Case Studies from Women Theologians

from What is ordination coming to? pp.48-52

Report of a Consultation on the Ordination of Women held in Cartigny, Geneva, Switzerland 21st-26th September 1970
edited by Brigalia Bam, first published by the World Council of Churches 1971
reproduced on our website with the necessary permissions.

An American Presbyterian

Some male ministerial colleagues are frankly threatened at the thought that a woman might be able to do their job as ably as they can. Some have theological or social hang-ups that restrict their acceptance of a woman minister. I have had some positive experiences where male colleagues have called upon me because I was a woman, especially in hospital counseling with middle-aged women patients. On the whole, I have been pretty well respected and treated by my clerical colleagues.

I have one woman in my congregation who, due to childhood experiences and customs, cannot relate to me as a leader of worship or a preacher. In pastoral calls, we have no problems, and we are good friends, but in the pulpit, that’s a different ball game, from her point of view. I don’t let it bother me, because on a pastoral level we have a good relationship, I have had no complaints from male parishioners and, in fact, have had several males tell me that given a minister male or female both equally qualified, they would choose the female for pastoral counseling if they needed it. The only problem I’ve had, is dealing with middle-aged female ‘authoritarian personalities’. Among women laymen, these are the ones who try to run the show, and gain as much power as possible, almost trying to compete with me. I still haven’t learned how to help them, but I have learned how to survive their intrigues.

I have no real problem with the Session of my congregation. Essentially, I’m only the moderator, and I have no vote, so I’m like a referee. They have dealt as graciously with me as they have with all the previous male ministers – not that it’s been a bed of roses, but I do think I’ve had an easier time of it with them than the male ministers did.

With most everyone, I am a curiosity at first, and then a fascination or a friend. I have been very well-received by laymen and secular people, with a little problem from the fundamentalists and ultra-conservatives, into whose world views I don’t quite fit. But I usually find that the discrimination shown against me is from my male clergy colleagues, and not so much from the laymen. I usually feel that the best approach is not to antagonise those who are threatened by me as a professional, and I consider it their problem to work through. Then I just get on to the business of getting to know them as persons, in hopes that they’ll realise that I too am a person. If they doubt my ability, I feel that’s their privilege but they better give me fair time to prove myself, if they’re going to become my “judge”. So I generally use my own standards to evaluate my performance, and let God be my Judge. My husband is a big help in this respect – helping to see when my own standards are too rigid or too flexible in certain areas. One problem I have found is that a husband and wife clerical team is a good combination for people to throw mud at. The one thing I cannot tolerate yet, are the people who insinuate that our marriage is abnormal, or in any way “less human” than anybody else’s. They can hurl all the epithets they want at me or at my husband, but HOT at our marriage!! That is sacred, and I usually lose my cool when anyone suggests that there is anything wrong with our marriage. Some sadistic people find pleasure in doing this but fortunately they are few and far between.

The male clergy needs to be educated to the many unique and beautiful possibilities and potentialities for ministry women have. And best of all, weneed more dedicated and sincere women ministers who will serve the Church and Jesus Christ in a marvelous of what a great ministry we do have as women. We need to take ourselves more seriously in some respects, and witness in actionless seriously in others! If we get hung-up on the discrimination against ordained women, we become as ineffective as holy cows, and if we take our femininity too seriously, we turn off about 50% of our clientele!

As I have indicated above, the theological, psychological and sociological factors are all related to the problems we have, but isn’t that true in most problems? With the Conservatives and Fundamentalists, I have theological differences! With some people, their whole world-view is threatened by a woman in the profession of the Gospel Ministry – that includes their philosophy of life, as well as their view of reality (or psychology). There are many factors that are sociological, but women clergy are part of the rapidly changing society of which we are a part. So that has to be considered also. Essentially, I think the problems are predominantly psychological, and related to coping with change in our modern world -including a feminine clergy , married clergy, etc. It involves both the psychology of the individual and the psychology of groups and sub-groups in society, as well.

An analysis of the evidence I have would really call for a very technical and philosophical book or even a which I can’t include here. But an example of what I mean by choosing the psychological factor as predominant, is the example of the modern American family in suburbia. Considerable research has been done on this, and reasons for the breakdown of the basic family unit in suburbia has been attributed to greater physical, economic, social, political and even psychological mobility. But the real hinge to the door is the psychological one, because you can arrange all the mobility in the social, economic, political, and even physical arenas, and if a person isn’t psychologically conditioned to accept this mobility, or oriented positively toward it, it will cease to function in his life, and he will be back where he started. There’s clinical evidence for this! But translated into realistic terms for ordained women, the example of good women clergy, dedicated to their calling, showing the world the positive aspects of the vocation will be the best way to educate and “psych-up” society and individuals for ordained women. You learn by doing, or by observing some one else doing. In the same sense, the pioneers of the world weren’t out to put on a good show – they got in and did the work of clearing new paths for highways into the future!

Hospital Chaplaincy – 1 have definite evidence of this – especially in cancer counseling. Pastoral counseling – but it depends on the individual and their potentialities, put together with the needs and the powers of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church and the World. Youth ministries, and DEFINITELY: ministry to minority groups or oppressed groups! 1 have evidence for the latter as well.

It depends on the woman, her abilities, needs, convictions, preparation (education, etc.) and the actual situation. Some situations are ripe, while others are not. I think women often have a sixth sense about knowing when a situation is ripe and whether or not she can serve in it. If we’re not the salt of the earth, we are the yeast!

That’s a pretty sad commentary on negotiations for church union!( Adam’s been trying to put the blame on Eve for an awfully long time now…)

Seriously, I would not give up my ordination in the process of a church union, nor would I think that I should be expected to! I am who I am, and I happen to be an ordained woman, and nobody can take that away from me! For church unity, if ordained women was the only problem, I might consider becoming an early retired minister, but I would only do this to the glory of God and under the inspiration of His Holy Spirit! I regularly pray for church unity and seek in every way possible to have contact with other women in religious vocations. But since when did God give men a monopoly over His Church? I would have serious reservations about any Church Union proposal that would exclude women from the ordained ministry of both Word and Sacrament! I am willing to justify this on both Biblical and theological grounds too! I will not compromise, but I feel that in any church union, we must all be reconciled to one another – including male and female clergy! If you ask me how, I answer: Just give it a try and I’ll show you how it works! It means in humility all of us submitting to one another and to the will of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit it is possible, if we’ll only give it a try! Give God a chance!

A French member of the Reformed Church of France.

It, is only since May 1965 that the National Synod of the Reformed Church of France has allowed women to become ministers of a parish, and to be ordained as pastors. For eight years, before 1965. I was responsible for the pastoral care of a parish, but could neither be ordained, nor bear the title of pastor

This was a source of great unhappiness for me, which I shared with a few, though rare, colleagues. I was entirely responsible for all ministerial duties within the parish: I presided over the meeting of the Session; took charge of pastoral activities; administered the sacraments… and was altogether accepted by my parishioners as their pastor. Since 1965 the question of principle has been regulated. But in reality, it must be admitted that an ordained woman pastor may, or may not, be accepted by her male colleagues.

An example can illustrate this. From 1965 to 1969, 1 served as pastor in a large town with three male colleagues, but two of them could never accept the fact of my being a pastor, and for more than a year they refused to allow me to administer Holy Communion. In my present parish, where I have been for the last eight months, my colleagues of the district are much more ready to accept my ministry, and so I was surprised when I was elected a member of the District Council, and Vice-President of the Presbytery Court, which would have been unthinkable in the district in which I was before.

As for my parishioners, after the usual phase of ‘astonishment’ and ‘reserve’, it seems to me that, from my experience in the three parishes in which I have served as pastor, they readily come to accept a woman as their minister. The women are pleased that one of their number has been admitted as a minister of the Church, and for the young women and girls, they often prefer to confide in a woman. As regards the men, it is perhaps difficult for them to confide in a woman, but if, for example, an emergency should arise, it is up to me to decide whether or not I should allow a male member of the Session, qualified to give advice, to intervene in my place.

The Kirk Session here which is mainly made up of men, is perhaps more inclined to ‘help’ a woman pastor than a male one. When working with the members of the Session, I prefer, by nature, to really collaborate with them, rather than to impose my own ideas on them. A woman tends to assert herself less than a man and has less authority; the advantage being that, although she may not be taken as seriously as a man, human relationships are that much less complicated and stronger.

Finally relationships with the world at large seems easy. There is always a certain amount of reserve: who is this woman? Some Catholics are shocked (except the women), but when it is understood that it is possible for a woman to become a pastor, in her own peculiarly feminine way … the situation is, in the end, accepted as normal.

Judging by the cases of two young women who have recently become pastors who never knew the period prior to 1965 and who have thus started out on a path which has already been defined, I realise that they are certainly more at home in their ministry than we ourselves were just a few years ago, so I believe that as far as France is concerned the future for women seems very promising.

When a woman has been carrying out her responsibilitiesfor some time, and those around her realise that she is capable of such reponsibilities, prejudices tend to disappear.

But this implies that the woman in question should be very persevering, very calm, well-balanced, and should know how to pray. It may be a good thing, when one has a vocation to be sure of one’s position, but, all the same, one should be prudent. In other words, one should be careful not to speak too much at meetings where there are a large number of men present; one should not force the issue, but rather wait in the hope that our position as women pastors will one day be admitted everywhere as a matter of course.

However, it is certainly not a question of tolerating injustice and inequality. I know that, in this sphere, our national authorities are ever watchful and ready to assist us.