Griffith, Anna

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LeavenVolume 4Issue 2 Women and Ministry Article 131-1-1996A Look At Women in Ministry TodayAnna GriffithFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leavenPart of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought,Theology and Philosophy of Religion CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven byan authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact Kevin.Miller3@pepperdine.edu.Recommended CitationGriffith, Anna (2012) "A Look At Women in Ministry Today," Leaven: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 13.Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol4/iss2/1344 Leavell, Spring, 1996ALook atWomen in MinistryTodayby Anna M. GriffithIn the calm center of the storm surroundingthe issues of "women's role in the church" is a cadreof women actively involved in ministry. Often cre-ative, routinely effective and occasionally dramatic,they are presently advancing the front lines of thekingdom alongside their brothers with a minimum ofcontroversy and friction. The numbers of women inpaid positions of ministry are growing, and some ofthese will be considered in this article. Several fieldsare already wide open for service by women, andothers are opening even as this article is beingwritten. A number of women serve in the followingcategories, and those presented are only representa-tive.Children's MinistriesChildren's ministries presently compose thelargest area for women in ministry. Marti O'Rear,children's minister at the Highland Church of Christ(Abilene, Texas) for seven years, oversees children'seducation and coordinates their social functions.When the Highland elders were considering hiringMarti, there was some discussion as to her appropri-ate title-"coordinator" or "director" of children's min-istries; but John Willis simply stated, "She's a minis-ter." Marti reminded me that many women nowreturn to school for training to serve in this capacity.Joyce Davis, director of children's education,has served the Mayfair Church ofChrist (Huntsville,Alabama) for ten years. When asked to describe herjob, she replied, "... everything the children need ... ," which includes coordinating social activities andbenevolence as well as supervising and training theteachers and overseeing the curriculum. At Mayfair,women also chair several ministry committees, anda woman coordinates the office secretarial staff.Wendy Ogren, coordinator of children's min-istries at the South MacArthur Church of Christ(Irving, Texas), has much the same assignment asJoyce and Marti, but she also is on the worshipcommittee. Suzie Winnett has worked for the NorthAtlanta Church ofChrist (Atlanta, Georgia) as direc-tor ofchildren's ministries since December 1994. Shedirects the Bible school through fifth grade, coordi-nates Vacation Bible School and children's worship,directs a summer camp and is in the process ofstarting an elementary school. Children are her"true love"; she wishes there had been more womenin ministry as role models while she was growing up.Deanna Fulenwider has been the children'sministries' coordinator at the Preston Road Churchof Christ (Dallas) since February 1995. Her degreefrom ACU is in education, with sixty hours of relatedBible courses. She is in charge of all the children'sministries-education, social activities and VBS-andsays, "We are really lucky that lots of things fallunder 'Children's Ministries,' because it is such aneffective outreach tool." Deanna voiced her enthusi-asm saying, "This article needs to be written so littlegirls can catch dreams of what they want to grow upto be."Shelly Neilson (Master of Science in Minis-try, Pepperdine) is on the ministerial staff of the EastCounty Church of Christ (Gresham, Oregon). Whileher title is "children's minister," her responsibilitiesare much broader than choosing curriculum andstaffing classes. Her charge to integrate the childreninto the life of the congregation places her in a1Griffith: A Look At Women in Ministry TodayPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2012position to shape the worship and community life ofthe church.Amy Kendall recently has been appointedminister of children's ministries for the RedwoodCity Church of Christ (Redwood City, California).This church is the headquarters for Manna Interna-tional. Amy has a B.A. in religion from PepperdineUniversity and is in a graduate program in ministryat Fuller Theological Seminary. She has recentlyreturned from Moscow, Russia, where she served fortwo years as a missionary and was active in the adultteaching ministry of the church.Education MinistriesRepresentative of women who oversee theentire education department of a large church isCarol Gafford at University Avenue Church of Christ(Austin, Texas). In addition to the educational pro-gram, all of the women's ministries come under herleadership, including the training of women in ad-ministrative skills to lead various ministries at thecongregation. Carol holds a master's degree in bibli-cal and related studies from the Institute for Chris-tian Studies. She is most enthusiastic about herministry and when asked about her work she stated,"IfI could have asked for a dream come true, this isit ... I wanted to [minister] in the church."CounselingAnother area of ministry is counseling.Beverly Becker (Wichita, Kansas) and Peggy Blanton(Amarillo, Texas), as well as a number of others, ablyserve on the staffs of their respective congregations.Beth Wade, Ph.D. has worked in this field for threeyears at the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston,after serving for four years at the Westbury Churchof Christ. As "counselor on staff' she counsels all agesand addresses "all kinds of counseling needs." Shehas also taught women's Bible classes, and highschool and junior high classes in areas related tofamily relationships. Her workshops and seminarson family issues for the church and the communityhave served as an extremely effective outreach tool.Beth is an "ordained minister," an actiontaken originally by her Westbury elders to qualifyher for their insurance program; but her officialordination document carefully states her position:We, the elders of the Westbury Church of Christ,do ordain Beth Wade for the work of ministrywith the authority to teach the Bible in women'sclasses, children's classes, and seminars, to dopastoral counseling, and to develop communityoutreach programs. . . September 1,1990.Women and Ministry 45Beth, too, is encouraged by the 'empty-nest-ers returning to school for training to serve thechurch, not only as children's ministers, but as coun-selors. She feels that every church, particularlylarger congregations, should have a woman on staffto carry out in a specific way the directives of Titus2:3-5. Women come to her from smaller communitiesand churches in the Houston area for advice on howto minister to younger women with families, and sheforesees the time when our Christian colleges willhave a degree specifically for women's ministries.BenevolenceFor the last six years, Jan Johnson has di-rected the Community Enrichment Center for theRichland Hills Church of Christ (Ft. Worth, Texas),and this has become the umbrella organization for afood distribution center (overseen by Evelyn Ander-son), the "Open Arms" program for battered andabused women (administered by Elna Vanderberg),"Adopt-a-Family" which works in tandem with HUDto provide homes for the homeless, and numeroussmaller programs coordinating relief efforts withother religious groups and community agencies.Under Jan's leadership the Center's scope has ex-panded to such an extent that it is now being restruc-tured. Its interimdirector, Alison Repass, is particu-larly enthusiastic about the "Adopt-a-Family" pro-gram. As a mother of two sons, she resonates withhomeless, single moms-"the largest segment of thehomeless"-and delights in providing opportunitiesfor changing their lives.Janet Morrison (B.S.W., Harding, 1994)works full time as food pantry coordinator for theCentral Dallas Ministry, an inner-city endeavor reach-ing out to the needy. The Preston Road Church ofChrist oversees this project, but at least twelve otherarea congregations contribute funds. Janet "does allkinds of things," and exclaims, "I love it ... " One canonly imagine these "all kinds of things." During thefirst conversation I had with Janet, she said, "I'msorry, but right now I have to send a van to pick upsome kids in Austin. Do you know where I can findone right quick?!" I gave her the number at RichlandHills and asked her to call me back at her "leisure."Later, she talked about her job. She distributes foodto those coming through the door, but also tries to getto know them, helps in placing them so they candevelop skills and find jobs, and also helps train casemanagers and interviewers. Her greatest rewardcomes when those she helps return on a volunteerbasis to help others.Possibly unique in our fellowship is anAIDSministry, begun last summer, at Richland Hills.Presently, the ministry provides AIDS education at2Leaven, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 2, Art. 13http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol4/iss2/1346 Leaven, Spring, 1996the church, makes personal visits in homes andhospitals, and directs separate support groups forpersons with HIV disease, as well as for their fami-lies. Anna Griffith (Master of Divinity ,ACU) directsthis ministry.Youth And Campus MinistryLori Moore has worked as administrativeassistant in youth ministry for two years with theDecatur Church of Christ (Atlanta, Georgia). I couldnot reach her for an interview as she was "off inColorado with the kids doing her thing," and the staffreports that she is doing a spendid job. Many youngwomen are serving alongside their male counter-parts. Churches employ these young women prima-rily because the elders recognize the need for rolemodels of both genders. Last summer, Becky Belland Kindra Sorrells were interning in youth ministryat Richland Hills, and Cheri Raines was at SouthMacArthur Church of Christ. Duringthe fall of1995,a Pepperdine graduate student in religion, DenaJohnson, washired as the youth ministerfortheSimiValley Church of Christ, north of Los Angeles.LaJuana Gill (Master of Science in Ministry,Pepperdine) has served as a campus minister on thePepperdine campus for the Malibu Church of Christsince 1990."MissionsWomen have served in mission fields sincethere have been missions, doing much ofwhat Chris-tian women do in their home communities. Butmissionary wives and single women usually havemuch broader responsibilities, adopting teaching,organization and administrative roles. Diane Walshably represents these women. The Oakhaven churchwas planted in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1976 by ateam of three families who were supported by otherchurches. In 1979, Diane, a teacher at HardingAcademy, attended a youth camp in Wisconsin whereshe came in contact with vocational missionariesfrom Oakhaven. One of them suggested that shemove north because "... a lot of people where you arecan do what you are doing, but there are not a lot ofthese in Wisconsin." She approached her elders atthe White Station Church of Christ in Memphis, andthey agreed to support her for two years. "And," shecontinued, "I am still here," as they have continuedher support. Part of the reason is that she wasdetermined to stay and was persistent in her beliefthat her being there lay within God's providence.Since she was supported by a very conservativechurch, her official title was "office manager," but shewas soon "helping anyone with any ministry project."Diane is the first to meet all who walk throughthe door, to assess their needs and then to addressthem. She regularly greets people new to the commu-nity and helps them to get oriented-in the churchand in their neighborhoods. She has became the"emergency friend" to various children. If the childneeds attention at school and the parents can not bereached, the school contacts Diane. She has takenpeople to the emergency room, helped them move,taught in the Bible school (grades 6-8), served asyouth minister and begun a ministry for batteredwomen.She reports that this was "... the bestdecision I ever made in my life ... ," because it hasexposed her to many diverse ways oflooking at Jesusand approaching Christianity. Being on the missionfield has broadened her definition of authentic Chris-tianity, "by letting people be who and what they are,... and coming to Jesus from an entirely differentperspective ... "-a lesson we should all take to heart.Women presently are represented in a newkind of mission-teaching on a temporary basis. Forexample, Marianna Long, a longtime located mis-sionary in Austria and Ireland, who presently lives inColorado with her husband, Roy, has been makingshort-term visits to teach small groups over the lastthree years to Russia.Teaching and PreachingKatie Hays met her husband, Lance Pape, inAbilene while they were both pursuing their bachelor'sdegrees. They went from there to Yale where bothcompleted their Master of Divinity degrees. Theyand one other person are co-ministers who rotate thepulpit at Cahaba Valley Church of Christ in Ala-bama. Of Lance and herself, she says, "We share ajob-and-a-half!" They both do youth ministry, preach-ing and teaching, and outreach. The last includesvarious service ministries such as raising money sothat talented but underprivileged young people cango to college. They share a counseling load and "keepoffice hours and empty the trash."OutreachIn the Spring of 1995 Billie Silvey was ap-pointed coordinator of involvement ministries at theCulver Palms Church of Christ (Los Angeles), plac-ing her in charge of involvement and publicity. Tocarry out this broad directive, she prepared an in-volvement form listing two hundred activities inwhich members may participate. She coordinated aworship and potluck for a recent "Friends' Day." Thepublicity for this included a brochure from the churchdescribing Bible classes and areas of ministry with a3Griffith: A Look At Women in Ministry TodayPublished by Pepperdine Digital Commons, 2012map of the building. For this and all other activities,she "uses everybody: artists, writers, printers. Thechurch is really working together ... " In June 1995,Los Angeles had a major campaign entitled "No toViolence," and Billie was Culver Palms' coordinatorto involve the congregation in a community effort-businesses, hospitals, and media-to target violencein schools, homes and the world.Ministry TeamsWith the exception of Anna Griffith, thewomen above represent those in professional minis-tries, but many volunteer in innovative ways also. Anumber of churches use a ministry system in whichspecific activities may be directed either by men orwomen. Richland Hills (Ft. Worth, Texas), Vandelia(Lubbock, Texas), Malibu (Malibu, California), SanLeandro (San Leandro, California), and East County(Gresham, Oregon) are just a handful of these. At thelatter, Mark Love, the pulpit minister, reports thatwomen are free to share in confessional and testimo-nial times, take part in "gender appropriate" read-ings and drama in worship, and make announce-ments pertaining to their specific ministry areas. AtSan Leandro, women are likewise encouraged tomake their own ministry announcements and areoften interviewed regarding their own ministriesduring the assemblies. At present, a team balancedby age, gender, race and perspective is drawing up amission statement for the church. That team isfacilitated by Stacey Mullins. Husband-wife teamsteach in all of San Leandro's adult Sunday schoolclasses. In a number of churches, women's onlyleadership role in the Sunday assembly is in theirparticipation in worship teams that lead in the teach-ing of new songs. The Abilene Mission church,Vandelia, the Community church (Houston) andRichland Hills (to name a few) have such worshipteams.Para church MinistriesWomen are active in key leadership positionsin all of the parachurch ministries-hospital andprison chaplaincies, adoption agencies, maternityand children's homes, and Christian colleges. KimPendergraft presently coordinates the women's prisonministry at the Oak Hill Church of Christ (Austin,Texas) and Susan Gilbert is active in the same workWomell and Ministry 47in the Ft. Worth area. Fran Carver (Ph.D. candidate,Princeton) has recently joined the Pepperdine Reli-gion Division faculty. Jeanene Reese is adjunctprofessor of undergraduate Bible and ministry atAbilene Christian University and directs the Centerfor Women in Christian Ministry. We need to bereminded that all of these are ministry extensions ofthe body of Christ, doing in his name what he woulddo ifhe were here in the flesh.WritingOur fellowship is blessed with a number oftalented, qualified female writers who have contrib-uted books and study guides for all age levels andclass/types, as well as contributing to all of ourperiodicals. Especially noteworthy have been SandraHumphrey's work with Christian Woman maga-zine and Billie Silvey's with Twenty-First CenturyChristian. Additionally, D'Esta Love serves as co-editor of Leaven, a journal for ministry amongchurches of the Restoration heritage.Anyone can be effective in ministry if she orhe, even with many imperfections, strives to be God'sperson. If a man or woman further prepares him orherself, God will use that preparation for his glory,regardless of gender. We would like others to join usin offering a hearty salute to all those glorifying Godin the broadening of the boundaries of his kingdom!Questions for Discussion1. Does it surprise you that women are involved inleading so many ministries around the country?2. Think of your own congregation. Can you identifywomen who are "ministering"? Who are they andwhat do they do?3. Would you say that the women featured in thisarticle, and the women you just discussed, produce"good fruit"?Anna M. Griffith is a wife of thirty-six years andmother of three sons and four grandchildren. She iscurrently enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry programat Abilene Christian University.4Leaven, Vol. 4 [2012], Iss. 2, Art. 13http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol4/iss2/13

A Look At Women in Ministry Today

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A Look At Women in Ministry Today

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