Women should
not be pastors and guess who is working that out in growing numbers? Women
themselves, as the ABC encouragingly reports,
“The
Reverend Lynda McMinn has been a priest for 25 years. Much of that time has
been spent in the Anglican Church’s historically progressive Canberra Goulburn
diocese, which was among the first in the country to make women priests in
1992.
In
that year, after decades of activism, equality advocates wept and cheered — a
new era had begun.
But
one year ago, McMinn stood up in her local synod — a meeting of the locally
elected leadership and laity of the diocese, much like a parliament — to
identify something that had been bothering her deeply: Instead of growing as
expected, the number of women in ministry had dwindled in recent years. There
were only three female rectors left (a three decade low), there were no female
archdeacons, and few were rising in the ranks.
So,
what had gone wrong?...
…“Hard won gains” had been lost.
The
reason this report matters goes far beyond the bounds of any single parish, or
diocese. It matters because, three decades after the first ordinations of women
to the Anglican priesthood, women are still struggling to gain and maintain
strong footholds on the rungs of leadership across the national church. Bishops
are muttering amongst themselves, committees are being formed, heads scratched.
The Melbourne Diocese considered quotas.
It
also matters because a profound shift is occurring in some western countries —
notably Australia and America — whereby for the first time since such a thing
was ever measured, more young men are identifying as Christians than women.
This shift has astonished demographers and historians alike, due to the fact
that for centuries, if not millennia, the majority of people in church pews
have been women. The leaders have been male, but the ranks of the faithful have
been mostly female.
So,
what’s going on? Where have the women gone? Or where are they going?
In
July last year, after undertaking comprehensive research, including
interviewing dozens of women in the diocese and analysing statistical patterns
of women in leadership with data from the bishop’s office, McMinn and the Women
in Leadership Working Group handed down their report. They concluded that the
diocese had lost women from leadership because of deep, stubborn “cultural,
theological and organisational barriers”. These included “attitudes that are
patronising and hostile to women’s leadership” and “unrealistic expectations of
clergy”.
What
they found would not come as a surprise to women who have sought equality in
other spheres, most especially parliament. The template of a good reverend has
long been a man with built in (and of course free, or voluntary) domestic
support, which has meant prospective female candidates have found themselves
grilled about their at-home arrangements (and often found wanting, if single).
Young women have looked at a future which appears incompatible with family
life, and turned away.”[1]
Particularly
take note of that last line, “Young women have looked at a future which appears
incompatible with family life, and turned away.” Ain’t that the truth. The amount
of men who would actually like to sit under their wives as the leader of their
church is relatively few, they do exist, but they are a rare breed. One of the
worst things any single Christian woman can do who wants to be a wife and mother is seek
a leadership position in a church. This is the opposite for men, men generally
have no trouble finding a wonderful woman who wants to support them in their
ministry. But, far more often than not, women do not find this same support is
supplied, because it inverts the natural order among men and women, and even
progressive men can sense this.
The fact that
progressive parishes in the Anglican Church (for Americans that is our
version of the Episcopalian Church) are struggling to find women to lead their
congregations is really encouraging. Because it shows that not only is this
model unbiblical, it is simply unworkable. Husbands don’t want to submit to
their wives, especially not in the church setting, at least not openly (many do
quietly). Men in the main do not want to sit under such feminine leadership.
And more and more women are recognizing that to pursue this path will likely
mean they lead a physically barren and lonely life.
The promises
of feminism were many. The reality is far different to the promise though.
Articles like this should encourage us. Women are turning more and more away
from seeking ministry. And if history is any guide here, this will have no
negative impact on their desire to be a part of the church. Because as the
article notes the norm in history is that women have been fine with male headship
in the church.
It is a hard job to fight against a culture, especially if the truth is not on your side. Up until recently the church was wise enough not to tell women that they should pursue this role, but now women are learning from bitter experience what once was just the assumed wisdom, a bishop should be a married man, who can manage his family and nor a woman.
List of
References
[1] Julia
Baird, 2025, The church’s disappearing women, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-09/the-church-s-disappearing-women/104910172?u&fbclid=IwY2xjawIWcNNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbH4FfS-X8d_OTQmwtbY1icfTd3fSxkKMBXrb_0RveHmoi1G0-DyTJ2EvA_aem_J7b7onDfFm3zxP8xUqmD_A
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