Thoughts on Women in Leadership
Over the years, I have had these little thoughts from God, things that He has spoken to me that I have held onto like a small child grasps tightly onto a cherished toy. I have also had insights and encouragements from others that I have prayed about, felt out, and waited to see if they came to fruition. Some of these have, some of them are still sitting in the wings waiting for the chance to make their onstage performance, but they continue to sit. Tenatively, waiting to come into life.Yesterday on my walk with Jake, I was thinking about the oppression of women over the years, thinking about how much it has changed in the secular world, yet how in the church in some circles it remains the same. However, even in the secular world a woman only make 73 cents to a man's $1. But in the church how has the oppression of women changed?
In some eccesiastical groups, it has become better. Women are encouraged freely to engage in all roles that a man can within the church. It does not matter that they are female, they are a human that has the ability to be called by God in the same ways. They are equal, in theory. People in higher authority validate their calling through ordination, yet these women I imagine still face challenges as they go against the social norms that have been set up within christian culture. In most circles, it is NOT the norm for women to be called by God in the same roles as a man.
Looking at this point from a sociological perspective there are two theories I want to look at to gain greater understanding as to the root of the inequality. One is the conflict theorist POV which would causes me to wonder,"Is it the people that are in the majority(namely white, anglo-saxton men) that continue to allow the inequality to flourish? What within the structure has been set up to not allow women to freely walk in their calling?"
From the structure functionalist P.O.V. they would question what is wrong within the institution that is causing the problem. Is it the institutions that continue to not allow women to lead that are continuing to perpetuate the vicious cycle of inequality? "Is there something wrong within the structure that is causing women to not be free to express their whole-selves? Or is it inequality within our social structure, since in some circles women are allowed to lead? Do our christian social norms dictate how freely women move in leadership circles?
In the Vineyard, we allow each church autonomously to decide whether or not women are allowed to become ordained. A few years ago, I was ok with this. Today I am not. Today I see that although we have make this allowance, to me it should not be something that should or should not be allowed, it should be a non-issue. Many men that I know say that it is a non-issue, that it is not something that they don't even think about, and that they believe that women can lead just as well as a man. What if women lead better than the men? What if the women in fact became the majority? Would you still be ok then? Probably not.
At ELI a few years ago, the issue of women leading came up. My friend was basically told that,"ELI does not want to be issue focused and the leadership believes that we want to focus on encouraging young leaders."
Perhaps they don't see because we come from a completely different stand point. All throughout history, we(women) have been oppressed. We come into a place of wanting to lead, yet do not have the relationships with the men to be apart of the "boy" group. Most of us do not golf or smoke cigars, or pee in the same bathroom, so we lack some skills in order to engage in the same ways as other men are able. It is not an issue for the majority, yet it is for the minority. We have very few ways that we are able to connect as we all know we are from different planets.
Several years ago, I felt God say to me that I was going to be a mother in the Vineyard. I distinctly felt that I was to nurture, encourage, women in leadership, to be an older role model for the younger generation.
A couple years after that, I ran into this man who was the "crazy prophet" guy in Yakima, who was the one that said I was going to pastor, before I even thought women could pastor. He said to me in the middle of a run-down Safeway that I was going to pioneer, that I would plant churches, and be an expression of God's love in new places, that I would be a pioneering force.
A couple of years after that, someone praying for me felt like God was saying that I would be plowing ahead for future generations, pioneering. During this time I sensed that God was saying that I was supposed to be an advocate for people with no voice, not just women, but minorities, the poor and disinfranchised.
There were days when I did not want to fight. I actually said to myself,"I am not a fighter like other women. I will do what I do, and allow God to pave the way." While I do still believe wholeheartedly that God will continue to pave the way, I think that I need to be speaking up. It is not ok that we say that women leading is a non-issue and then make this small, pathetic attempts to rectify the situation that are like putting a VERY small band-aid on a 3rd degree burn wound..not really fixing the problem.
In order for us to be able to lead I think that men need to graciously scrunch together and extend their hands toward the women who sit in the kitchen, the dreams that sit untouched deep within their hearts, and make room at the table.
There is room enough for all of us.
posted by Kat @ 8:30 AM
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