
Katherine, I am delighted that your words provoked such a response. That means you said something worthwhile if you spoke something meaningless who would care. You were unleashed some good words and good words are needed.
I hope your tears were for him, not for yourself. I hope your tears were for someone who held a god so small and powerless that the wrongs in his life and in this world could not be overcome by that god's power.
For you my friend, were called by God and blessed and gifted by the Holy Spirit and for you not to speak of God's grace and goodness would be a sin.
I hope you were not crying because a mortal's word were limiting, because God's word bring forth abundance. Your worth is defined not by an office, ordination, but by the very call of God that transcends all of that.
Keep speaking, sister. Keep speaking. I will shut up, so you can speak.
Fearless Joy,
Guido
You have wonderful supporters all over, as evidenced by the people who took the time to provide such thoughtful comments. And funny ones. (Ha ha, Allison S.!) I am proud of my upbringing that leads me to be startled by people who DO object to female clergy.
I like what JWD said.. tears are a gift - they show how we're not callous mean people who make phone calls just to mess with people's days. Geez.
Don't let 'em get you down. :)
Those words hurt.
Please, Lord, give people a filter between their mouths and brains.
I agree with St. Casserole -- you cry because it's hurtful. It's painful when people question your identity, even if they don't have any authority whatsoever to do so. You don't have to be an uber-woman-pastor with no feelings. Sometimes people are mean.
And all these other things people said are true too.
My favorite comeback (which I've never used) is: "Believe in women pastors? Heck, I've seen them!"
May I use this (no names) in my book review?
YOU ROCK!
What wonderful uplifting words! A man who questions your worth mustn't have a support system like you do!
Love you!
Because it's so damn tiring and exasperating to have to justify our call to ministry over and over and over and OVER again!
I went to get my eyes checked yesterday and the doctor asked me what I did.
I'm a pastor, I said.
He said, I'm a Baptist, I don't know if I believe in women pastors or if I don't.
Oh, I said, all the while thinking:
It doesn't matter if YOU believe in women pastors or not, still I am one. Still I sit at the deathbed with folks who know and believe that I, a woman, am their pastor. Still I baptize babies whose parents believe that I, a woman, am their pastor and their babies will grow up totally believing that women can be pastors. But most importantly, whether or not my eye doctor believes I can be a pastor, my little girl will grow up knowing and believing that her mommy is a pastor and that should she want to be, she could be a pastor too.... Or an eye doctor or a mechanic.
I'm late to the comments, but I'll add this one anyway.
One of my favorite moments in ministry happened a few years ago, when the mother of a five-year old boy told me that their family had visited another church the previous Sunday to witness the baptism of the son's friend. Said visited church had a male pastor.
After church, the boy whispered to his mom on the way out, "Mom, I didn't know boys could be pastors!"
One child at a time. Hope you're feeling the support of all the comments.
My favorite response to this question is, "Where in the Bible does it say to have indoor plumbing?"
When someone says they don't believe in something I say: "So, do you not believe it exists? or do you just not like it?"
And I don't think he sounds mean or stupid, he sounds crazy. Get a life!
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