Reform, as a grass roots movement, envisages action coming from members who have thought, studied, discussed and agreed. Discussion papers such as this one are written by individual members for the council of Reform and the wider church. The author alone is responsible for the paper.

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Fellow Workers in Christ

An Analysis of the Development of Women's Ministries amongst Conservative Evangelicals since November 1992.

I am grateful to the staff and PCC of St Andrew the Great, Cambridge, for giving me the time to conduct this research during the summer of 2002; and to all those who filled in questionnaires. I am also indebted to those who gave up their valuable time and allowed me to interview them. While attempts have been made to present all the gathered information objectively, no-one can ever present research in an entirely disinterested way and it is inevitable that my own personal interpretations will have crept through from time to time.

                                                             Carrie Sandom, Cambridge

Contents

Introduction

11^th November 1992
The ‘two integrities’ 
The need for Reform 
                    

The Positive Picture                          

Getting on with the job
Knowing where people stand  
                           

Data Analysis   

The sample used
Age, status and place of work
Contracts and number of years post has existed
Funding
Types of job and detailed specification
Training – past, present, future
Anticipated number of years in ‘paid’ ministry
Challenges
 

The Way Ahead     

Seeing the need
Acknowledging the differences
Training
Funding
Apprenticeships 

Conclusion

Appendices

[1]    The Reform covenant
[2]    The role of women in the local church
[3]    Survey questions 

Introduction

11^th November 1992

The vote to ordain women to the presbyterate, passed by General Synod on 11^th November 1992, was a watershed for conservative evangelicals within the Church of England. At the time I was training for the diaconate at Wycliffe Hall with a view to being a school chaplain. I was one of only two women at Wycliffe who was opposed to the measure and, as the celebrations got under way, decided not to stay in college that evening.

When I returned later that night I was surprised to find a pile of flowers and cards outside my room from other students as well as one or two from the staff who had called round to see if I was okay. One of them had written, rather poignantly, “Don’t let this push you out of the Church of England.”

The ‘two integrities’

Well, it is ten years on and I’m still in the Church of England – but only just. While the permanent diaconate is still recognised as a legitimate office in the Church of England, there are very few of us left in it and I don’t know of any who have been accepted for training since 1992. Of course the Act of Synod, passed soon after the vote went through, has ensured, for the time being at least, that the two integrities can co-exist side by side - but there have already been various attempts to repeal it and it surely won’t be long before one of these attempts succeeds.

The two integrities may exist in theory but in reality those opposed to the ordination of women to the presbyterate have been marginalized and ignored by the rest of the denomination. Even within my own diocese, where admittedly I am the only permanent deacon, it is largely assumed that women clergy are in favour of the ordination of women to the episcopate, let alone the presbyterate. There was also that occasion in 1997 when all the women clergy in the diocese were invited to a special service in the cathedral celebrating the fifth anniversary of the passing of the vote. I declined, graciously I hope, on the grounds that as far I was concerned there was nothing to celebrate.

The need for Reform

Those within the conservative evangelical constituency who want to maintain the Biblical pattern for women’s ministry have naturally looked to Reform for help. It has always been somewhat ironic to me that, from the outset, Reform has had a rather negative press on the issue of women’s ministry when it was precisely the desire to maintain the Biblical pattern for women’s ministry that led to its foundation.

Some think Reform ought to plough its energies into reforming the permanent diaconate or developing accredited lay ministry as suitable alternatives for women who don’t want to be ordained. Personally, I can’t see that either of these is viable when the real issue at stake is the nature of gospel ministry. The extent to which women can work formally within the denomination will continue to be debated, but Reform has always endorsed women’s ministry modelled in an appropriate way - see the Reform Covenant in Appendix [1].

In 2000 the Reform Council commissioned some of its members to investigate how women’s ministries are being developed within the Reform network. Mark Burkill and Caroline West wrote to all the Incumbents on the Reform mailing list asking them to complete a questionnaire on women’s ministry and how it was perceived within their congregations. The details and conclusions of that survey were published later that year (see Reform Discussion Paper No.22).

The next phase of this research focuses on the women themselves – the role they have in ministry, the training they’ve received, the challenges they face etc. What is beginning to emerge is that far from having a negative effect on the Biblical pattern for women’s ministry, the vote to ordain women to the presbyterate has instead precipitated a steady growth in the number of alternative ministries available for women. These ministries may be happening outside the formal structures of the denomination but they remain within the parameters set by Scripture.

I am grateful to the men and women from within the Reform network who have encouraged me and other women to stay within the Biblical parameters and exercise ministry in an appropriate way. We may have been abandoned by the denomination but it is encouraging to think that we may still be of some use to the church.

The Positive Picture

Getting on with the job

While some debate the advantages of encouraging women from a conservative evangelical background to get ordained as permanent deacons (assuming they would be selected for training, which others doubt), it is good to see that many women are just getting on with gospel ministry. And by that I mean pastoring women through teaching the Bible. This takes seriously the instruction in Titus 2:3-5 that women need to be involved in teaching and training other women – in the realms of their family life, their moral life and their working life. That is not to say that men cannot teach women these things but modelling them, an important aspect of teaching, can only be done by women.

This counters the argument put forward by some that having a woman on a staff team is a luxury rather than a necessity. If we are to pastor the people of God effectively then we need men and women in pastoral ministry, with men in overall leadership. Male headship needs to be demonstrated in the nuclear family and in the church family and for this to happen both men and women are needed. For a detailed examination of the Biblical parameters for women’s ministry see Appendix [2].

What this research shows is that the traditional role of the parish worker or deaconess who cared for the poor, the needy and the sick, has begun to develop. While these things remain important there are others in the congregation who can be involved with them, so that women with teaching gifts are freed up to teach the Bible – at women’s meetings, small group Bible studies, youth groups, children’s clubs, mums and toddlers groups and so on. This is what will help to build up the church and prepare them for service, as Ephesians 4 makes clear.

In a culture that focuses very much on the individual, a positive self-esteem and finding the inner self, there is pressure on those involved in ministry to resort to a variety of different counselling ‘techniques’. As a result there is often confusion in our churches about what pastoral care actually involves. We would do well to remember that when Jesus saw the crowds like ‘sheep without a shepherd’ He had compassion on them by teaching them (Mark 6:34). It is for this teaching ministry that God has equipped both men and women to serve the local church.

• Knowing where people stand

While much of the debate surrounding the role of women in ministry has focussed on what they cannot do, it has always been more encouraging to concentrate instead on what they can do. Both men and women have unique roles to play in the life of the local church. They are equal in status but different in function – just as each member of the Trinity is equal but has a different role to play in creation and redemption. God has ordered human relationships in such a way as to reflect the equality and diversity seen in the Godhead.

This runs counter to our culture, which seeks to demonstrate equality by uniformity, there-by eradicating any differences between the sexes. But Christian men and women have complementary roles in marriage (the nuclear family) and the church (God’s family). Together they need to reflect God’s ordering of human relationships and part of that will involve demonstrating our equality, diversity and complementarity.

Conservative evangelicals are largely agreed that the created order needs to be demonstrated in the church family, through male headship and female submission, although exactly what this means in practice is not always easily defined or understood. It is essential for both men and women in ministry to know where they stand on the issue of male headship and also where they stand in relation to others. If men and women in ministry are to work together effectively, they need to know what they can and cannot ask each other to do.

The main New Testament passages needing to be taken into account are Galatians 3:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. How people interpret these (and to what extent they interpret them in light of each other) will determine where people stand on this issue and, in particular, whether or not they think women should teach men.

The diagram below rather crudely sets out the four main positions found amongst conservative evangelicals today. Undoubtedly, there are other positions but the diagram is not meant to be exhaustive. It is merely an attempt to show what the various positions are.

  

Represents those who believe in the equality of men and women and that being in Christ releases us from the need to model male headship (stressing Galatians 3:28).

Represents those who believe in the equality of men and women, and in male headship, and that women can teach men providing it is under the authority of a male elder (1 Corinthians 11:5).

Represents those who believe in the equality of men and women, and in male headship, and that women are prohibited from teaching men (1 Timothy 2:12).

Represents those who believe in the equality of men and women, and in male headship, and that women should remain silent in the church and have no public role (1 Corinthians 14:34).

My reason for including a potentially divisive diagram like this is simply to illustrate the importance of recognising that conservative evangelicals do have different positions on this issue. It is particularly important for women who are looking for ministry jobs but also for the men who are responsible for recruiting them.

While it is certainly possible for men and women of different positions to work together, certain guidelines will need to be set in place so that consciences are not compromised. I am grateful to my own boss who was happy to appoint me on the understanding that I would not preach when in fact he is happy for women to do so on an occasional basis.

Data Analysis

The sample used

The sample size was kept small deliberately and concentrated on women from a conservative evangelical background, who are committed to male headship and are seeking to model women’s ministry in an appropriate way. While there is a great deal of good work being done on a voluntary basis by many clergy wives, they were not included in this research. Instead, the questionnaire focussed particularly on those employed to do a specific ministry job – whether in a full-time or part-time capacity.

84 questionnaires were sent out to women working in a range of different ministries. Their contact details came from their connections with Reform, the Proclamation Trust and the Cornhill Training Course. This meant that the sample went beyond the boundaries of the Church of England although by far the majority of the women contacted are employed by Anglican Churches. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see that women’s ministries modelled on the Biblical pattern are being developed in the Free Churches as well as in a variety of para-church organisations.

Of the questionnaires sent out, 72 were returned (= 86%). This high percentage return was somewhat of a surprise but indicates something of the desire many women have to help with the further development of women’s ministries. I am grateful to those who took the time to fill in the questionnaire, a copy of which can be found in Appendix [3]. 20 of those who had filled in questionnaires were also interviewed.

Age, status and place of work

The range of ages was encouraging with a total of 57% over the age of 30. This indicates a degree of life experience amongst the women with only 17% in their early 20s. 90% of the women contacted are single, which is no surprise, although undoubtedly constitutes a much higher proportion than that for men in ministry. It is generally the case that marriage (and especially parenthood) changes a woman’s priorities much more than a man’s. That is not to say that wives and mothers are not involved in gospel ministry but the extent of their involvement will be largely determined by the age and stage of the family.

What emerges from these figures is that if a woman wishes to remain long term in ‘paid’ ministry then she is likely not to marry. A growing number of women are content with this and keen to trust God’s sovereignty on the issue (“If God wants me to marry then it will happen.”), although some congregations seem to have rather different expectations of women in ministry than men in this regard. One woman commented, “I find I am seen to be ‘filling in time’ until I marry rather than considered to be in life-long ministry as my male colleagues are – very annoying!” Perhaps the church needs to recognise that if it is better for some men not to marry (according to 1 Corinthians 7:38-40), then by implication it is also better for some women.

I have already indicated that the places of work went beyond the boundaries of the Church of England, although the majority of women contacted are employed by Anglican churches/institutions (71%).

Contracts and number of years post has existed

62 of the women (86%) are working full-time with just 10 working part-time (14%). The contracts they have and the length of time the post they have has existed breaks down as follows:-

 (a) No of years post has existed. (b) No of years post has existed  (Anglican churches/institutions only).       

These figures reveal that there are an encouraging number of permanent contracts available to women (30%) although the number of women on just one or two year contracts is higher (34%). When compared with the years that these jobs have existed, by far the greatest number of posts has been created in the last five years (61% of the total sample). It is fairly unlikely that a new appointment carries with it a permanent contract from the outset but over time the number of permanent contracts would be expected to increase.

This is likely to be especially true of women’s ministry posts as the women do not have a clear ‘career’ structure unlike many of the men (curate, associate vicar, team vicar, rector). Because of this, many women will not see the need of moving onto new jobs. In fact, the prospect of having to move on every 2-3 years can be emotionally exhausting for women who would prefer to develop relationships over a longer period. This means that churches will need to think about how to develop existing posts, as the experience of the women doing them grows, and amend their contracts accordingly – but it would seem that many are beginning to do this already.

A small but disappointing number of women (10%) have no contracts at all. This needs to be addressed as there is no reason why women shouldn’t be treated the same as men in this regard. Proper salary structures and adequate housing will also need to be thought through. One woman commented that single women on her staff team were struggling financially because their housing and salary needs hadn’t been addressed – the implication was that those of the single men had been.

Focussing just on the jobs in Anglican churches/institutions, we find that a massive 83% of them have been created in the last ten years. While it is difficult to assess how many of these jobs were in the pipeline before the vote to ordain women to the presbyterate was passed, this still represents a significant number of alternative ministries that are now available to women. It would seem that while conservative evangelicals are not prepared to have women in overall positions of leadership, they are nonetheless committed to modelling a variety of women’s ministries in an appropriate way.

Funding

 This is often the biggest prohibitive factor when it comes to establishing a new ministry post – whether for men or women – so it is encouraging to see that the women are being funded in a variety of different ways.

(a) How posts are funded. (b) How posts are funded (Anglican churches/institutions only).

How funded?	No.	%		How funded?	No.	%
Church	33	46%		Church	31	61%
Trust	15	21%		Trust	6	12%
Church + Other	10	14%		Church + Other	7	14%
Church  + Self	5	7%		Church  + Self	4	7%
Self	3	4%		Self	1	2%
Voluntary	3	4%		Voluntary	1	2%
Other	3	4%		Other	1	2%
Total	72	100%		Total	51	100%

One church asked a woman to work in a voluntary capacity for one day a week initially. Over the next few years, as the congregation appreciated the ministry she was doing more and more, this grew to ‘paid’ work for two days a week, then three days, then five and then finally full-time. As a single woman with no dependants she was able to manage this. While this may not be feasible for every woman it nevertheless provides an interesting model of how funding for these types of job will emerge over time.

Type of job and detailed specification

The survey revealed that there are a number of different types of ministries opening up for women:-

(a) Type of job.                        (b) Type of job (Anglican churches/institutions only).

Women’s Worker	27	38%		Women’s Worker	22	42%
Student Worker	17	24%		Student Worker	6	12%
Youth Worker	9	13%		Youth Worker	6	12%
Children’s Worker	6	8%		Children’s Worker	6	12%
Administrator	4	6%		Administrator	3	6%
Lay Assistant	3	4%		Lay Assistant	3	6%
Curate	3	4%		Curate	3	6%
Team Vicar	1	1%		Team Vicar	1	2%
Chaplain	1	1%		Chaplain	1	2%
Editor	1	1%		Editor	0	0
Total	72	100%		Total	51	100%

While the vast majority of women contacted are not ordained, the five who are consist of one team vicar (under the supervision of a team rector), three curates and one school chaplain. Three of these women are permanent deacons and two have been ordained to the presbyterate.

What each of the jobs involve can be broken down as follows:-

It is encouraging to see that Bible teaching tops the list although it is interesting to note that by far the majority of this Bible teaching is done in small group or in one to one contexts. Only 15% of the women are involved in preaching to mixed groups, although 67% give occasional seminars and 64% occasional talks.

How the headship principle is applied in ‘non-church’ contexts like school or university Christian Unions and at summer ventures and camps will vary enormously. Whether it is appropriate for women to lead mixed Bible study groups will also depend on the accepted policy of the church or para-church organisation involved as well as the individual woman concerned. One woman working for a para-church organisation commented that “It is difficult to model male headship when my male colleagues are not always present.”

It is perhaps surprising that only 24% of the women are involved in leading Sunday services. This does not mean that they are not involved in reading the Bible or leading the intercessions but it perhaps indicates a reluctance on the part of many churches to involve the women any more than this in case it constitutes ‘teaching’. Some churches would be happy for women to share their testimony, give the notices, even lead communion services but once again it will depend on the agreed policy of the church involved. This means that women need to be flexible about the amount of ‘up front’ involvement they have as the policy of one church is likely to be very different from that of another. Men in ministry don’t usually need to worry about these things although it is good for them to have thought through in advance exactly what involvement any women they employ should have.

78% of the women said that administration is a major part of the work they do. This is inevitable for everyone in ministry but one woman commented that, “Because I do far less ‘up-front’ Bible teaching than my male colleagues, I end up doing more administration and non-‘Word’ tasks”. Another said, “I don’t have sermons to prepare every week, and therefore ought to do more admin than my male colleagues. I would be prepared to relieve them of more of it if it meant they spent more time on their sermons!”

69% of the women contacted are involved in some sort of training – whether evangelism training, Bible study group leaders training, Sunday School leaders training, youth leaders training and so forth. An important aspect of this training is the specific modelling to other women of what it means to be involved in ministry as a woman. This is something that has been thought through, to some extent, by those involved in adult ministry (with women, students etc...) but there is more that could be done in other areas.

For example, women who are working as youth workers and children’s workers need also to be modelling ministry as a woman in an appropriate way. In practice this doesn’t always seem to work as male and female youth workers are usually expected to do exactly the same job. However, boys and girls will get a distorted picture of leadership roles if they see their male and female leaders doing exactly the same things. (This, incidentally, is why we need both men and women teaching in our Sunday schools – too many churches delegate this important role just to women.)

Only 39% of the women contacted are involved in visiting – whether visiting the sick, the elderly or just door-to-door. This is not to say that visiting isn’t happening but, as I have already intimated, there are usually other members of the congregation who are involved – thereby freeing up the staff for the task of Bible teaching. This constitutes quite a major shift from the role of the traditional parish worker or deaconess and ensures that the responsibility of showing practical help and care is not just left to the so-called ‘professionals’.

Training – past, present, future

One major disadvantage of women not going down the ‘licensed’ denominational route is the lack of theological training available to them. Those who do not want to be ordained to the presbyterate, are effectively barred from any ‘formal’ training funded by the Church of England. Some would argue that residential training is not the best option anyway. One of the women who had been to theological college said that “The best training I received came before I went to college”, another said “Leading a CYFA venture for 12 years was the best preparation for ministry I could have had”.

This is not the place to debate the pros and cons of residential training but women need to have good Bible handling skills if they are to teach God’s Word effectively and developing a good Biblical theology will help them to think through pastoral issues in an appropriate way. None of these skills will develop automatically so theological training of some sort is crucial.

·      What training did you receive before you started your current job?

·      What training would you like to have received beforehand?

Cornhill Training Course	9	13%
Theological College	7	10%
Moore College Correspondence Course	3	4%
Mentoring by a woman	3	4%
More Bible teaching	2	3%

 

·      What stopped you?

Lack of money	12	17%
Lack of time	7	10%
A ministry job came up	5	7%
Thought I was too young	1	1%

 

·      What on-going training are you receiving?

Correspondence Course Moore College St John’s College	19 18 1	27%
On-the-job-training	16	22%
PT Conferences Women in Ministry Conference Younger Ministers Conference	12 11 1	17%

Apprenticeship scheme	9	13%
Mentoring by a woman	6	9%
Oak Hill Evening Lectures	4	6%
Own reading	2	3%
Cambridge Summer School of Theology	1	1%

 

·      What on-going training would you like to receive in the future?

Theological Training	11	15%
Cornhill Training Course	6	9%
More Bible handling skills	5	7%
Moore College Correspondence Course	3	4%
Pastoral Counselling	3	4%
Cambridge Summer School of Theology	1	1%
Oak Hill Day Conferences	1	1%

A disappointingly large number of the women (38%) have had no training at all before their current jobs. This may include some who are doing Cornhill part-time and ‘on the job’ but it is still too high. It would be interesting to know how this compares with men in their first ministry jobs. I suspect more training is expected from men than from women but this needs to be addressed if women’s ministries are to be developed in the longer term.

The training that the women have had is generally very piece-meal. 48% of the women had done some training before taking up their current positions but 24% are considering doing more training in the future. I think this would be markedly different for men in ministry who seem to do all their theological training in one block.

The influence of the Cornhill Training Course is clear to see. 32% of the women have done it already, 13% would like to have done it in the past and 9% are keen to do it in the future. Since it started in 1991, the course has become practically the only affordable training open to women and its focus on Bible handling skills means that they are often more equipped to teach the Bible than those who have had a formal theological college training. It is no wonder that so many men do Cornhill before going on to theological college.

Some of the women said how much they appreciated the women’s ministry stream at Cornhill, which seeks to equip women for the specific ministries they will be involved in, while at the same time encouraging them to think about how being a woman in ministry makes their role different from that of men. David Jackman is the pioneer of this course, which seems to be the only one in the country that takes the differences between men and women in ministry seriously and seeks to equip both men and women to model them appropriately.

If theological colleges acknowledge any difference between the roles of men and women in ministry (and most of them don’t) it is not really being reflected in the way they are trained. Of course, a good Biblical theology and good Bible handling skills are important for both men and women but turning Biblical exegesis into a good Bible study is a very different skill from preparing a good sermon. Good preachers don’t always make good Bible study leaders and vice-versa. More could be done to equip women for the specific ministries they will have when they leave college.

Only 17% of the women have had any theological training before taking up their current jobs and only 7% had their training funded by the Church of England. While it is hard to know how many of the women might have gone down the ‘deaconess’ route in the past, there is no doubt that the ordination of women to the presbyterate has had a devastating effect on the number of women from conservative evangelical backgrounds who are being funded through college by the Church of England.

23% of the women said they would have liked some theological training before starting their current jobs and 17% said that money was the prohibiting factor. This will surely continue to be the case for the 15% who said they would like to have some theological college training in the future. How will that training be funded? One Anglican Church paid for their women’s worker to go to Oak Hill as an independent student for three years and guaranteed a job for her when she graduated but only a few churches would ever be in a position to do something similar to this for other women.

In terms of the on-going training the women are receiving, 27% are involved in the Moore College correspondence course, which helps people to develop a good Biblical theology. Some churches are running their own ‘Moore College’ groups, which meet fortnightly and are taught by experienced leaders but most people doing the course are self-taught. The course has 18 units (students take 3 units a year) and after six years leads to a Certificate in Theology from the University of New South Wales.

17% of the women contacted said they appreciated the teaching and training provided by Proclamation Trust conferences. Many people involved in gospel ministry, both men and women, have appreciated these conferences in the past. The teaching workshops are a particular highlight where exegetical skills are taught and developed. The recent setting up of regional workshop groups for women throughout the UK is ensuring that this practical training continues during the year.

The specific training and mentoring of women by another woman is something that needs to be addressed and developed further. 4% of the women contacted said they would have appreciated some sort of mentoring by a woman before they started working in ministry. Many cited the lack of female role models as an issue which explains why only 9% are being mentored by an older woman in their current jobs.

13% of the women are being trained through apprenticeship schemes but it would be interesting to know how many of these involved women teaching women. I suspect that a large proportion of the apprenticeship schemes, although set up for men and women, are run just by men and that no thought is being given as to how ministry works out differently for women.

Anticipated number of years in ‘paid’ ministry

One factor related to the issue of how women are to be trained is the number of years they anticipate being in ‘paid’ ministry. This is something that men don’t usually have to consider because the ‘career’ structure for them is much more obvious and the changes brought about by marriage and parenthood don’t usually affect their ‘work’ to the same degree.

For women it is different. Marriage and motherhood change their priorities dramatically and while wives and mothers don’t stop being involved in ministry, they are generally involved in different ways compared to single women. It is not unreasonable therefore to consider the ‘return’ one might expect from a woman who undergoes three years residential training in order to assess whether it is a wise investment of time and financial resources.

The women were asked to estimate how long they anticipated being in ‘paid’ gospel ministry. This is a hard question for women to answer as very few women plan more than about two years ahead at a time and major changes to their status are not entirely under their control! Nevertheless the results are quite interesting:-

 What these figures indicate is that 38% of the women contacted think that they will be in ‘paid’ ministry for less than 10 years. Add to that the 18% who aren’t sure and the potential ‘drop out’ rate (if we can really call it that) is very high. Three years residential training for less than 10 years in the job seems to be a very poor investment.

The results are even more marked when age is also taken into account:-

The figures show that the majority of women in their 20s think they will remain in ‘paid’ ministry for up to 5 years, where as those in their 30s are thinking longer term and anticipate being in ‘paid’ ministry for over 15 years. The highest concentration of “don’t knows” comes from those around the age of 30. These figures are not particularly surprising when you consider that most women in their 20s think that they will be married in their 30s and it is generally only those who are single in their 30s who think that maybe they will be single long term.

 How this relates to training isn’t easy to assess but the figures seem to suggest that there is likely to be a greater ‘return’ from three years residential training if women start it in their late 20s or early 30s. There will be exceptions to this but as a general rule this would seem to be the case. As a result, some might argue that three years residential training for women is rather a poor investment of time and financial resources and may be a year at Cornhill (or two years part-time) plus one other year somewhere else is a more realistic option for women – particularly if they are going to have to fund it themselves which is increasingly the case.

Challenges

Each of the women was asked to comment on the particular challenges they have experienced as women in ministry. Some of them also mentioned the joys of ministry as well which included seeing God at work in the lives of individuals, seeing people’s understanding of God’s Word grow, being part of a supportive and encouraging team, having a good support network in place, seeing how God answered prayer and proved His faithfulness, even in difficult circumstances.

The challenges were many and varied but, broadly speaking, could be grouped together and summarised as follows:-

 The most common challenge for women in ministry is working out their role as a woman and modelling headship/submission appropriately. This is not particularly surprising when many of these women are pioneering roles in contexts where women have never worked before. 

Some of the comments made are worth quoting in full:-

“The hardest thing is working under a vicar who has not thought out any guidelines for where women should or should not be ministering in the church.”

“Modelling headship and submission without being legalistic is a challenge particularly in situations the Bible doesn’t address.”

“Authority is an issue – knowing when it is appropriate to adopt an authoritative stance and how to do so! As a woman in leadership the tendency is to be either a battle axe or a door mat!”

“The greatest challenge is leading groups and working with men who don’t take the lead and trying to resist the temptation of making the situation worse by taking it myself!”

This last comment highlights an important aspect of being a woman in ministry, that of encouraging men to take the lead - which can be especially challenging when the men are younger and have less experience of ministry. One woman working in youth ministry said her biggest challenge is “working out appropriate relationships with the men on the team, most of whom are 10 years younger than me.” In that situation, it would be preferable to have a senior man working with the male leaders and a senior woman working with the female leaders but that is not always possible. The temptation for women to take on inappropriate ministry roles in that sort of context is very real.

19% of the women cited emotional exhaustion as something they found particularly challenging. Again, some of the specific comments related to this are worth mentioning:-

“The biggest challenge for me is keeping up with the men in terms of the quantity of work they do and not becoming too sensitive about things.”

“I seem to tire more easily than the men and need more colleague interaction during the day than they do.”

“The toughest challenge for me is handling the workload and the emotional demands of the job.”

All of these challenges stem from the fact that men and women work very differently and relate to their own sex very differently. Women tend to get more emotionally involved with people than men do and will take longer to switch off at the end of the day. One way of illustrating this is to compare the way men and women conduct one to one situations – pastoral interviews, Bible studies etc. Men will often be able to see three people one after the other with no break in between and take 45 minutes to an hour seeing each one. Woman can rarely see more than two people in a row without a decent break and will take a minimum of an hour and a half seeing each one.

It is therefore unrealistic to assume that women can achieve the same as men in terms of the quantity of work done or people seen. We may be putting ourselves under unnecessary pressure by assuming that men and women do things in the same way – but they don’t. John Gray’s book ‘Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus’ (Thorsons, 1993) is not a Christian book but the observations he makes about how men and women function differently and the unrealistic expectations they have of each other are quite helpful.

Knowing when to stop and how much time to take off is related to this. Because women take longer to switch off from work at the end of the day than men do, they will often need more time to recuperate from the demands of pastoral ministry. A couple of quotes illustrate this:-

“Disciplined time management is an issue and how to keep the right balance between work and time off.”

“Having two days off is great and stops me going insane.”

Some churches have adopted a policy of encouraging the women on their staff teams to take 1 1/2 days off each week in recognition of the fact that they are more vulnerable in ministry and get tired more easily. It might not be necessary for all women but it goes some way towards accepting that the way they work is different from men.

One challenge women face that men in ministry could help with directly is in clearing up congregational misunderstandings about the role they have.

“Meeting the expectations of the congregation is very difficult when my role hasn’t been very clearly defined.”

“There is a lack of understanding amongst the congregation about my role because I’m not preaching.”

“How people perceive me and my role is an issue. People often don’t see why we need women Bible teachers.”

Men could help quite a lot in ‘clearing the ground’ for women in ministry and helping to change people’s perceptions about the nature of gospel ministry – that it doesn’t just involve preaching. Clearly defined job descriptions will help in this regard as well as an explanation to the church eldership or PCC about the nature of the work a woman staff member will be doing as well as what she won’t be doing.

This is not usually an issue for men in ministry who have a more prominent and ‘up front’ role but it is tragic that 7% of the women contacted feel a degree of inferiority because they are not preaching. God has set limits on the way women are to be involved in Word ministry for their good – women who are seeking to live within the Biblical parameters should be encouraged to embrace their God-given role and not made to feel inferior about it!

This then raises the need for affirmation. All of us need encouragement from time to time but women especially need to feel valued and appreciated. Maybe it has got something to do with the fact that woman was created in order to be a helper for man but it does seem that in order to be able to flourish in ministry women need a lot of positive affirmation. The relationship with their boss is especially important. If women feel encouraged and appreciated they will work much more effectively whereas no affirmation or feedback will lead to insecurity and negative self-analysis. Just asking for a woman to offer her opinion in a discussion will help her to feel that her contribution is valued. It is probably worth noting that not all women feel comfortable contributing to a discussion if the group is dominated by men and will therefore need more encouragement than their male colleagues to say something.

The Way Ahead

Seeing the need

This study has sought to analyse the development of women’s ministries amongst conservative evangelicals since the vote to ordain women to the presbyterate was passed in November 1992. There are encouraging signs that while the Church of England has effectively closed the door on women wanting to model women’s ministry in a Biblical way, it has not been able to stop them serving the local church. It is encouraging that 83% of the jobs surveyed have been created in the last ten years. However, more jobs need to be created if women’s ministries are to be taken seriously and developed further.

Churches need to think about how they are modelling gender differences in ministry and find some way of creating jobs for women if they are not. If the Biblical pattern is to be modelled effectively then both men and women are needed in Word ministry. Where money is a prohibiting factor perhaps larger churches with greater financial resources could help smaller churches to employ women to their teams full-time.

Acknowledging the differences

Men and women are not the same. They are equal in God’s sight in status, dignity and humanity but they have different and complementary functions in the life of the family and the local church. Employing a woman to a church team doesn’t mean that she will work in the same way as her male colleagues do.

The Apostle Peter acknowledged that while women are co-heirs with men of the gracious gift of life, they are nonetheless the weaker sex (1 Peter 3:7). He therefore encouraged husbands to show their wives consideration and respect. This surely needs to be acknowledged in the church family as well and perhaps more thought given as to how women in ministry might work more effectively when, for example, they will feel more emotionally drained by ministry than men do.

Training

If women are to teach God’s Word faithfully they need to be trained to handle it correctly. The Cornhill Training Course has been hugely influential in training both men and women for a variety of Bible teaching ministries over the last ten years. The recent setting up of Northern Cornhill in Sheffield can only further this important work and make it available to a wider selection of people. It is encouraging to see that the numbers of men and women involved in Northern Cornhill is increasing (39 men and 29 women will be starting the course in September 2002).

The women’s ministry stream at Cornhill in London is helping to equip women for the specific ministries they will have in the future as well as enabling them to think through how being a woman in ministry makes their role different from that of men. It is still in its early stages of development, but, while some women were sceptical about it at first, it is proving to be increasingly popular.

Undoubtedly more could be done to ensure that both men and women understand the different roles they have in gospel ministry. While many would agree with the principle of male headship, they haven’t always considered what it should look like in practice. Perhaps one way of doing this would be for theological colleges who are committed to the Biblical pattern of ministry to reflect more of the differences between men and women in their courses/training.

It may be unrealistic for women to undergo three years residential training when the ‘return’ on that investment, in terms of the time they may spend in ‘paid’ ministry afterwards, could be less than ten years. Given that so many of the women are doing Cornhill already, perhaps one additional year at theological college is more realistic, especially as they will almost definitely have to fund it themselves. The development of a year’s course specifically designed for women in ministry would be an attractive option – particularly if it encouraged them to develop skills that reflected the type of Word ministries they would ultimately have in the parish.

Funding

I have already mentioned that larger churches with more financial resources could help smaller churches to employ women on their staff teams. This is happening in some dioceses to a certain extent already but more of these initiatives could be developed. Asking women to work part-time in the short term is another way of opening up more jobs for them although it is not a long-term solution and proper funding of a full-time post ought to be sought as soon as possible.

Reform might also look into the possibility of setting up a trust fund, from which women could receive a grant to help with their theological training. This would be a simple and yet very strategic way for Reform to demonstrate their support of women’s ministry. It would also send a signal to the denomination that while it is no longer endorsing the Biblical pattern for women’s ministry, there are others within the Church of England who do.

Apprenticeships

The work of the 9:38 Web in encouraging men and women to think about the possibility of full-time gospel ministry seems to be gaining momentum. In particular the number of apprenticeship schemes, providing practical experience of gospel ministry, is growing. Most of these apprenticeship schemes are run by men and geared more towards equipping men for future preaching ministries. It would be good if more women with ministry experience could be involved in running similar schemes for women. Many would argue that these opportunities to learn ‘on-the-job’ and be trained and mentored by experienced Bible teachers are more beneficial than residential training and get closer to the New Testament model of ministry training seen in the pastoral epistles.

Ten years ago there were very few women who would have been equipped to do this but now there is a growing number who have had ten or more years of experience who could be encouraged to take on one or two apprentices. The growing number of regional teaching workshops for women, run along the lines of those at the Proclamation Trust conferences, could also provide a platform for more ‘on-the-job’ training – while at the same time providing a support network for those in more isolated situations.

Conclusion

The passing of the vote to ordain women to the presbyterate constituted the formal departure of the denomination from the clear teaching of Scripture. But not only that, with the measure to ordain women to the episcopate already being debated at Synod, it has set a course for continuing doctrinal drift. The denomination may not be in very good shape but we must not despair. God is still sovereign and His Word will never pass away – whatever the number of unbiblical motions passed by church synods and councils.

What the enemy intends for harm, God often intends for good. One very positive consequence of the passing of the vote is the galvanization of conservative evangelicals to ensure that the Biblical pattern for women’s ministry is affirmed and encouraged. The number of churches who are employing women (albeit outside the formal structures of the denomination) is very encouraging. There should also be a snowball effect in all this – as more women are engaged in appropriate gospel ministries and able to teach women about them, other women will be encouraged to follow in their footsteps. We must pray that God will continue to raise up gospel workers, both men and women, and send them into His harvest field.

One of the ordained women contacted in this research told me of her recent ministerial review. She met with the diocesan adviser for women clergy for over an hour and talked about the work she was involved in, her plans for the future and so forth. At the end of the interview the diocesan adviser said it was the first time she had come across a permanent deacon and was fascinated to hear how contented she seemed to be in that role. She remarked, “I think you are the first ordained woman I have ever met who is not either angry, frustrated or depressed.”

We shouldn’t be surprised at this. Those who take God’s Word seriously and seek to live it out will prove that what He says in His Word is true and for their good. A growing number of women are committing themselves to the Biblical pattern for women’s ministry and are content to live within the parameters God sets them in His Word. Please pray for us as we seek to live in obedience to Him and point others to the Lord Jesus Christ– in whose service there is perfect freedom.

Appendix [1] - The Reform Covenant. Click here to view.

Appendix [2] - The role of women in the local church. Click here to view.

Appendix [3] - Survey questions

[1]     Name of church / organisation where you work _______________

[2]     Name of job that you hold                     ______________________

[3]     How long have you worked there?        ______________________

[4]     How long is your contract?                    ______________________

[5]     Do you work full-time / part- time?       ______________________

                 If part-time, how many days a week?         ________________

                 What do you do the rest of the week?         ________________

[6]     How is your job funded?                       ______________________

[7]     How long has your job been in existence?                     __________

[8]     How many women have done the job before you?        __________

[9]     How many other women are on the staff with you? ____________

                 What are their responsibilities?       ______________________

[10]   What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis (please tick)?

• Bible teaching
• Preaching (in a Sunday service)
• Giving talks (but not in a service)
• Occasional seminars
• Small group Bible studies for…
  • Christians
  • Non-Christians (Alpha, Christianity Explored)
• One to one Bible studies
• Training
  • Bible study leaders
  • Evangelism Training
  • Other (please specify)                  ________________
• Administration
• Visiting
  • The sick
  • The elderly
  • Door to door
• Organising meetings (programmes, rotas etc..)
  • Toddler Group
  • Sunday School
  • Youth Group
  • Student Group
  • Home Group
  • Women’s Bible study group
  • Senior Members
  • Church Prayer Meetings
  • Sunday services
  • Other (please specify)                  ________________
• Leading
  • Toddler Group
  • Sunday School
  • Youth Group
  • Student Group
  • Home Group
  • Women’s Bible study group
  • Senior Members
  • Church Prayer Meetings
  • Sunday services
  • Other (please specify)                  ________________

[11]     What else does your job involve?        ______________________

[12]     What training did you receive before you started the job?

• None
• Cornhill Training Course
• Theological Training (which college?)   ______________
• Moore College Correspondence Course
• Reader Course
• Other (please specify)              ______________________

[13]     What training would you like to have received beforehand?

            ____________________________________________________

[14]     What stopped you?      __________________________________

[15]     What on-going training are you receiving?      ________________

[16]     What on-going training would you like to receive?     __________

            ____________________________________________________

[17]     How long do you anticipate being in ‘paid’ Christian ministry?

• 1 - 5 years
• 6 - 10 years
• 11 - 15 years
• More than 15 years

[18]     What are the main challenges for you as a woman in ministry?

            ____________________________________________________

[19]     Any other comments? __________________________________

            ____________________________________________________

[20]     Name  ______________________ Status  __________________

            Phone  ____________________ Email  ____________________

         Age    21-25     26-30      31-35      36-40      Over 40

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