Women In Ministry Roundtable Event

A roundtable discussion was held at the American Baptist Mission Center on January 28-29, 2010, to discuss the future of the Women in Ministry program, overseen by the Office of the General Secretary.  The roundtable included 25 denominational leaders from denominational agencies, caucuses, seminaries and other recognized interest groups in American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA). Specifically, the group considered how to best encourage, support and advocate for women who are in ministry positions within ABCUSA.

“We are part of a denomination that has faithfully supported women in ministry for years,” said Rev. Mary Armacost Hulst, immediate past president of ABCUSA. “The charge that we have is to figure out where we are, what we all can bring, the data we need to gather, resources we have, and roadblocks we see for what we are doing.  We need to develop a roadmap to bring before the General Board.”

As a full-time Women in Ministry position no longer exists with the Office of the General Secretary, the roundtable allowed for a chance to consider how to continue advocacy and support for women in ministry in the future. The roundtable discussion included a look at ongoing issues women in the ministry face, and specific resources available to address those issues.

The steering committee that led the meetings included Rev. Holly Bean, retired MMBB director of member education, Rev. Alice Greene, past president of the Minister’s Council, and Rev. Lauren Ng, former associate pastor at First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco, as well as Mary Hulst, who convenes the steering committee.

General Secretary A. Roy Medley announced the hiring of Holly Bean as a part-time consultant for Women in Ministry for 2010. “With the appointment of the Rev. Holly Bean, our goal is to present to the General Board of the denomination in November a plan for the Women in Ministry portfolio in the Office of the General Secretary,” Medley said. “Holly brings excellent organizational and planning skills as well as a wide network of contacts through her previous service with MMBB.”

“It has been exciting to see the expressed commitment to the full inclusion of women in ministry across our ABC ministries in this meeting,” Medley said. “The acceptance of the gifting and calling of women into ministry has been integral to American Baptist life as far back as the 1800′s. However, we still find resistance in many areas to the call of women.  This meeting was a refreshing and encouraging recommitment to the church’s honoring of this work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.”

“The roundtable participants expressed enthusiasm for tackling the urgent issues facing American Baptist women in ministry,” Bean said.  “This meeting generated many helpful reflections and ideas, as well as hope for the work ahead.  We are grateful for this new energy to meet an ongoing need.”

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