A word from Pastor Bette…

Recently, I rediscovered a history term paper I wrote back in June of 2007.  It was for Dr. Clyde Root, for his Christian History class at Bethel College.  As I lovingly reread those pages, I found myself reflecting on the long and faithful history of God’s leading of women in ministry and in the United Methodist Church.

This year marks 70 years since May 4, 1956, when women in The Methodist Church were granted full clergy rights. That date matters deeply in our denominational history.  Yet the more I reflected, the more I realized that women had already been preaching, teaching, and leading long before the church officially recognized their calling.

I thought especially about Susanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley.  While her husband Samuel Wesley was away from home preaching and giving lectures, she began gathering people for prayer and spiritual teaching in her kitchen.  The meetings became so meaningful that large crowds began attending.  Often watching in from the windows and staying for supper.  When Samuel questioned her actions and urged her to stop, Susanna courageously challenged him to consider whether he wished to stand before God having silenced ministry that was helping people grow in their faith.  When Samuel gave this some thought, he agreed that yes, in fact, she should continue.

Her story reminds us that God’s Spirit has often moved ahead of institutional approval.  The question is not whether God speaks through unexpected people.  God always does.  The real question is this: why are some so determined to control who gets to speak for God?

When we insist that only certain people can carry the divine message, we shrink God down to our own comfort level.  We turn the Bible into a gatekeeping source, instead of a witness.  We trade the wildness of the Spirit for the safety of hierarchy.

The church does not need more gatekeepers.  It needs more listeners.  It needs leaders who are trained, accountable, and humble enough to recognize that God speaks through the whole community — not just the person holding the microphone.

God uses us all of us, not just the pastor, for spreading his Gospel.

Amen! Glory to God!

© 2011– Jamestown UMC, All Rights Reserved