LIVED EXPERIENCE of FEMALE FREE METHODIST PASTORS

April 5, 2018 By

The Study Commission on Doctrine commissioned the creation of this film in order to allow all of us to experience the struggles of female pastors.  Though each of the many women who shepherd our churches, including the five pastors in this film, would gladly give moving stories of God’s grace within their ministries, the fact is that it is difficult for our women.  Just as in other professions where women experience bias due to the curse of patriarchy explained in Genesis 3:16, this same result of the fall permeates the very church God intended to be His instrument of healing the effects of sin.

Free Methodists have clearly established our conviction that in the church there is no distinction between male and female and that both are gifted to shepherd the church, we have found that we need to speak to the heart as well as the mind.  When in the late 1800’s our founder, B.T. Roberts wrote the book on Ordaining Women (also in Spanish) and gave a clear explanation looking at Scripture, Tradition and Reason, he sadly found that the church was not ready to follow his leadership.  It was not until the middle of the 20th century that the church he founded joined him in this vision given by God and began ordaining women.  But now in the 21st century we still make it hard on the women God has called. Perhaps we do it in more subtle ways now such that we do not forbid them from being ordained,