Strategy Group: Session II

 

Question 1: What are the issues that women in ministry face in our denomination?

• understanding and learning rural language, terminology of the people
• Misunderstanding the cultures
• Cultural prejudice
• Professional jealousy
• Leadership of women in ministry is not accepted
• Segregated roles

 

• Refugee Churches, need for employment: Church’s priority is to find jobs for the people and to help complete applications
• Teach English Classes
• The main church has a full-time social worker
• No pastor, Kenmore NY, outside pastors visit they worship with churches with pastors, need a pastor who speaks Chin and Korean and English Bibles.
• There needs to be a greater understanding of the backgrounds
• The needs of the people are falling on the pastor assistance in teaching churches roles is needed
• Pay is low, demand is high

 

• limited opportunities for women (pastorship) and how committees interview women
• Single pastor Character becomes suspect
• Spousal challenges, male spouses are not treated the same as a female spouse, male spouses are expected to be primary financial supporter or provider of health insurance
• Balancing family/church
• Train senior pastor and staff how to relate appropriately with co-pastors and associate pastors

• Sexism
• Jealous
• Being second- opportunity to preach invitation to other churches, lack of info on vacant churches
• Male pastors don’t know what to do with women

• Placement: it’s hard to know what is available
• Better off working with regions or ABPS
• The Over 55 years old- “syndrome”
• The number of new pastors over 50 years old
• Okay to preach but not okay to be a pastor
• Lack of respect
• Women have to be stronger and smarter to get positions and to do them
• All male NEC does not model belief in female leadership
• “Deaconess” role automatically is diminished 

• Doors shut in our face
• Not being accepted as an equal by our brothers in ministry
• What is the source of authority?
• Who has access to the pulpit? 

• (male) Key leadership that get in the way
• “Machismo” both in men and women
• Age discrimination
• Disconnected and isolation 

• Dating courtship, marriage, sexuality of the single women in ministry
• Myth of acceptance of call means you will be single if not married
• We don’t talk about our sexuality as single or married women
• An understanding of intimacy
• How to handle inappropriate advances
• How to develop an ethic of dating
• How to handle harassment allegations

Question 2: What needs to be done to provide more support for women in ministry, locally, regionally and nationally? 

• Training roles for congregation
• Support in training members on how to take responsibility for the church
• Additional workshops like this one
• Assistance for lay leaders
• Assistance with locating seminary
• Validation in ministry without a degree
• Stress and the pastor, locating Christian Counselors
• Support Group
• We need a new vision for ministry: an expanded view of ministry
• We = men; women; the variety of ethnicities
• Resources: finances, networking, support, training equipping
• More paid opportunities for recent grades to get experience: internships, CPE residencies, fellowships 

• Form effective alliances among Hispanics/Portuguese-speaking
• Local training for women
• Regional/national conferences like this 

• People hired by ABC should support the resolutions (including WIM)
• Women in ministry designated offerings
• Special annual offering for WIM
• Support for church leadership: education, self-care
• Pastors, interim, ministers are left as free agents, take care of themselves
• Pastors to pastor role = retired pastoral leaders given expense money
• National to fill roles at local churches PT = secretary and administrative TLC
• Volunteers recognition dinner
• Regional promotion of ABC billboard/TV ads

 

• Strong support of your pastor
• Network with minister association
• Promote yourself

 

• Local, region, and national awareness
• Directory of women in ministry
• Online forum
• Raise Advocates in the church for pastor’s family
• Develop spiritual Directors for co-pastors and Associate (other than the pastor) or     Christian Counselors

 

• More opportunities
• Time of Sharing
• Pray for each other
• Better advertising the events

 

• Training roles for congregations
• Support in training members on how to take responsibility for the church
• Additional workshops like this one
• Mentorship’s
• Assistance for lay leaders
• Assistance in locating seminary
• Validation in Ministry without a degree
• Stress and the pastor – locating Christian Counselors
• Support Group 

• Dialogue and education
• Protocol to allegations of harassment
• Review covenant
• Open dialogue on how we handle dating/courtship
• How to deal with our intimacy needs
• Share stories how married women handle their lives how single women handle their lives
• How to be safe as we pastor people
• Discussion of theology of sexuality

 

Question 3: what should we do to help?

• Pray Together – Follow the steps of prayer
• List of women in ministry names
• Prayer Partners
• Accountability Partners
• Serving on the planning team for WIM retreats
• Ecumenical programs
• Lift up sisters daily – intercessory prayer
• Email needs
• Commit 4 hours per week to support WIM

 

• Speak the truth in love
• Advocate for self
• Seek spiritual directors
• Willing to assist with directory and distributions

 

• Be assertive
• Don’t take things personally when you are sure of your calling

 

• Promoting ourselves
• Get some males to advocate, promote WIM educational materials
• Stay informed on denominational position openings
• Support each other
• Identify dysfunctions in organizations and seek to heal
• More TIM/WIM groups
• Be intentional to reach out to women pastors ecumenically
• Call new WIM in region and invite to dinners

 

• Become channels

 

• Open to accepting invitations
• Facilitate connections/relationships between ABC Chaplains and the        denomination to build community
• Share my story: experience, coaching
• Mentor/coach to a pastor
• Develop/organize programs/ministers/promote “consulting” for others to do the    same 

• need for coaching for those who are discerning a call
• Share stories
• Set up a place for confidentiality and we can encourage one another to share stories
• Struggle with the scripture and use respectful of various theologies 

 

Question 4: What message can this group take to denominational leadership?

• Ask us for help/tell us what your needs are
• National be accessible (esp. via phone)
• Nation make the “Chaplains and pastoral counselors” we age easier to find
• National send E-newsletter by subscription, like WIM bring back a paper journal/newsletter – like acapella 

• We need specific resources for our groups (both Hispanics and Brazilians)
• Make a stand for immigration
• Offer pastoral support for these groups (ethic leadership)
• Financial support 

• Equality in pastor roles – positive statement
• Help us to communicate better about the events like posting on a website 

• We need women in Top leadership positions
• Events less expensive but more frequent in early announcement
• Scholarship awarded prior to event
• All African American women don’t have the same issues and needs
• Share information, bible study and more visible to educate AA churches to support Women 

• Boys get it together
• Message: WIM is not a justice issue but source of best possible ministry
• Male-female partnership model at every level = congregation NEC
• Be intentional about including women in leadership at all levels and all events
• Advocating and information on just compensation for all clergy, Male and Female
• Development support for pastoral leaders to sub funds for congregational
• Encourage clergy to take good grant writing training, using training to sub other grants
• Be Baptist!
• Don’t be afraid to talk about sex
• Having sexuality as an open dialogue be apart of the agenda to address our total humanity
• Spirituality of sexuality should be addressed.

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