Stories. They help us understand who others are, where they come from, and who they desire to be. They form us in ways that we do not always realize. One story can change thousands of other stories. If we truly want to begin to understand how churches can go about changing the culture toward women preachers, we must tell the stories of women preachers. Through these stories we begin to understand the culture that surrounds the pulpit, and it is the telling of these stories that can change the culture. Culture defines the horizons of possibility and impossibility for human beings, which requires careful attention to the conditions for people and things to thrive.1 Culture change takes time, and it takes intentionality. In order for women preachers to thrive, the culture of impossibility must be changed to one of possibility.
In order to understand the culture of possibility and impossibility for women preachers in, we need to tell, acknowledge, and understand stories of preachers who are women. It is important to know and to celebrate that there are women who have positive testimonies about their experiences with preaching in The Wesleyan Church. However, they are certainly not the majority. The experiences of Wesleyan women also resonate with women preachers in other denominations in which women preacher are affirmed theologically, but not consistently supported.
I have discovered the following stories by interviewing sixteen women currently in preaching positions in The Wesleyan Church. People have walked out when they realize a woman is going to preach, or people have left churches altogether because of a woman preaching. Women have been told to change their voice when they preach so it would not be a motherly, comforting tone that would put people to sleep. One woman was mistaken as a custodian in her church office, and on that Sunday when she got up to preach, that parishioner was particularly embarrassed that they assumed she was the custodian, not the pastor. Another female preacher has noticed people going to the male pastors on staff for help even though she was the direct report. This same preacher has noted that she has never been invited to give devotions at an older adult event, she has been dismissed as “just doing what she’s told” when it comes to membership renewal, and people seem to be more concerned with her ability to have children than her calling to be a preacher. A majority of the women interviewed explained that some of the negative experiences they have had in The Wesleyan Church stem from a lack of support in the beginning of their ministries, a lack of people affirming their callings, and a lack of opportunities to actually preach. One female preacher said that after preaching she has received notes telling her to read particular resources from John Piper on the silent submission of women. Another woman preacher had someone come up to her and say her preaching was very good, but they did not believe women should be preaching; therefore, she concluded, “I guess I will have to chew the meat and spit out the bones.”
Another woman preacher was told by a group of people they did not come to the service she was preaching in because they did not want to listen to a woman preacher. One of them gave the preacher a pie to let her know that the decision to not listen to her preach had nothing to do with her, but they did not want to sin by sitting under the preaching of a woman. Several women preachers noted that they did not see a woman preach until later in their lives, so they did not think it was normal for a woman to be a preacher. One of them specifically noted that it is normal for women to have a negative experience with preaching because the practice is not modeled enough for it to be a normal part of church culture. Women have been explicitly told that they need to rethink their calling after preaching. When Jo Anne Lyon was General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church, some churches told their districts that they would not accept a woman to be their pastor, so the districts struggled to recommend women to churches. When Jo Anne was elected General Superintendent, two or three churches actually left the denomination because they did not want to be under the leadership of a woman. These stories are only a snapshot into the current culture surrounding women preachers in The Wesleyan Church, and it is imperative for us to acknowledge and keep record of their stories, as they will inform us and help us to effect change.2
These stories from the interviews with women preachers are only a small snapshot of the culture that permeates The Wesleyan Church and similar denominations. There is still much more to be done. There are still stories that need to be told, and there are still women who need to be heard.
It is essential that the stories of women in ministry be included in the writing, documentation, and record keeping of The Wesleyan Church and other denominations that affirm women as preachers. Sharing the stories of women and their ministries creates an acknowledgement that God does call both men and women. The stories that are told shape the culture of the church, so women’s stories have to be included alongside men’s. This is a call toward intentionality. The stories of women should be intentionally told, written, documented, and recorded just as any other story in The Wesleyan Church would be. If the church truly desires to have a culture that empowers and enables women to preach, then the church needs to tell their stories. They need to tell the good stories. They need to tell the bad stories. They need to tell women’s stories.
Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling, (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2008), 29.
All stories were derived from interviews conducted by Courtney Dunn and included in the research, “A Rallying Cry: The Call for the Cultivation of a Culture of Normativity Amongst Women Preachers in The Wesleyan Church.”
About the Author: Courtney Dunn is currently a student at Asbury Theological Seminary studying for her Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies. She recently graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with her Bachelor of Arts in Global Ministries and Honors Humanities. While she was studying for her undergraduate degree, she completed a research project called, “A Rallying Cry: The Call for the Cultivation of a Culture of Normativity amongst Women Preachers in The Wesleyan Church” for the John Wesley Honors College. Courtney is currently in the ordination process with the Crossroads District of The Wesleyan Church, in which she plans to serve as a long-term missionary. Courtney has a passion for the local church, and she longs for all people and churches to live more and more into the likeness of Christ.