I saw this coming
I find myself in grief again today. It is surprising, because this relationship was over long long ago. But grief has its way of pulling itself back up, even when you thought it was dead and buried.
Today’s cause is the action of the Southern Baptist Convention to removed churches that have female ministers. The grief is a surprise, because I left (or it left me) in the last century! I have absolutely no ties to the SBC, except in memory.
But those memories are strong.
First Baptist Church, Cherryville, NC
I grew up at First Baptist Church, Cherryville, NC. Perhaps I shout say they raised me! I was in the Cradle Roll before I was born. I was a Sunbeam (and yes I can still sing the song,) an RA (we played softball every Wednesday night with Joe Alexander!). My mother took me to Ridgecrest every Summer for WMU week where I got to meet real life missionaries! I did Memory Verse and Sword Drill (though I still can’t get the references right!)
I was in every choir, including the Mr. Paul Singers before I was old enough. (A benefit of having a mother who was a chaperon. Our youth choir would travel whenever our pastor was invited to preach a revival. (I heard John Tresch do his sermon “Come Before Winter” so many times I could probably recite it!)
I went to a Baptist university, was a member of the Baptist Student Union, (where I lead Weekend Teams to churches. I did Summer Missions all 4 years, and then went to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary!
If we took Paul’s credentials in Philippians 3 and translated it into “Baptistese,” that would be me!
Then!
Then after being called as Minister of Youth and Children to First Baptist Church, Lenoir, NC I dared approached my home church to ordain me. That is when it all started!
We could talk about the horrendous Ordination Council. It was in the very room where our youth group had met, with several of the men who had helped raise me sitting in the room! I should have known when the first person dared question my salvation because I could not give him the day and time!). When it was over I was dismissed for 45 minutes while they discussed, finally deciding they would recommend my ordination “with reservations.”
Even then I went forward because that was my home, and it would mean so much to my mother!
But when it came time to put the service together I dared say that I wanted everyone to participate in the laying on of hands, and, and wanted Jen Williams, the matriarch of the WMU, to read scripture.
The answer was an unequivocal NO! They would not allow a woman to read scripture from the pulpit.
This was in 1984.
So yes. I saw the action of the SBC coming. Today they are going to “unfriend” a church that has a female staff member! NOT THE PASTOR! Basically they don’t want her reading scripture from the pulpit.
So yes, I am in grief again today. The decision won’t affect me at all. I now pastor a Moravian Church. But like I said, grief is always surprising where it jumps up!
I just wonder how many churches will finally say that this is a line too far, or how many will lemming-like just go over this cliff into the 19th century and oblivion.