Dear Friends, I'm just back from our Annual Conference. On the whole, it was a dismal affair and I left feeling rather sad. Naturally, it was great to see friends, colleagues, and former parishioners. And at the Ministers Mates' Lunch it was fun to connect with old friends and meet some new folks.
But as far as the business is concerned, the news was not so good. And we are a growing conference. We did elect delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences, and some of them will represent us well. But the politics of getting elected far overshadowed who was elected. On the lay side, the delegates were largely folks with experience with at least one young adult, who also happens to be a clergy spouse. On the clergy side, the young women clergy came in very organized and pretty much had their way. All that is fine, but with one or two exceptions the clergy delegation is totally inexperienced. And there were no delegates over 50, save one, who was our bishop candidate last time around. No DSs or conference staff were elected. I'm not sure what that says about our current leadership.
Perhaps this bodes well for the church. But I believe we are still too focused on what is politically correct. Guess I also feel a little passed over too. Still no sour grapes. It is God's church after all and God has a plan. I just wish I could feel better about the whole thing.
Grace, Kathy
Showing posts with label women clergy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label women clergy. Show all posts
June 17, 2011
August 30, 2010
Women Military Chaplains Convocation
I was privileged to spend last weekend helping with the Convocation for Women Military Chaplains. These women are the creme of the crop, and I was proud to have an opportunity to minister to them. The speaker was Chaplain (Major General) Lorraine Potter, a UM. She was the first (and only) woman to become the Chief of Chaplains. A Chief of Chaplains has all other military chaplains of all branches of service under her.
But I also thought you might be interested to learn a few other things.
First, United Methodist chaplains have the reputation of being well prepared and equipped to serve, perhaps the best prepared.
Second, United Methodist chaplains are well supported by their denomination, by us. Some of this support comes from the United Methodist Endorsing Agency, which is part of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The convocation was also some well-deserved R&R and sponsored by the UMEA. Next time you hear the our general boards and agencies don't do anything, I'm here to tell you that they are vital.
Third, Chaplains are missionaries to the unchurched. They represent us in ways and places that other missionaries cannot. And when other missionaries go into what was a war zone, the chaplains, our chaplains, were already there. (A chaplain friend who serves on an aircraft carrier told me that he has the world's largest youth group.)
Fourth, Chaplains, like all service personnel, have been wounded in the line of duty and can return home with PTSD. Yet, they do not carry weapons.
Fifth, These women proudly serve the church (us) and we are fortunate to have them defending our religious freedom.
Please pray for these women and all our chaplains.
Grace, Kathy
But I also thought you might be interested to learn a few other things.
First, United Methodist chaplains have the reputation of being well prepared and equipped to serve, perhaps the best prepared.
Second, United Methodist chaplains are well supported by their denomination, by us. Some of this support comes from the United Methodist Endorsing Agency, which is part of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The convocation was also some well-deserved R&R and sponsored by the UMEA. Next time you hear the our general boards and agencies don't do anything, I'm here to tell you that they are vital.
Third, Chaplains are missionaries to the unchurched. They represent us in ways and places that other missionaries cannot. And when other missionaries go into what was a war zone, the chaplains, our chaplains, were already there. (A chaplain friend who serves on an aircraft carrier told me that he has the world's largest youth group.)
Fourth, Chaplains, like all service personnel, have been wounded in the line of duty and can return home with PTSD. Yet, they do not carry weapons.
Fifth, These women proudly serve the church (us) and we are fortunate to have them defending our religious freedom.
Please pray for these women and all our chaplains.
Grace, Kathy
June 3, 2010
The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same
Googling "umc guaranteed appointment female minority" just now, I came across the most fascinating article that ran in Christian Century in 1979. Titled "UMC’s Women Clergy: Sisterhood and Survival," it was primarily remarkable for how unremarkable it was. If not for the reference to the upcoming 1980 General Conference and the use of the word "retarded" to refer to a special-needs child, the piece could easily have been written this year--more than 30 years later!
There are more female clergy in the UMC today, and more of them are appointed to senior pastorates and large membership churches than in 1979, but the issues they face are all the same. Challenges to advancement. Concerns over acceptance in certain congregations. Lack of support or flexibility in pregnancy and childcare situations.
For our purposes on this blog, as clergy spouses, consider this paragraph:
“Clergy couples” -- with both husband and wife being ordained -- “are beginning to find their label oppressive,” said one workshop participant. It causes them to be regarded as an entity rather than as two pastors, and to be stereotyped as a placement problem. Coordinating the career moves of a couple -- whether they desire to serve a joint pastorate or separate parishes -- can be difficult. But cabinets have been slow to acknowledge the seriousness of the two-career couple problem when one of the members is clergy and one is nonclergy. When both are ministers, the church bears responsibility for placing them both in jobs -- generally within driving distance of their shared parsonage. But when only one partner is ordained, the church has no control over the other partner’s career, and often fails to take it into consideration. The assumption has been that when the minister must move, the spouse must follow. The system worked well for many years with men who had nonworking wives, or wives whose careers as nurses or schoolteachers were regarded as transportable from one town to another. The two-career-couple crunch often forces a wrenching decision: “Which career is more important?” The assumption that the male’s ambitions always take precedence is being questioned, and couples are wrestling with the sacrifices required when career goals conflict.
Thirty. Years. And yet so little seems to have changed.
There are more female clergy in the UMC today, and more of them are appointed to senior pastorates and large membership churches than in 1979, but the issues they face are all the same. Challenges to advancement. Concerns over acceptance in certain congregations. Lack of support or flexibility in pregnancy and childcare situations.
For our purposes on this blog, as clergy spouses, consider this paragraph:
“Clergy couples” -- with both husband and wife being ordained -- “are beginning to find their label oppressive,” said one workshop participant. It causes them to be regarded as an entity rather than as two pastors, and to be stereotyped as a placement problem. Coordinating the career moves of a couple -- whether they desire to serve a joint pastorate or separate parishes -- can be difficult. But cabinets have been slow to acknowledge the seriousness of the two-career couple problem when one of the members is clergy and one is nonclergy. When both are ministers, the church bears responsibility for placing them both in jobs -- generally within driving distance of their shared parsonage. But when only one partner is ordained, the church has no control over the other partner’s career, and often fails to take it into consideration. The assumption has been that when the minister must move, the spouse must follow. The system worked well for many years with men who had nonworking wives, or wives whose careers as nurses or schoolteachers were regarded as transportable from one town to another. The two-career-couple crunch often forces a wrenching decision: “Which career is more important?” The assumption that the male’s ambitions always take precedence is being questioned, and couples are wrestling with the sacrifices required when career goals conflict.
Thirty. Years. And yet so little seems to have changed.
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