This is part of a series of letters Elizabeth writes to a fictional pastor. In this letter, Elizabeth addresses one of the areas that came up in the survey for both men and women on the field. You can also read the full survey results in the white paper Let’s Talk About It. You can find previous letters from Elizabeth to Pastor Jerry here.

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Dear Pastor Jerry,

I’m not quite sure how to start this letter or if it needs to be written, but I want to raise something that might be awkward for the global care team when I come on home service next year. 

What’s the issue? Well, a non-issue here may raise eyebrows at home. As you know, I’ve been in this part of Asia two terms now and I was recently ordained by the church group that my team partners with to establish new churches. This ordination was initiated by the lead pastor because I was asked to move to a new city to pastor a fledgling church plant there.

I’m a woman. I’m ordained. 

No one in this part of the world even blinks at those two sentences, but I’m not sure how Pine Creek Church will react if this is common knowledge. Yet, how do I describe my ministry if I do not talk about why I am the pastor of the new church. 

Where I live and work, new fellowships are often led by women that the parent churches ordain. They believe that if a woman is qualified, educated, knows scripture well, and it is obvious that she is called by God, why not put her in the pulpit to preach? 

North American evangelicals do not, for the most part, ordain women. In fact, ordained women are usually considered “liberal” or, worse yet,  going against scripture. My godly local colleagues look at scripture differently. Yes, they read the verses in the New Testament that talk about a woman not speaking in public or not teaching a man, but they see culture not law. Their understanding of women in ministry goes back to Genesis where God created male and female in HIS likeness, as equals – different but equal. They look at the term “helper” in Genesis and see “equal but different” — not servant, not second-class, not someone barred from leadership. 

I remember my grandmother and her sister talking about how the role of women in ministry had shrunk in their lifetime. When they were younger, women were far more active in leadership positions in churches – most youth directors were women, many Bible teachers were women, and heavens, most cross-cultural workers were women. That’s still true by the way – 2/3 of global workers are women. 

Then the rise of strident feminism in the 1960’s pushed women out of those positions in conservative churches and they were no longer equal. They could make coffee—well, they always DID make the coffee—but they couldn’t, heaven forbid, teach an adult Bible class where there were men, or even lead teenage boys in youth group. 

What does it mean here that I am ordained? It means I do what pastors do: preach, teach the Bible to men and women,  serve communion, counsel, meet with other pastors, and seek to raise a new generation of disciples under me who will then lead the church. I don’t expect to be here indefinitely, but this is where God has me now to disciple those who come to Jesus. 

So, Pastor Jerry, what do you think the global care team at Pine Creek will say? I promise I won’t wave a “Reverend” flag, but I do need your opinion and counsel. 

With blessing,
Elizabeth