Note:Â This post was written nearly a year ago, but only recently submitted to the blog.
I had a new experience recently. I guess I’m a bit behind, since many people have been dealing with this for decades. But it’s new to me, and I want to share it with you.
For the first time ever, I was refused the opportunity to serve at church in a ministry I feel called to because I’m a woman.
I don’t normally label myself a feminist. I’m grateful for the opportunities available to me because feminists before me have fought for them, but that’s not a fight I feel compelled to join right now. I’m remarkably conservative, all things equal. Theologically, I suppose I’m complementarian. I hold up the stay-at-home mom as an ideal, even though that’s not who I am. I was raised in a church where women didn’t preach, pray in public, or even serve as ushers. But that was never a problem for me. I didn’t want to preach, pray, or usher. I have other gifts, and my feminine qualities have been an asset more than a hindrance in the areas God has called me to. My passion—and training—is for student ministry and small group leading. I’ve had more than two decades of experience as an undergraduate, grad student, and international student ministry volunteer. I’ve taken classes in Christian Education. My ministry experience has spilled over into my professional life, as I lead seminars and discussion groups and mentor students, now as a college professor. I am a shepherd—a pastor—but not the kind who stands in front of a church.
So here I am, attending church in a foreign country while conducting research abroad. The church has an outreach to international students at the local university, so I feel right at home. English-language small groups, international student ministry, supporting Christian students on a secular campus—it’s what I love! [Read more…] about Rejection