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11 Questions to Help us Dig Deeper & Think Thoroughly

This is part 6 in a series of articles on leadership (specifically women in leadership) 

written by Ann Smith
published June 2016 in IM Enews

One of the prayers I frequently pray is, “God make me a contagious follower of you. Remind me that my task is not to defend you but to reflect you.” In the early days of my faith journey I felt the main task of a Christian was to defend God and as a result, I became an abrasive Christian. What a relief it was to discover God was big enough to take care of Himself and did not need my defense. 

It was Lloyd Ogilvie who first raised the questions for me, “What would have happened to the prodigal son if it had been the elder brother standing at the gate instead of the father?” The prayer of my heart is that no one will remain in, or return to, the far country because they meet me before they meet the Father. 

I believe it is easy for us to be so concerned about having the right theology, right doctrine, right beliefs that we fail to realize that the right spirit is perhaps far more important. While those things are crucial, it is the right spirit that opens the door to new insights, to growth, to greater effectiveness, to sensitivity to God’s guidance, to honesty about our journey, to willingness to change, to the ability to live with unanswered questions. After all, God calls us to be full rather than complete. There is still so much learning, discovering, stretching and becoming to do. He is increasingly shaping us into the image of Christ. 

I believe having the right spirit makes us more aware of how important questions are. Too many times in the past I have been so eager to give answers that I have not taken the time or opportunity to listen to the questions inside of me, the questions that come from God or from others who are also on a faith journey. 

The Church of God has recently been engaged in reflecting on how far apart our teaching and our practice are in regard to women in ministry. I would like to invite us all – men, women, lay people, ordained clergy, all followers of Jesus – to engage in asking ourselves some questions and honestly, as we are all able, about women in ministry. Hopefully, the questions we ask ourselves about women in ministry will be helpful as we apply them to other aspects of our faith journey. 

For me, I have found that honesty and reflection are necessary elements of my growth process. Here are a few questions I am asking and I invite you to use these if they are helpful but also invite you to ask God to bring to your mind the questions that are unique to your spiritual journey. 

  1. Am I basing my position on a specific proof text rather than the role of women throughout Biblical narrative? 
  2. Throughout our life, we wear all kinds of labels. Which do I know better – my label or who God called me to be? 
  3. How aware am I that it is possible to be sincere and wrong at the same time? 
  4. To what degree do stereotypes determine how I relate to others? 
  5. It is possible that sometimes my attitude or positions grow out of my desire to control?
  6. How do my ego needs show up in my words and actions?
  7. How does my privilege and power inform my responses to the words and actions of others with less privilege and power? 
  8. Do our words and actions create barriers or build bridges? 
  9. Do I honestly admit that opposition to women in ministry is found in both men and women? Is it more of a heart problem than a gender problem? 
  10. To what extent does the individualism of the society in which I live hinder my understanding of the Biblical concept of the Body of Christ and how it should function? 
  11. Do I sometimes try to take over God’s job? 

I have many more questions that I ask myself. I encourage you to make your own list and deal with them as honestly as you are able by God’s grace. 

How grateful am I for the various opportunities God has provided for me to be involved in ministry over many years. Hopefully it has made a difference in people’s lives. It is a wonderful feeling to look back over 91 years of life and honestly feel that if I could live life over again, I would not change the direction. It has been an ongoing process of discovery that God, self, relationships, and how God wants to use me. The discovery continues! What a journey! Thanks be to God! 

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We Are NOT Progressives, We ARE Biblical

Joshua Brandt was primarily raised by his mother and grandma. He and his wife, Laura, are raising three girls and a sheltie named Charlea (who is also a girl). When he steps into the offices of The Gathering he is surrounded by women leaders who are advancing the the Kingdom. His church is full of sons and daughters of God who are working together to impact Muncie and the surrounding area. He is a better leader, a better person, because of all the women leaders in his life.

We are not progressives.

A while back I received an email from one of my friends. She was concerned about a church she was checking out online. This church made it very clear that they did not support women in leadership, especially as pastors. She could not believe it. She asked, “Don’t they know it is 2016?”

A four-year-old from our church was recently told by a preschool classmate that she could never be a pastor because she is a girl. We can almost hear someone ask, “Isn’t it 2016?”

A few weeks ago my social media feeds were full of the joy-filled faces of recent Anderson University School of Theology graduates. Many of the women who have proudly completed their degree know that the real work is just beginning. I hear myself asking, “I thought this was 2016?”

The question is understandable. We look around at all of the issues facing the church. We see all of the consistent change happening in our culture. We fall on our knees wondering how God will use this season in our country. We know that the world is different. It seems to some that women in leadership is just one more rallying cry for change.

It is not. 

I have been called many things over the years- a maverick (Thank you Doug Talley… I think?!?), “cutting-edge,” and an outsider. I take joy in my ability to see trends and respond to them. I desire to be a person who is open to bringing about transformation in the lives of people and the church. However, I want you to know that being a supporter of women in leadership is one of my most conservative values. 

When it comes to women in leadership, we are not progressives. We are taking a radically conservative stand.

The cry being heard from an increasing number of men and women in our tribe, in our movement, is not a demand for change. It is a call to remember. Yes, it is a call to remember who we are. To remember that our tribe has been calling women into leadership over and over again for over thirteen decades. It is perhaps too easy to say this discussion is closed. The experiential evidence abounds.

I think that argument can be too modern, too contemporary. Instead our radical commitment to women in leadership is directly tied to our commitment to the truth Scripture. I understand that there is, and perhaps always will be, discussion over “problem passages” in the New Testament regarding women in leadership. We must ask ourselves what advantage is there in advocating for a view of those passages which would limit women in leadership or remove them all together? I see no advantage for women.

I am committed to women and men leading the church because I believe it is the holistic witness of Scripture. Not because it is progressive. I take this stand because it is Biblical.

Perhaps it is time to take this discussion more personally. To sit in coffee shops and tell our stories to each other. To search Scripture together. It is worth the effort to hear and value one another. Why? Our ability to powerfully spread the Gospel is at stake.

I would love to sit and talk this through with you. Perhaps you have felt alone in your conviction about women in ministry. Give me a call. Let’s talk it through. Maybe you have been “supportive” but have not yet taken action. I would love to hear from you. And you might just be convinced that I am wrong. I look forward to hearing from you. Maybe we can help each other be better.

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