Rise of Women Pastors

he inclusion of women as spiritual elders, pastors, priests, and bishops in churches and denominations that claim to follow Jesus Christ continues to increase. The Washington Post reported June 19, 2006 that, “The Episcopal Church chose Nevada Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as its leader yesterday, making her the first woman to head any denomination in the Anglican Communion worldwide.” The BBC reported that “The bishops voted 95-93 to back Bishop Jefferts Schori after a number of ballots, AP news agency reported.” In short, the Episcopal Church USA elected its first woman leader at the national level. She is reported to be a supporter of gay bishops and gay unions, as well as a supporter of women as elders, priests, and bishops.

The seed of this decision started thirty years ago when eleven women were ordained in an USA Episcopal Church in Philadelphia before the church laws were changed. Since then the seed has sprouted, the trunk has formed, and the tree continues to grow. Other denominations have joined the movement. In 1989 there was a small forest of seedlings across the United States and around the world. In 1989, one could count eighty-four out of one hundred-sixty worldwide denominations that ordained women to full time ministry (National & International Religion Report, March 13, 1989). This suggests that the “forest” has continued to grow and is still growing thicker and more dense. On January 14, 2004 the Barna Group reported that “Overall, just 6% of all [USA] Protestant Senior Pastors are women” (www.barna.org). The numbers are only increasing as female enrollment in seminaries grows.

The Conflict. Currently, the Episcopal Church USA, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist, Assemblies of God, and the Lutheran Church of America among others all allow women to serve as elders, pastors, priests, and/or bishops. Their numbers for women clergy vary from 16% to 27%. Yet, there is not universal agreement within these denominations about this movement. For example, in reaction to the decision regarding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan said, “the church’s leaders are leading people astray.” He cautioned people not to forsake the Bible . . .” (USA Today, 19 June 2006). At the Southern Baptist Conference in 2003, Carolyn Hale Cubbedge stated, “No human authority or creed can remove women in ministry from their God-ordained roles as senior pastors.” Cubbedge was a senior pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Savannah, Georgia. (www.bpnews.net).

The “forest” is growing and expanding centimeter-by-centimeter, meter-by-meter, and kilometer-by-kilometer. But why is it growing? The push for women to be spiritual elders, pastors, priests, and bishops is not supported by serious exposition of scripture. Yet, this change is occurring in churches which even recently rejected this trend.