Has She Faith? Has She Gifts? Has She Fruit?

For the past several years, I have been reading voraciously and spending inordinate amounts of time researching various aspects of the ministries of women in the early days of Methodism, particularly in the time of John Wesley.  Again and again, I see in their own words and in the testimony of those who knew them the same qualities of deep piety, devotion to prayer,  and a burning desire to serve and love God with everything in them.  Brought up to be meek and submissive, women like Susanna Annesley Wesley, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Sarah Crosby, Sarah Ryan, and Hester Ann Roe Rogers tenaciously clung to the scriptural mandate found in Acts that it is better to follow God than human law, even if it looks "particular," results in people calling them "impudent," or ruptures bonds of family beyond repair.  What compelled these strong, intelligent, pious women to stand fast in the face of obstacles?  How did their faith give them a firm foundation on which to stand?  How were they alike, and how were they different?  And what was the reaction and role of  the significant men in their lives in either encouraging or impeding them in their ministries?

All these are questions I am delving into a bit deeper as I turn my hand to the book I have long been trying to bring into the world.  The furor over the remarks of a well-known evangelical man about "women preachers" (see my last post) has led to Cokesbury deciding to stop selling/stocking his books, inspired a frame on Facebook profile pictures declaring support for women clergy, and stirred lively discussion in the halls of churches, divinity schools, and work places.

It seems that a sleeping giant may have been awakened, for you see, there are generations of faithful Christians who have come to know Christ because of a woman, grown deeper in faith because of a woman, discerned their own call to ministry because of a woman, and been encouraged and strengthened in time of need because of a woman.  They may not be able to quote chapter and verse regarding the strong leading women in Scripture, and they may not know the names of Mary Bosanquet Fletcher or Sarah Crosby or any other early Methodist women leaders and preachers, but they can tell you that the woman who was their pastor held their dying father's hand, prayed with their mother before surgery, tenderly baptized their weeks-old infant, listened to their tearful story of marital discord, inspired their teenager to claim the name of Christ and be confirmed,and preached about the love God has for all people and for all creation.  They can tell you that she showed up and stayed when it mattered most, that she missed her daughter's dance recital, cut short vacation because of a funeral, and called to check on someone in the hospital while at the reception of a couple she just joined in marriage.

By the way, I've done all of those things -- and more -- and so has every woman pastor who has wearily typed up another agenda for yet another meeting, called and emailed and texted and prayed and practically sweated drops of blood before a mission trip, wiped sweat out of her eyes as she balanced a plate of fried chicken and a Bible at a funeral meal while trying to answer her phone and figure out when she's going to find time to write Sunday's sermon.  Not because we are super-women.  Not because we are trying to prove anything to anybody.  Not because we think we are special.  No, it's simply because we were created by God, called by Jesus, and gifted by the Spirit for the hard and holy work of being a pastor, and when we were examined by committees and boards for our fitness to ordained ministry, the same three questions John Wesley had in mind were on our hearts:  Have we faith?  Have we gifts?  Have we fruit? Wesley was asked why he encouraged certain women of his acquaintance in preaching, and he is reported by Zachariah Taft to have said: "Because God owns them in the conversion of sinners, and who am I that I should withstand God?"

It just so happens that I preached at Homecoming this past Sunday at one of the churches I served at my first appointment, and as I reflected that Beth Moore and by extension, every woman who dares to preach was told to "go home," it seemed fitting to me that I was in a sense doing exactly that.  I was returning to a place that had welcomed me as a new pastor who was also new to the United Methodist Church, going back to see folks who had loved me and supported me, who welcomed me back with open arms, fried chicken, and Pepsi.  And really, that's what we all want, isn't it?

I hope that you will think on these things.  Maybe you know a woman in ministry.  Maybe you don't.  Maybe you've never thought about it before.  But I ask that you think about it now and lift up a prayer for the women of the cloth who are simply trying to faithfully answer the call that God has placed on their lives.  And before you criticize, condemn, or complain, consider those three questions:  Has she faith?  Has she gifts?  Has she fruit?  and then ask the same of yourself.  May you be blessed by all the women who witness to the love of Jesus Christ in your life!