Mutuality | Summer 2015

Summer 2015

Men and women serving and leading as equals

BECOMING NEW stories of hope and transformation

CONTENTS 4 7 10 12 16 A Single Testimony Changes Generations A strong mother’s lasting legacy.

by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson

God’s Wisdom Sung in Full Harmony

Christ compels us to empower the Deborahs in our midst.

by Brian Wiele

Life by Committee

How one couple found new life as co-leaders and co-pastors.

by April Fiet

Blood and Water Flowed

Discovering the distinctly feminine imagery of redemption.

by Valerie Geer

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Reluctantly shedding tradition and yielding to God’s call to leadership.

by Marilyn Bennett

ONLINE CONTENT Envisioning Mutuality Five characteristics of a world that embraces mutuality.

by Jenny Baker

D E PA R T M E N T S 3 From the Editor Becoming New

18 Ministry News 19 Reflect with Us New Life in Christ

20 Giving Opportunities 22 President’s Message Becoming New: Man and Woman Together in Christ

23 Praise and Prayer

ED I TO R I AL S TAF F Editor: Tim Krueger Graphic Designer: Mary Quint Publisher/President: Mimi Haddad Follow Mutuality on Twitter @MutualityMag

Mutuality vol. 22, no. 2, Summer 2015 “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (Rom. 14:19, NRSV).

Mutuality (ISSN: 1533-2470) seeks to provide inspiration, encouragement, and information about the equality of men and women within the Christian church around the world.

Mutuality is published quarterly by Christians for Biblical Equality, 122 W Franklin Ave, Suite 218; Minneapolis, MN 55404-2451.

We welcome your comments, article submissions, and advertisements. Contact us by email at cbe@cbeinternational.org or by phone at (612) 872-6898. For writers’ guidelines and upcoming themes and deadlines, visit cbe.today/mutuality.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise

indicated, are taken from the 2011 revision of the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Advertising in Mutuality does not imply organizational endorsement. Please note that neither Christians for Biblical Equality, nor the editor, nor the editorial team is responsible or legally liable for any content or any statements made by any author, but the legal responsibility is solely that author’s once an article appears in Mutuality.

CBE grants permission for any original article (not a reprint) to be photocopied for local use provided no more than 1,000 copies are made, they are distributed free, the author is acknowledged, and CBE is recognized as the source.

On the Cover: Design by Mary Quint.

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F

rom the Editor

by Tim Krueger

Becoming New I stood with a coworker, staffing a booth at a convention of evangelical scholars. A booth advocating the shared leadership of men and women is not the most popular at this event, so most people just smile politely as they pass by. When a middleaged man with an impressive mustache meandered over to our table, a glance at his nametag revealed an unfamiliar name, but I recognized the name of his predominantly complementarian school. I prepared to graciously explain our mission and presence at the conference.

He looked thoughtfully at our table for a few moments, and then spoke. “My daughters always ask me if I’m complementarian or egalitarian. I tell them I don’t know, but that what I do know is what happens when men and women work together side by side.”

He proceeded to explain that years ago, he and his wife felt like their lives were in a rut. They felt unfulfilled.

One day, his wife said “I think God is calling us to move.”

So they did, and their move opened up opportunities that have allowed them to serve in new ways that bring depth and fulfillment to their lives. He asked me, “What if I had dismissed what God spoke to her because she is a woman?”

Answering his own question, he exclaimed, “We wouldn’t have obeyed God!” I nodded in earnest agreement, but he wasn’t done. He had one more story. “I teach a philosophy class,” he said. “A few years ago, I began to co-teach it with a female colleague.

I’d always gotten good student evaluations before, but since we started co-teaching, we get the highest ratings across the board, every semester.” I was impressed, but he still wasn’t done.

“Some students tell us when my colleague teaches, the material resonates with them in ways that it doesn’t when I teach. Other students connect better when I present. And that isn’t all,” he continued excitedly. “Students have told us that their lives have been changed. Three women have told us that through our class, they were delivered from eating disorders! And this isn’t a psychology class or a Bible class.

It’s a philosophy class! I don’t know if I’m egalitarian or not, but I know this class didn’t transform lives until I co-taught with a woman.”

I was simultaneously stunned and thrilled. This professor’s story reminded me of the big picture. Advocating for the shared leadership of women and men isn’t about being right; it’s about enabling people everywhere to flourish as God intended. It’s about building a church that embodies newness and deliverance from sin and sorrow and pain.

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Jesus came to make the world new, allowing us to overcome the sin that oppresses God’s beloved humanity. We are no longer slaves to patriarchy; rather, Jesus allows us to serve and lead according to our gifts. When we do, we become agents of God’s kingdom.

Advocating for the shared leadership of women and men isn’t about being right; it’s about enabling people everywhere to flourish as God intended.

This issue is devoted to those stories that remind us not just that egalitarian leadership is biblical and right, but that God is using it to make the world new. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson recounts the spiritual leadership by which her mother transformed those around her. Pastor Brian Wiele argues that the leadership of women is critical to the flourishing of the church, pastor and blogger April Fiet tells how she and her husband came to be co-pastors, and Valerie Geer shares about discovering herself and her own experiences in the Bible’s narrative of redemption and newness. Then, Rev. Dr. Marilyn Bennett shares her reluctant journey toward ordination. And be sure to visit us online, where Jenny Baker imagines what a postpatriarchy world might look like.

If you’ve been following CBE’s activities for the last year or more, you’ll know that “Becoming New” is not only a Mutuality topic, but is the focus of CBE’s 2015 conference, to be held in Los Angeles. I hope to see you there so that together, we can explore deeply the implications of our being made new through Jesus Christ. I hope this issue of Mutuality is just the beginning of the conversations we’ll share.

In Christ, Tim Krueger

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 3

A Single Testimony Changes Generations

by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson

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It is true, we become like what we see.

Growing up, what I saw was my mother, Sallie. She worked hard and gave everything she could so my sister and I had opportunities to thrive. She served in the church and in the community. She loved family and was always hospitable to strangers. She was a humble woman who led—a woman of influence.

When she married the strong man who raised me, she made him believe that his contributions in this life were valuable. He was an ever-present father, and together they started a business. He labored earnestly and built his team. She was the keeper of the books and office administrator. They cooked and cleaned and did yard work together. Sometimes he braided my hair.

They welcomed another child into our home, this time a son.

to know when she was going to get her minister’s license. We all saw the light.

This woman was liberated in her spirit and in her mind, and all who knew her were better for it. I was twenty years old when she went home to glory, but there are certain things I will never forget. I will not forget that this woman knew exactly who she was and was unwavering in living out that calling in her life. She was not a flawless woman. Like the rest of us, she was broken and had cracks. In her final years, I watched intently as Christ and the church refined those broken spaces.

I will not forget that her very presence was valued and her identity affirmed by the men in our lives. I first observed this when she cared for her father as his mind and body deteriorated. Then I bore witness to it as she partnered with my father in their business

Because my mother was committed to serving and was free to do so, nonvoters were registered, students were taught, young people remained in college, girls walked away from bad situations, families stayed together, friends found comfort, and expectations were raised.

As our family and business grew, so did my mother’s faith. She was like Lydia—when she committed her life to Jesus (I mean really committed her life) she took the whole family with her. Sallie and her household were baptized. There we stood at the pulpit in our swim caps, white robes, and new Bibles with my mother sanctifying our home.

Because my mother was committed to serving and was free to do so, nonvoters were registered, students were taught, young people remained in college, girls walked away from bad situations, families stayed together, friends found comfort, and expectations were raised. She did not have the best pitch, but she sang on the church choir to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” she used to sing. My pastor wanted

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and in our home, even when things were not going well, when they were sick, and when the business failed. If you ask him today, my father will tell you that there isn’t another woman like my mother and he is a better man because of her. He remains unmarried. Male teachers, counselors, community leaders, politicians, and pastors all spoke well of her.

I am my mother’s daughter, an African American woman from South Carolina who loves the Lord and his church. I am a leader, learner, teacher, servant, advocate, wife, mother, and friend. It is my prayer that I continue to grow in wisdom, discernment, and boldness about the calling, ministry, and work God has assigned me. By God’s grace, I will continue in faithfulness so people will see my good work and glorify my Father in heaven.

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 5

There was a time in my adult life when wellmeaning Christians wanted to close my mind to the possibilities of what women could do to advance the kingdom of God. There was a time in my adult life when well-meaning Christians wanted to close my mind to the possibilities of what women could do to advance the kingdom of God. Some of my white sisters led me to believe that my most important contributions would be inside my home and to my family, and everything else was less important work. For a couple years, I struggled to understand my identity, purpose, and calling as a woman, wife, and mother serving on active duty as an officer in the US Marine Corps. Were my service to my country and my work raising up future world leaders less important than my commitments to my family?

I grew tired of the gender debates within the church; debates don’t always win people over. I decided to stop comparing myself to the choices and expectations of other women and their spouses. Most of those women did not have the same work assignments as I did. Finding my way through the fears and uncertainties led to personal acceptance. The affirmation of my spiritual gift of leadership meant coming back home to my foundation.

My foundation was in the arms, on the lap, through the voice, and at the hand of a woman—my mother—who transformed lives, churches, and communities because she daily joined in the work God was doing. I watched as women and men partnered with her on the journey. I came back to the reality and testimony of Jesus. In Christ, we have been made new. He has come to proclaim freedom for prisoners and to release the oppressed. In Christ, I am free. Together, we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and through the power of the testimony of changed lives.

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The gender debate, like most other debates, is won through powerful witness and the testimony of a single life. I am Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, one who is created in the image of Yahweh and in the image of Sallie. I am mother of Ashley, a fearless and free girl who will praise God, silence the enemy’s voice and schemes, proclaim the gospel to her generation, and have the work of her hands forever attached to the gospel. She will walk in the spirit of Mary of Bethany; her grandma, Sallie; and me; for these are my prayers for her. My prayer is that she will fulfill her mission in unity and missional partnership with her sisters and brothers everywhere who have a “not my will, but thine be done” attitude of submission to God. The powerful proclamation of the gospel lived out and the testimony of lives changed through the blood is how chains are broken from generation to generation. This is how the church continues to reform herself. This is how we are all transforming, growing, and changing until he returns or calls us home.

This is how we honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is how we honor the God of Sallie, Natasha, and Ashley.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson (M.A. Christian leadership) is president of Leadership LINKS and assistant director of the Center for the Development of Evangelical Leadership, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She is a speaker and writer with over 15 years of leadership experience. Her mentoring/discipleship book (Zondervan) is coming in February 2016. Visit her official website at natasharobinson.com and her blog at asistasjourney.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/NatashaSistrunkRobinson and on Twitter @asistasjourney.

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GOD’S WISDOM

Sung in Full Harmony

by Brian Wiele

The choice was simple: it was time to get a new stereo in my car. My classic rock ‘n’ roll eight track tapes—yes, this was a number of years ago—worked well except for one issue: the music was coming out of the speakers on only one side of the car. That would be like listening to Crosby and Stills, but tuning out Nash and Young. Of course it was time for a change; who would choose to live with an unbalanced speaker system?

Tragically, the church of Jesus Christ has done that for centuries. Every time I click on the leadership tab on the website of a Protestant church and see an all-male team of elders, I am dismayed at

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the foolishness of choosing not to hear the fullness of God’s “sound system.”

The Catholic and Orthodox branches of God’s family tree have been even more reluctant to balance out their leadership by including the voices of women.

The church needs women leaders I am a wiser man and pastor because I have learned to appreciate and to trust my wife’s instincts and perceptions of situations and of people. In the same way, when a church recognizes and relies on the gifts of all its members— men and women—it can more fully live into God’s design: “God’s purpose

in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10, NLT. Emphasis mine).

As 2014 ended, our church council chair, Bob, completed his three-year term of service. In the past, Bob had served as a pastor in a denomination that didn’t consider women for leadership or preaching. Several times during his tenure as our chair, he shared with me his gratitude for having both women and men on the council, saying it brought a needed perspective to congregational leadership.

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 7

Bob was right. Our congregation has also been enriched by the simple experience of having women minister in key roles. A few years ago Megan Gillan, the women’s ministries leader for the Evangelical Covenant Church, worshipped with us on a Sunday when we celebrated communion. I asked Megan to lead our time around the Lord’s Table, and I would assist her. After worship, a woman came to me with joyful tears.

Relatively new to our congregation, it was the first time she’d seen a woman preside over a communion service.

Her experience is tragic, but all too common.

Our congregation is also stronger because Peggy Melhaff is one of the pastors on our staff. Formerly a registered nurse, she now serves primarily as our children’s pastor and she is an incredibly valuable gift to our entire congregation.

Her e n c o u r a g i n g a n d ex hor ting l ife a nd witness bring a needed balance to the other (male) staff members that serve our church. Additionally, her tender heart opens doors into pastoral situations that I, as a man, would struggle with the propriety or advisability of opening.

Every believer prays as David did, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4–5). Those entrusted with congregational authority must also seek the Lord’s will and ways. How would he have us administer our worship services? Who would he have us take up positions of leadership?

speak to a woman (John 4), and Mary Magdalene, the first person to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus, was ignored and thought to be out of her mind.

The Twelve didn’t only have a problem with women; they sought to silence anyone who wasn’t a part of their little group, and hoped they could call down fire upon a Samaritan village for not giving Jesus a warm welcome (Luke 9:49–56). At the Last Supper, they were more concerned about their place in line close to Jesus than with his impending passion (Luke 22:24ff).

The twelve disciples may have passed away long ago, but their pride and hierarchical ways live on in the majority of churches today. Tragically, these churches refuse to allow their “biblical” views—women are prohibited to teach or lead—to be interpretively balanced by the call of God upon Deborah and Huldah, among others, and the refreshing accounts of women prophesying and serving in leadership in the churches of Rome, Philippi, and Corinth.

How can these multiple examples of God’s ways be ignored?

It is always tempting to conveniently turn down the volume on a portion of the Bible’s message. Any passage that fails to reinforce a specific preference for keeping the boys in power will simply be ignored as inconsequential, or viewed as an exception to God’s supposedly preferred way of acting.

Having strayed from the ways of God as wonderfully modeled for us in the life of Jesus, the men of the church have clung to their power and brazenly pronounced their patriarchal organizational charts to be the divine design. Three times Peter stubbornly refused to part with his old ways as the

We refuse to place limits on the ministry of anyone in our congregation for one vitally important reason: we are simply being faithful to how God always intended the church to be.

You are not to be like that!

Yes, our congregation is wiser, richer, and stronger because we refuse to make gender an issue in congregational leadership, but these are only pragmatic reasons. Our decision is not primarily about helping us to do church better.

We refuse to place limits on the ministry of anyone in our congregation for one vitally important reason: we are simply being faithful to how God always intended the church to be.

I cannot imagine Jesus standing up during a sermon delivered by a female disciple and instructing her to sit down and stop talking. I certainly can’t fathom that he would leave the room or turn his back to her in the middle of her message, as is the experience of some contemporary women pastors.

I can imagine one of the twelve disciples treating a woman in that manner, however, for the gospel writers record multiple instances of disagreeing with the ways of the Lord. They were astounded that Jesus would even

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Spirit showed him the new thing God was doing with the Gentiles— “Surely not, Lord!” At least Peter repented, but our church leaders have not seen the need.

Can we hope for a better future?

How can we repair the ecclesiastical sound system? How do we make it natural and normal for children to hear God speak through both male and female voices, and to appreciate the giftedness of all his children?

This question is being addressed in 2015 in my denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Even though women have been ordained in the Covenant for almost forty years, few congregations are considering women for their lead pastor position. The Covenant’s Commission for Biblical Gender Equality is attempting to address that problem at the local church level through an initiative we’re calling “Develop A Deborah.”

Deborah was one of the first leaders of Israel, and her leadership was so appreciated that she held court under a palm tree named for her. We’re told that the villagers in Israel would not fight until she arose. Her calling was unquestionably from God, for we read, “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies for as long as the judge lived” (Judges 2:18).

We’re asking our leaders a simple question: Is it possible that there is a Deborah among you today?

Assuming there is—there’s no reason there couldn’t be—we ask them to disciple gifted women and girls, demonstrate that God gifts women for all facets of ministry, and direct women into all opportunities to lead in their ministry settings.

Most of the pastors in the Covenant believe that God does

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not consider gender when he calls his children into vocational ministry. Too often, however, our congregational leaders do not follow in God’s ways, but take gender into account. The Deborahs among us have been passed over whenever the questions are posed: Who will deliver the word of God to us? Who will help us make godly decisions?

It should be natural and normal for a congregation to be invited to eat and drink at the Lord’s Table, to have a congregational meeting called to order, and to hear the good news proclaimed or the Bible taught without ever thinking about whether the person leading was a woman or a man. We don’t want to merely hope for that day to arrive; we’re praying that the work of leaders to change their local culture will have a powerful effect on the larger church.

S o m e t i m e s o u r w o r s h ip leader will sing the melody alone, which is a beautiful way to begin a congregational song. But we’re ushered into a vision of heaven when we hear others join in, some following along with the melody, but many blending in with the harmony.

It’s likely that your soul has been thrilled by hearing the fuller sound of God’s rich choir, with all the voices— young and old, dark-skinned and fair, women and men—raised in praise to the King of Kings.

May God’s full harmony of voices—both women and men—be joined in all facets of our life together, not just in our times of praise. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Brian Wiele is the Lead Pastor at River Ridge Covenant Church in Olympia, Washington, and also serves as the chair of the Commission on Biblical Gender Equality for the Evangelical Covenant Church. He’s been married to Linda for 34 years, and they have two married children and one grandson.

Mutuality Online What might the world look like if the Bible’s ideal for leadership were a reality?

In “Envisioning Mutuality,” Jenny Baker shares five ways the world might look different.

Read, comment, and share, at cbe.today/m222

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 9

LIFE BY COMMITTEE

by April Fiet

When we met with the committee for the first time, we were nervous. This meeting was the first step for my husband Jeff, who had sensed God calling him to go to seminary and become a pastor. After the meeting, the committee would either recommend him to come under their care as he went through seminary, or they would recommend that he pursue something else.

In an email shortly before the meeting, the committee encouraged us to come together, with the caveat that I would not be allowed to speak during the meeting since the meeting wasn’t really about me. I could be there as a support, but I needed to be a silent supporter, which at that time made plenty of sense to me. I wasn’t the one headed to seminary.

During this time my husband and I were wrestling with our own beliefs about the role of women in church leadership. Even

though we both believed without a doubt that Jeff was called to pastoral ministry, I was struggling with what my life would look like as a pastor’s wife. I wanted to support him in his calling, but I had also long sensed God calling me to serve in ministry as well, even though I wasn’t exactly sure what that ministry would look like.

We sat in a hallway in the basement of an unfamiliar church, waiting for the committee to call us in. One of the committee members opened the door and invited us into the room where the committee was already seated. I waited for my husband to start for the door, and I followed behind him quietly. The whole thing seemed terribly awkward.

In the front of the room, two chairs had been positioned to face the committee.

The chairman invited us to sit, and as we did so, I was suddenly aware of how

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awkward it was going to be to sit in the room and be unable to say anything. I wished I had waited in the hallway.

And then the meeting began. The committee began to ask all kinds of things that we had expected about my husband’s call to ministry, where he envisioned serving in three to five years, and about his perceived strengths and weaknesses. At first the meeting seemed to be going well, when suddenly the questions were directed at me.

“How do you plan to support your husband as a pastor?”

I was shocked. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to answer.

“I plan to apply for jobs in the area to help support us financially, and I want to be supportive however is most helpful as my husband pursues his calling.”

And then another, very pointed question: “We think your husband

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should consider ministry opportunities other than pastoring a church. He seems unwilling to consider other things. Does that bother you?”

“I believe God is calling him to be a pastor, and I’m supportive of that.”

My heart was racing, and I was hoping I hadn’t just ruined my husband’s chances of pursuing his calling. When the meeting concluded, we went home. We were rattled. We were tired. And we had no idea what they would decide.

Not long afterward, we received the news that the committee had reservations about Jeff’s calling into ministry. They accepted him under their care, but only provisionally for one year. We would have to return in one year’s time, and the committee would need to be persuaded that he had made enough progress and “become less rigid” in his sense of calling.

Although I did not understand the committee’s hesitation, all of our friends and mentors urged us to “trust the process,” and so we prepared ourselves to move to Michigan for my husband’s seminary education. I applied for several jobs, and was turned down for all of them.

As a couple, we continued to wrestle with God’s plans for us. We visited the seminary one more time to make sure this was the right step for us, and while we were there, I wondered aloud, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could both be students here?”

That one question was like opening the door just a crack on a whole new world we didn’t even know existed. At that time we were only following after traditional gender roles because we did not know there was any other way. We began having conversations with people at the seminary, with our pastor, and with others we trusted. We decided we would enter seminary together even though we had no idea what ministry would look like for us once we graduated.

Almost exactly one year later, we met with the student care committee again, this time with both of us being interviewed. When the committee called us to enter the room, we walked in together. We both sat down, and the committee asked their first question.

“Last year when we spoke with you, only one of you was requesting to come

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Ministry as a team may not always be easy, but it is very good. under our care. What changed for you over this last year?”

We talked about our developing sense of call, one that included both of us. We talked about our leading to church ministry and our hopes for being called to lead a small church, even though at that time we still hadn’t quite figured out how we would serve together. And then someone on the committee spoke up.

“Wow. What a difference from last year! When you both walked into the room tonight, it was as though you brought a bright light in with you. You are exuding light and joy, and we are all very blessed to be here with you and hear you share about the way God is moving in your lives. It is clear to us that God is calling you to be a team.”

The committee prayed for us, and we left the room feeling blessed to have been there.

During the earliest years of our marriage, we both struggled to fit into roles we weren’t particularly suited for. We felt trapped by the expectations that I would stay silent and he would lead. And as we began to grow into our unique gifts and callings as individual people and as a couple, we began to thrive. Other people noticed it in us. They commented on the dynamic way we worked together, and on the joy that we found in the gospel and with each other.

I have often heard it said that when Christians have a marriage of mutuality, it is a marriage where no one wins—that the man is failing to lead, and the woman is failing to submit. But, I have found the opposite to be true for us. Striving for mutuality in our marriage and in our

ministry has led us to consider our unique gifts and callings—gifts and callings that we believe we were given by God. This mutual up-building and strengthening has enabled us both to flourish.

Ministering as a team is not always straightforward. It requires many conversations and a whole lot of trial and error. But, it has also allowed each of us to concentrate on the areas of ministry that are most life-giving to us. Ministry as a team may not always be easy, but it is very good.

When we realized we were being called as a team, it felt like someone had opened up the door and let the light come in. We noticed it for ourselves in palpable ways, and it was affirming when others began to notice it, too.

An amazing thing happened when we began to live out of our strengths rather than out of prescribed gender roles: we began to live with more joy. We found ourselves able to live and work more creatively, to depend on each other in healthier ways, and to find greater energy and enjoyment in our marriage and in our ministry. In mutuality we have found freedom as we’ve been able to shake off the roles that didn’t suit either of us particularly well, and in that freedom we’ve found new life, new joy, and new energy to live our lives rooted in the love of God. April Fiet is a wife, mom of two school-age kids, and has served as a co-pastor alongside her husband for the past eight years. She enjoys way too many things, and has far too many hobbies, including karate, crocheting, reading, and taking pictures of nearly everything.

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 11

BLOOD &

WATER flowed Becoming New through the Feminine Imagery of Redemption

by Valerie Geer 12  M U T U A L I T Y | Summer 2015

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As a girl growing up in an evangelical church, I was taught to see Christ’s likeness in male heroes like Moses, David, and Paul. The imagery of redemption was male, too. There were farmers, owners of vineyards, a prodigal son, a Good Samaritan. All of them men.

It was not until I was well into my thirties that I started to see that some of my uniquely female experiences are beautiful and poignant pictures within the redemption story. Consider the motif of new life born of blood and water, pain and sacrifice.

One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

(John 19:34)

With the blood and water that flowed out of Jesus came new life.

Redemption.

Blood and water came out of me also. My water broke, and amniotic f luid mixed with blood

f lowed out of my womb and down my legs. In pain and labor, with much toil, I brought forth a child. My own body was torn asunder in an episode of great suffering. This is the story of life.

Life out of the blood and water that f lowed mingled down. Life born out of self-sacrifice. I am speaking of childbirth, yes, but even more, I am speaking of the redemption of humanity.

This framing of the redemption story through pregnancy, labor, and childbirth has been lifechanging for me. It took me more than thirty years to realize that a female perspective was not being presented in the churches I had attended. Not many churches say directly, “Women’s stories don’t count,” but by the subtle omission of their stories and perspectives, the message is loud and clear. Our sacred text certainly sends a very different message, one that is filled

with the stories, perspectives, and imagery of women. I am empowered as I recognize that as a woman I embody the narrative of redemption, and as I see that women have been a part of the greater redemptive picture since the beginning.

The blood, water, and pain of childbirth are where the story of redemption begin.

“I’ll greatly increase the pain of your labor during childbirth,” God spoke to Eve after she sinned.

Just before this, he spoke to the serpent and said, I’ll place hostility between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He’ll strike you on the head, and you’ll strike him on the heel. (Gen. 3:15)

From the beginning we knew the Messiah, the one who would bring redemption, would come forth in labor pain from the woman’s womb.

Blood and water flowed mingled down from his side

Blood and water flowed mingled down from my womb

Labored breathing, painful writhing his sacrifice

Labored breathing, painful writhing my sacrifice

The Son delivered up to the Father

My son delivered into my arms

Eat his flesh, drink his blood and live

Eat my flesh, drink my milk and live “Blood and Water Flowed” by Valerie Geer

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M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 13

Eve was the first woman who felt in her own body the suffering and pain of childbirth. Blood and water flowed out of her, yet she labored with the hope of God’s promise in mind, knowing that her future offspring would be the redeemer, the crusher of the serpent who deceived her.

Mary was the woman who bore in her own body Eve’s offspring, the Christ, the Redeemer, the promised child.

Blood and water flowed out of Mary, too, as she labored to bring forth the promise child, Jesus, who would save the world from their sins.

Blood and water flowed out of Jesus as well, and eternal life was birthed. Jesus finished in his own body that for which the

woman’s body labored: life. As a result, we have all become new.

The labor and birth of each of my own four children reminds me of this beautiful picture of redemption. “I get it!” I want to exclaim. This particular imagery I understand very well; I have lived it out bodily. I know what it’s like to suffer to bring forth life. This truth transformed me and renewed my mind in a profound way.

Truths like these can renew the church and the world as well.

The diverse ways in which humans experience the truths of Scripture remind us that we must include a wide variety of Christian voices in the theological community. And I don’t mean just women who have birthed children. I mean all kinds of women and all kinds of humans

with all kinds of stories and histories. Stories of oppression and deliverance, stories of infertility, stories of abuse and healing, stories of sacrifice. When we see ourselves and our lives portrayed in the imagery and metaphors within Scripture, we realize that we count. We realize that God sees us, too. We are in his story, and he is making us new. And through us, he is making the world new.

Valerie Geer teaches intercultural communication at Corban University, and is currently a doctoral student in Western Seminary’s Doctor of Intercultural Studies program. She has been married for fifteen years and is the mother of four sons. She writes poetry, creative non-fiction, and theological reflection at thatswhatshesaidblog.weebly.com.

CBE Membership We would love for you or your organization to join our community of members. Becoming a member helps support and sustain CBE financially and enables us to equip you with resources related to biblical equality.

As a member you receive: • A subscription to our award-winning publications, Mutuality and Priscilla Papers • Discounts at CBE Bookstore • Discounts on registration to our conferences • Access to member-exclusive sales and content on our website

For more information, visit cbe.today/members

14 M U T U A L I T Y | Summer 2015

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Out of the Mouths of Babes

by Marilyn Bennett

“Grandma’s a pastor? I want to be like Grandma!” The words out of the mouth of my four-year-old granddaughter have led me to believe God will continue to use women to advance the kingdom of God. King David prefaces his account of creation with “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2, NIV 1984).

Like many women serving in ministry, I wondered if God really created me to become an ordained minister. Or was God’s call on my life a misunderstanding on my part? After all, I am a woman. Yes, I graduated from seminary with a master’s of divinity (MDiv). Yes, I tried to defend 1 Timothy 2:12 for an additional master’s in biblical studies (MA). Yes, I acquired

16 M U T U A L I T Y | Summer 2015

a doctorate of ministry (DMin). I did all this after serving God as a wife, mother, grandmother, and professional educator.

Wasn’t that enough?

Was it God’s plan that I become an ordained minister and lead a church?

To answer this question, I turned first to the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, I found that male and female were designed in the image of God, to

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rule together over the world, not one over the other. I found examples like Deborah, Miriam, Esther, and Huldah who led God’s people with his blessing.

In the New Testament, I found that Jesus upheld the dignity of women and that Paul ministered alongside women.

Paul defied current societal practice by listing Priscilla’s name before her husband’s (Rom. 16:3, 2 Tim. 4:19. Luke did the same in Acts 18:18, 19, and 26), by calling for mutuality in marriage (1 Cor. 7:14), and by publicly honoring both male and female leaders of the church (Rom. 16).

The practice of my faith is deeply rooted in Scripture, yet like the Pharisees, I did not realize how deeply I was rooted in my own tradition. I struggled for eleven years with my place in ministry as an unpaid, unrecognized, associate pastor in a Baptist church. I even reasoned that since I am a woman, I should not insist on being paid.

Over the years I listened to stories from other women in my denomination.

Women can be ordained, but for many reasons, few complete the process. Some are not ordained because their pastor or members of their church believe ordination of women is not supported

by Scripture—a theological issue.

Some are unaware of the process—an organizational issue. Some do not get around to it—a priority issue. Some believe ordination is unnecessary— an ecclesiastical issue. Of the women who were ordained, few have found employment as a pastor. Most work as chaplains or in non-profit organizations.

Many have regular jobs while doing ministry in their spare time voluntarily.

Is this how we honor the ones God calls?

I am not blaming men. On the contrary, most men in my denomination encourage women in ministry. Men struggle as do congregations. Even though my home church supported me in seminary, I was told that many members could not envision any woman as a pastor of their church. The members who felt this way were women, yet curiously some of their husbands felt the opposite.

The deacons were divided. Some felt a

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woman might offer better pastoral care than men. Their decision was not about me personally but their theological misunderstandings over gender.

Throughout history, both men and women have proven to be outstanding leaders. Good leaders need to display positive leadership skills with integrity.

Good pastors need to practice the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, k indness, goodness, faithf ulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23).

None of these are gender or role specific.

We are all living stones, and stones have no gender (1 Peter 2:4–5).

At the core of this issue is sin: the sin of not recognizing a woman called by God; the sin of idealizing the opposite sex; the sin of putting good looks above character or skills; the sin of thinking a pastor must be in his thirties with a wife and two children; the sin of lust; the sin of pride; the sin of passivity; the sin of remaining ignorant of the Scriptures; the sin of keeping tradition when God may be calling his people to be led by a modern-day Deborah; and the sin of not preaching the Scriptures that call women to serve as leaders and teachers.

Above all is the sin of not constantly acknowledging that from the creation of the world, both male and female were created in the image of God! However, before I could consider becoming a pastor, I had to recognize these sins in myself. I still I had great difficulty believing God had called me to lead a church.

Though my husband actively insisted I be ordained, I still struggled with taking that final step. Though my family and friends actively affirmed my call to ministry, I was reluctant to follow through with ordination. Though my ordination professor pulled me aside to tell me I would be an excellent pastor, I still doubted. I kept telling myself that my desire to attend seminary came from wanting to know God, not to become a pastor. I even used my age and my earlier divorce as reasons not to be ordained. The sin of omission and commission lingered in subtle, obscure ways, but God kept steering me back.

I wondered if God really created me to become an ordained minister.

Or was God’s call on my life a misunderstanding on my part?

In the end, I completed ordination to keep the path open for the women God will call in the future. I continue to serve as needed and thank God my calling is affirmed by both men and women who affectionately call me “Pastor Marilyn.”

God’s call is affirmed every time a minister asks if they can quote “The Reverend Doctor Marilyn Bennett.” I laugh. If these men only knew how much I fought against this title.

Can women teach and have authority over men? This is the wrong question. Are women being called by God to preach and teach? My granddaughter would shout “YES!” “Grandma’s a pastor? I want to be like Grandma!” Out of the mouths of babes!

Marilyn Bennett, an ordained minister with ABC-USA, is serving her twelfth year as a minister of a multicultural urban church where she co-founded a state-approved non-profit pre-school. She received the Heidi Lynn Fuller Ministry Support grant to interview evangelical urban pastors of various ethnicities face to face. She is passionate about mentoring and equipping men and women to serve in ministry especially in cities worldwide.

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 17

M

inistry News

by Mimi Haddad

Empowering All Girls In 2013, CBE published Called Out!, an egalitarian curriculum for middle-schoolers. Soon after that, it was adapted for use in Kenyan schools, and thanks to the efforts of our partners in Kenya, the Ekklesia Foundation for Gender Education (EFOGE), the curriculum is now being used by hundreds of students in Kenya. We are already seeing the fruit of these efforts!

This May, I had the opportunity to visit two public schools in Bondo, Kenya, the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga School and the Kapiyo School.

These are two of the many schools where Called Out! is being used. In meeting principals and faculty, I was moved to find Called Out! among the educational materials easily accessible to faculty and administrators.

School leaders recognized the need to build girls’ confidence in their academic and leadership abilities amidst social pressures that emphasize domesticity. Traveling along Bondo’s roads, you’ll see girls gathering wood and fetching water on their way home from school, because after an eight-hour day at school, girls are expected to help prepare the evening meal for their family (and to clean up afterwards).

Upon reaching puberty, many boys are given as a rite of passage a hut, called a simba, in which to study and focus on their vocation. Girls, on the other hand, move into the kitchen—their simba—where homework is completed only after their domestic duties.

Amid these expectations for boys and girls, CBE’s curriculum presents the truth that boys and girls are equally valuable and gifted for any type of service. And what has been the impact on students? Students exhibit avid engagement and appreciation for the opportunity to hear God’s voice say something new to girls and their families, supporting their leadership, study, and use of their gifts alongside their brothers.

18 M U T U A L I T Y | Summer 2015

Mimi with Domnic Misolo, director of EFOGE, and other local leaders (above) and with students (below) at a school in Bondo, Kenya that uses Called Out! Photo credit: Dale Halladay

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R

eflect with us

by Jo Ellen Heil

New Life in Christ

The Fulfillment of God’s Original Promise Salvation. New life in Christ.

Judgments based on class, gender, or race are no longer allowed. Our beloved brother Paul did not mince words when he instructed his fledgling congregations on these truths.

Salvation was the first step. To the Corinthians he wrote, “God gave the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins,” and to the Galatians, “By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—the fulfillment of God’s original promise” (2 Cor. 5:19; Gal. 3:25–27).

It meant stripping off old prejudices. He reminded the Corinthians, “We don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong.

Now we look inside—what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah is created new.” And he instructed the Galatians, “We will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better or another worse. Each of us is an original” (2 Cor. 5:16–17; Gal. 5:25–26).

Community was vital. “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. You are all equal. We are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. You are all heirs according to the covenant promises” Gender equity was crucial.

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“God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them” (Gal. 3:28–29; 2 Cor. 5:20).

Responsibility and loving service came next. “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love” (Gal. 5:13–14).

Both congregations were to remain vigilant. He warned the Galatians about restrictive teachers.

“They go to great lengths to flatter you, but their motives are rotten.

They want to shut you out of the free world of God’s grace so that you will always depend on them for approval and direction, making them feel important.” And he reminded the Corinthians, “The world doesn’t fight fair! It’s dog-eat-dog out there! But we don’t live or fight our battles that way” (Gal. 4:17; 2 Cor. 10:3).

Paul’s ancient words still encourage us to become new in Christ and claim our freedom in him. “Christ died for everyone. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life.”

“Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you” (2 Cor. 5:14–15; Gal. 5:1).

All Scripture quotations taken from The Message.

Thank You For many years, Jo Ellen Heil and Susan McCoubrie have shared God’s wisdom, encouragement, and refreshment with us through their Mutuality meditations and devotionals.

I, for one, have been inspired and humbled by the wisdom and grace I’ve found through each issue’s “Reflect with us” column.

In the last few years, Susan has had to step away from her involvement, and after this issue, Jo Ellen will be stepping down from her regular Mutuality column as well.

I speak for all of us at CBE when I say that we can’t express the depth of our gratitude for both Jo Ellen and Susan—not just for their contributions to Mutuality, but for their tireless and humble work to free all Christians to serve God according to their gifts.

Thank you, Jo Ellen and Susan, for your many years of service to Mutuality and the CBE community.

—Tim Krueger

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 19

G

iving Opportunities

2014 Annual Report to Members and Donors Thanks to the generosity and support of the egalitarian community, 2014 was another record-breaking year for CBE. We made our resources more accessible than ever before, built and cultivated new international partnerships, and laid the groundwork for the continued expansion of our international outreach and publishing efforts. We exceeded our financial goals in 2014, positioning us well for another tremendous year in 2015.

•

Popularize the message

Here are a few highlights from 2014 in each of CBE’s areas of emphasis:

•

Promote egalitarian scholarship

•

•

•

•

CBE sent all North American members of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) a special edition journal which was also distributed at CBE’s booth at ETS. CBE held a series of interviews at the 2014 ETS convention, giving female ETS members the chance to share their experiences at ETS. The results will be published and presented at CBE’s LA conference.

By the end of 2014, twenty-two volumes of Priscilla

Papers were available online (nineteen for free). All volumes are now available online, and all but the three most recent volumes are available for free.

Priscilla Papers won three Higher Goals in Christian Journalism awards from the Evangelical Press Association.

• •

By the end of 2014, the full Mutuality archive of articles (volume 7 and forward) was online. All but the three most recent volumes are available for free.

Mutuality won a Higher Goals in Christian Journalism award from the Evangelical Press Association.

CBE received a grant to translate Still Side by Side into five new languages—Amharic, Chinese, French, German, and Hindi.

In August, 2014, CBE launched its new website. The new site is built around CBE’s vast library of content and hosts almost all of CBE’s journal articles. Most are available for free to the public. We continue to add features and upgrades to the new site.

2014 Expenses: $703,965

13%

13%

Program Services Fundraising Management and General 74%

20 M U T U A L I T Y | Summer 2015

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Grow market penetration • •

•

Individual and household membership grew by over 7% in 2014.

CBE’s statement, “Men, Women, and Biblical Equality” was translated into five new languages: Thai, Zulu, Afrikaans, Portuguese (Portugal), and Portuguese (Brazil).

CBE distributed over thirty membership scholarships.

Establish a financially sound organization • • • •

Foundation income grew by 37% compared to 2013.

Give to the Max Day donations grew by about 33% compared to 2013.

Online giving increased by 47% compared to 2013.

CBE exceeded its 2014 goal for contributions by 27%.

Articulate and promote a theology of gender and justice • • •

In partnership with the Biblical Seminary of Colombia, CBE held its first conference in South America, with lectures and recordings offered in Spanish.

Colombia conference attendees received free resources on abuse and free copies of Lado a Lado (the Spanish translation of Still Side by Side).

CBE received a grant to produce a five-part video series entitled Is Gender Equality a Biblical Ideal?

Production of this series is nearing completion.

2014 Revenue: $828,976 Contributions and Grants

A highlight of 2014 was translating Lado a Lado, our Spanish version of Still Side by Side, and distributing it at our Colombia conference.

CBE’s accomplishments in 2014 are yours, and we are committed to continuing this work in 2015. Thank you again for your generous support of CBE, and we hope to see you this July at our Los Angeles conference!

—Mimi Haddad

6%

4%

<1% 1%

Membership and Subscriptions Bookstore Revenue Conference Revenue

89%

Other Revenue

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M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 21

P

resident’s Message

by Mimi Haddad

Becoming New

Man and Woman Together in Christ Do you remember what first attracted you to Christ? What was it about the gospel that turned your head? Was it the promise of wisdom or strength for difficult circumstances?

Was it contact with loving and hopeful Christians? Did even a small step of faith lighten life’s burdens, giving you the sense that something truly new was possible?

Intriguingly, Scripture depicts Christian conversion as a second birth. Confused by this, Nicodemus questioned how anyone can enter the womb a second time (John 3:4).

For Jesus, the second womb experience is baptism—a dying to sin and a rising united to Christ (Rom. 6:3–5). Whether we are male or female, and regardless of our class or ethnic origins, our second birth joins us not only to Christ but also to one another, for though Christians are many, we are one body and individually we are members of one another (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 12:27). Because of our interconnectedness as one body, our personal renewal has an enormous ethical and social expression. Together we are children of light, known by our fruit, living in ways that are good, right, and true (Eph. 5:8–9).

Scripture, therefore, consistently characterizes spiritual rebirth as a moral and ethical renewal enacted socially as the church, revealing God’s presence and purposes to the world.

For this reason, Galatians 3:27–29 is a central text for Paul.

To be baptized into Christ is to imitate Christ, in whom social hierarchies and animosity are overcome. Whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, all Christians, without distinction, walk in newness of life, taking up their cross equally to serve the world as Christ did. This is the new wine which bursts the old wineskins.

This is the foundation of our newness in Christ as male and female. As God’s new creation, we imitate Jesus by giving ourselves up, especially for the outcast, the marginalized and

oppressed, and those without a voice. What does this mean for male authority? According to Richard Hays, It is the husbands (not wives) who are called to emulate Christ’s example of giving themselves up in obedience for the sake of the other (Eph. 5:25). To read such a text—which calls for husbands to love and tenderly care for their wives— as though it somehow warranted a husband’s domination or physical abuse of his wife can only be regarded as a bizarre— indeed blasphemous—misreading. It is precisely the focal image of the cross that ensures that the followers of Jesus— men and women alike—must read the New Testament as a call to renounce violence and coercion. (Richard Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament, 197)

Baptism into Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is a spiritual rebirth that opens an entirely new moral and ethical life for all Christians. Those with cultural privilege, as most men have had throughout history, are to be the first to love sacrificially. As head of the church, Christ sacrificed his life, so unlike the head of Rome—the emperor—who demanded every citizen be willing to die for him. In taking up our cross, we suffer beside and if possible, on behalf of, the marginalized and abused, never engaging their suffering at a distance or as an abstraction. And, we never demand they sacrifice for us. Like Christ, we share their sorrows and joys personally as if our own, just as husbands also love and care for their wives as if they were truly one flesh (Eph. 5:28–32).

For Christians, new life comes through the self-giving of Calvary, enacted as the moral and social work of the church, carrying the burdens of the dispossessed, which is the privilege of all who are born again and walk in newness of life. For this reason, Calvary is the epicenter of our new life in Christ, lived socially in service to all. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1–2).

To be baptized into Christ is to imitate Christ, in whom social hierarchies and animosity are overcome.

22 M U T U A L I T Y | Summer 2015

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P

raise and Prayer

Praise

Prayer

• CBE publications were recognized with four awards from the Evangelical Press Association this April. Priscilla Papers took home three, and Mutuality received one.

• CBE’s youth curriculum, Called Out!, is being used effectively in Kenyan schools. Read more on p. 18.

• On a recent trip to Egypt and Kenya, Mimi spoke about CBE and religious patriarchy; distribute resources in Egypt, Kenya, and Jordan; and contribute to a lecture series on Christians and dowry practices.

• The Los Angeles conference is just days away. Pray that God would move powerfully during the conference and that the momentum built would have a long-term impact.

• Pray for an office full of summer interns, and that our interns would help CBE take strides in many different areas of ministry.

• Pray for wisdom and provision (and very few bugs!) as we continue to add features and functionality to our website to make it as user-friendly and accessible as possible.

Christians for Biblical Equality

CBE Membership

Mission Statement Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE) exists to promote biblical justice and community by educating Christians that the Bible calls women and men to share authority equally in service and leadership in the home, church, and world.

CBE offers individual and organizational memberships. Membership is available to those who support CBE’s Statement of Faith. Members join a community of believers dedicated to biblical equality, and who together make CBE’s ministry possible. Member benefits include:

Statement of Faith

• Subscriptions to CBE’s quarterly publications, Mutuality magazine and Priscilla Papers journal, including digital access to back issues

• We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of the universe, eternally existing as three persons in equal power and glory.

• We believe in the full deity and the full humanity of Jesus Christ.

• We believe that eternal salvation and restored relationships are only possible through faith in Jesus Christ who died for us, rose from the dead, and is coming again. This salvation is offered to all people.

• We believe the Holy Spirit equips us for service and sanctifies us from sin.

• We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, is reliable, and is the final authority for faith and practice.

• We believe that women and men are equally created in God’s image and given equal authority and stewardship of God’s creation.

• We believe that men and women are equally responsible for and distorted by sin, resulting in shattered relationships with God, self, and others.

Core Values • Scripture is our authoritative guide for faith, life, and practice.

• Patriarchy (male dominance) is not a biblical ideal but a result of sin.

• Patriarchy is an abuse of power, taking from females what God has given them: their dignity, and freedom, their leadership, and often their very lives.

• While the Bible reflects patriarchal culture, the Bible does not teach patriarchy in human relationships.

• Christ’s redemptive work frees all people from patriarchy, calling women and men to share authority equally in service and leadership.

• God’s design for relationships includes faithful marriage between a man and a woman, celibate singleness and mutual submission in Christian community.

• The unrestricted use of women’s gifts is integral to the work of the Holy Spirit and essential for the advancement of the gospel in the world.

• Followers of Christ are to oppose injustice and patriarchal teachings and practices that marginalize and abuse females and males.

To learn more about CBE’s values, history, and ministry, visit cbe.today/info

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• Exclusive discounts at CBE’s bookstore • Discounted registration to attend CBE conferences Visit cbe.today/members to renew your membership, become a member, or learn more about our membership program.

Non-Member Subscriptions Non-member subscriptions to Mutuality and Priscilla Papers are available to libraries and inviduals.

Visit cbe.today/subscriptions to learn more.

Get Connected with CBE Connect with CBE online to learn more about us, enjoy the resources we offer, and take part in our ministry.

Visit our website to find resources or to subscribe to Arise, our free, weekly e-newsletter (cbeinternational.org ).

Follow our blog, the Scroll (cbe.today/blog ).

Follow us on Twitter @CBEInt (twitter.com/cbeint).

Find us on Facebook (facebook.com/christiansforbiblicalequality).

M U T U A L I T Y | “Becoming New” 23

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Featured Resources from CBE

Bible Women All Their Words and Why They Matter Lindsay Hardin Freeman

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Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling Encouraging and Equipping Female Pastors Christine A. Smith