Why would we launch a new Women’s Leadership Initiative
cohort at a men’s Benedictine monastery?
Does that not seem rather counter-intuitive? Praying for several days with a community
whose doctrine expressly forbids the ordination of women could have the effect
of discouraging these new female learners.
Actually, I think it has the
opposite effect. It puts in bold relief
how the church is not yet one on this matter, and it sharpens the commitment of
women as they respond to God’s beckoning.
It also signals the requirement of careful theological thinking as they
prepare to serve in sectors that are suspicious of their calling.
While I
would never disparage my dear brothers in Christ at Conception Abbey, it is
clear that we hold very different perspectives on priestly service. They are unfailingly gracious to all the
students I bring to their beautiful campus, yet there is a firm boundary
between their understanding of the role of women in ministry and that which our
seminary holds. It does make for lively
dialogue, and good will prevails in our discussions with the monks.
The dream
of the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Central is to empower women to claim
their rightful place in Christian ministry.
Many of the new members of this second cohort come from places of
brokenness (Henri Nouwen’s term) as their calling has been discounted,
discouraged, or derailed by those who read the Scriptures as proscribing
women’s roles in pastoral leadership. I
am grateful for their tenacity and courage in responding to the nudge of the
Spirit.
We must all
learn how to read the Bible in liberative ways for the church to receive the
ministers God is calling. Shaped in the
Ancient Near Eastern world and the Greco-Roman early centuries, the Bible
reflects a patriarchal system that relegates women to an ancillary
function. Occasionally they steal the
spotlight--think of Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Mary of Magdala, Dorcas, and
Lydia—yet for the most part, their lives are in supporting roles.
Central’s
WLI will prepare women for creative leadership in diverse ministry
contexts. They will move into non-profit
work, congregational leadership, administration, academic, writing, and myriad
other pathways to build up the Body of Christ.
They will bring varied experiences from their professions and learn how
ministry can be woven into them; others will conclude an epoch in the corporate
sector to embrace their next horizon.
A new
church is coming, and its flourishing depends upon the giftedness of women. Central is excited to participate with God in
forming another cohort for the sake of the church, for the sake of the world.
Molly T.
Marshall
Central prepares women and men for seeking God, shaping
church, and serving humanity.
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