Why Is This Section on the Women's Ministries Website?

Good question and one I'm glad you asked! The addition of this section is to address concerns of the Women's Ministries General Council regarding the struggles many clergywomen encounter as they seek to fulfill their calls to ministry. The purpose of this portion of the Women's Ministries website is education. Far too many people attending a Church of the Nazarene do not know the historical role of clergywomen in the early years of our denomination. Neither is there an adequate understanding of the denomination's theological position regarding women as clergy.

Since the voice of the Wesleyan/holiness tradition is not as powerful as other voices on this issue, it becomes vitally important to answer questions related to women as clergy. Members and attendees of the Church of the Nazarene need to understand the often-quoted and referenced Scriptures that seem to prohibit women from being clergy. One role of this section is to point readers to sources that are scholastically accurate that explain our tradition and interpretation of the "hard passages" of Scripture.

The goal of this section is to open communications and to offer a safe environment to ask questions, to explore apprehensions, to understand various leadership styles, and to encourage and support women as they respond to God's call to professional ministry. Many of us have not sat under the pastoral leadership of a woman pastor or heard many women evangelists. Therefore, our experiences with and exposure to clergywomen is quite limited. Intensify this by the fear of the unknown and the need for this section is underscored.

This section is an example of the tension of living in both/and. (See article entitled "Resources Related to Women as Clergy".) Women's Ministries focus is the auxiliary ministry to women in the congregation and community. Part of that role is to educate women regarding their roles in the Kingdom of God and to encourage and support women as they respond to God's call into full-time ministry. If there is a group with the Church of the Nazarene that should be supportive of and encouraging clergywomen, it is Women's Ministries. We best accomplish this goal as we learn more about the theological basis and history of women within the Church of the Nazarene.

Use this section to link to resources and to learn more about the role of clergywomen. Hopefully, this will increase your knowledge and assist in forming a positive view of women as clergy. Perhaps through these pages, God will call other women into full-time ministry.