Aj Schwanz

Excellent comments, folks! I greatly appreciate your views on women’s roles (and lack of presence) in church at the moment.

I do agree that much of the emerging church is not focused on “up-front” roles - and yet those are the ones that get the most ‘press.’

It is hard for young women, especially young mothers, to break away. I just went on vacation with my in-laws, and there were many events I chose to sit out because I knew my son wouldn’t be able to handle it.

I was talking with my father-in-law, and he’s voiced an interest in having a “Mutuality in Emerging Leadership” conference. He talked about seminary women he knows who should get out there: women pastors who had husbands who stayed home or had folks to help watch their kids - their congregations were understanding when they were pregnant and on bedrest or had other family emergencies. He said there needs to be more cases like that - let’s free the women to be out there every day leading!

Part of me greatly resonated with that: his experience is with a religious tradition that is in much need of such action. But part of me rumbled: what if I don’t *want* to be away from my family? What if I want to lead but also want to be a stay-at-home mom? Hearing him say women *should* be out there seemed along the same vein as saying women *shouldn’t* be out there - yet another man saying what should and shouldn’t happen without really lending weight to individual calling from God (could it be a balance perhaps?). I don’t believe this is what my father-in-law intended, but my sensitive spirit ran a bit further with implications.

This morning I taught a lesson on Blessings to our Women’s Bible Study Fellowship: I was able to speak words and experiences that God gave me while my bebe romped in the nursery for two hours. Then we came home and had snuggle time. He took a nap; I read “Exclusion and Embrace.” Right now as I type this sitting on the floor, he’s resting his head on my hand staring at the screen. I love following my God-given call: to minister to my worship gathering AND to be a mom. It’s a tricky walk - but daily God’s guidence gives me the ability to walk straight. My leading probably won’t look like a typical evangelical male pastor, but that doesn’t make it any less worthy. So, are we looking in the right places for women leaders?

On a similar note, Generous Orthodoxy Think Tank is hosting a Blog Book Club on Women in the Theological Academy. Could be interesting.

HT