I Am a Minister of Christ
I have read and heard numerous stories of women who were told things in their own churches about being ministers. My heart breaks for the many girls who were led to believe that they could not be pastors or preachers because of their sex. At the same time I breathe a silent prayer of thanks that I personally have never heard these things within my own denomination, the Church of the Nazarene.
Being a part of a denomination that fully affirms the equality of women and men in ministry makes me feel proud. Since its formation, the Church of the Nazarene has ordained women ministers alongside their male counterparts. Many other Protestant denominations have instituted the ordination of women in more recent years, but Nazarenes can be proud to know that we have been ordaining women since 1908.
At some points in our church’s history, as many as 20 to 30 percent of all Nazarene ministers were female. Through the years, women—many of whom were unmarried—have boldly served as Nazarene missionaries in mission fields all over the world.
Admittedly, our practice has not always matched our theology. As recently as 2014, less than 20 percent of all ordained clergy in the Church of the Nazarene were women. I have also heard horror stories of women who were unable to find ministry positions within in our denomination because local churches were unwilling to have a woman as their pastor.
Furthermore, we have done a poor job of putting women into positions of leadership as district and general superintendents. Obviously there is still much work to be done in fully supporting the ministry of our female pastors, but I am glad that I get to be a part of that work.
Now, I recognize that at this point, some of my fundamentalist brothers and sisters may be saying: “But what about those Bible passages where Paul instructs women to remain silent in the church?”
Without going too deep into biblical hermeneutics, I will simply say that our denomination recognizes that those passages were intended for specific churches within a specific cultural context. What is more important to us are the many accounts of women acting as leaders in the nation of Israel, the numerous stories of women who supported Christ’s ministry and followed him as disciples, and the lists of women that served as apostles and teachers in the early church.
I was called by God into ministry when I was in the seventh grade. I am thankful that I was never once told by my church that I couldn’t be a pastor because I was a woman.
When I was in high school, my father sat me down and said, “I love you. I love you so much that I want to protect you. And I know that if you continue down the path to be a pastor, you will face hurt, rejection, and persecution because you are a woman. So I just want to know if you are sure that this is the road you want to take.”
I was certain of my call then, and I am certain now. But Dad was right. On a very small level—even within a denomination that affirms women in ministry—I have faced rejection, pain, and hurt because I am a woman in ministry.
But in the Church of the Nazarene, I have more often experienced joy, support, and affirmation along my ministerial journey.
At MidAmerica Nazarene University, where I attended college, I was never looked down upon because I was a female ministry major. Instead, I was given opportunities to preach, lead, and serve in our community. In the same way, the mission of Nazarene Theological Seminary, where I received my master’s degree, is “to prepare women and men to be faithful and effective ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The first time I preached behind the pulpit of a Nazarene church, my senior pastor stood up next to me and publicly affirmed and validated my place in ministry to our entire congregation. In the two years since then, that same congregation has fully supported me and encouraged my growth as a minister of Christ.
On April 20, I stood alongside eight of my fellow ministers—both men and women—as we were ordained as elders in the Church of the Nazarene on the Oklahoma District. The journey to get to that point was not a quick or easy one, but this ordination was a public acknowledgement of our call and the seal of approval from our denominational leaders that we do indeed have the gifts and graces for ministry.
Leaders from our denomination and our district placed their hands on my head, prayed over me, and conferred upon me the rights of an ordained minister. It was a beautiful service and a wonderful time of reflection and celebration.
I am grateful that Nazarenes have provided me with wonderful examples of women pastors and leaders. I am grateful that they have educated me and trained me for ministry alongside my brothers in Christ. I am grateful for the many friends and colleagues that I have in the Church of the Nazarene who are also women in ministry. I am grateful that the Church of the Nazarene has given me a job and a place of ministry. And I am grateful that they have never silenced my voice.
Shannon Greene is fulfilling her ministry call as youth pastor at Enid, Oklahoma, First Church of the Nazarene.
Sidebar:
Women in Ministry
501. Theology of Women in Ministry.
The Church of the Nazarene supports the right of women to use their God-given spiritual gifts within the church and affirms the historic right of women to be elected and appointed to places of leadership within the Church of the Nazarene, including the offices of both elder and deacon.
The purpose of Christ’s redemptive work is to set God’s creation free from the curse of the Fall. Those who are “in Christ” are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this redemptive community, no human being is to be regarded as inferior on the basis of social status, race, or gender (Galatians 3:26-28).
Acknowledging the apparent paradox created by Paul’s instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:11-12) and to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:33-34), we believe interpreting these passages as limiting the role of women in ministry presents serious conflicts with specific passages of scripture that commend female participation in spiritual leadership roles (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18; 21:8-9; Romans 16:1, 3, 7; Philippians 4:2-3), and violates the spirit and practice of the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. Finally, it is incompatible with the character of God presented throughout Scripture, especially as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
—Church of the Nazarene Manual 2013-2017
Please note: All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of original publication but may have since changed.
