Kennedy 1

McKenzie Kennedy
Ms. Brandi Bradley
ENC 2135
13 October 2015
Project 2: The Issue of Women in Ministry
Conflicts are an ever present part of life. No avenue or sector has escaped the plague of
conflict, however, most situations can be reconciled through compromise. Religious issues are
more difficult to resolve due to the fact that fundamental beliefs are at the center of the
discontent.
The controversy surrounding women in ministry is one that has plagued the Baptist faith
since 1990 (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) These issues and controversies surfaced
among the leadership within the convention leading to a rift in alliances and ultimately the
creation of two factionsThe Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship. Within the Convention at this time there were those who considered themselves to
be moderate members who became discouraged when their candidate for presidencys bid was
denied (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) However, this was not the final straw and the
convention remained intact as one for a short while longer. Continually, the moderate members
were in opposition with the more conservative ones and began feeling more and more as if the
leadership was heavily dominated by the more conservative mindsets as time went on (The
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) There were two men, Daniel Vestal and Jimmy Allen, who
spearheaded the moderate Baptist movement and planned the Consultation of Concerned
Baptists, which was a meeting where discontent was vocalized and action plans prepared. (The
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) According to their website, The Cooperative Baptist

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Fellowship was officially constituted in May 1991 by more than 6,000 attendees (The
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) However, the two factions were not completely separate yet as
they were still connected by a small amount of money that was being shared amongst them. In
1994, The Southern Baptist Convention made the split official when they severed all ties,
including the monetary ones, from the Fellowship (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) The
Fellowships mission statement was published in 1995 and, was accepted into the Baptist World
Alliance in 2003 (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) Now that there was an official mission
statement in place and an alliance membership, the Fellowship began directly competing with
The Southern Baptist Convention as members were forced to pick sides in this conflict that
seemed to have no resolution in the near future.
The Southern Baptist Convention is one that holds many strong beliefs regarding
political, social, and religious matters. They are extremely vocal in declaring their opinions on
these topics and their positions are not mendable or comprisable. As stated above, due to The
Southern Baptist Conventions belief on womens roles in the church, The Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship was born. Affirmation of women in ministry was one of the founding principles of
the Fellowship (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) The Fellowship has a founding document
entitled Address to the Public which is where they explain their fundamental beliefs the origins
of those ideas. They cite Galatians 3:27-28 as their source of their position which reads, For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ
Jesus (Galatians 3:27-28.) This verse is then elaborated on with the following the statement,
In Galatians Paul follows the spirit of Jesus who courageously challenged the
conventional wisdom of his day. It was a wisdom with rigid boundaries between men and

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women in religion and in public life. Jesus deliberately broke those barriers. He called
women to follow him; he treated women as equally capable of dealing with sacred issues.
Our model for the role of women in matters of faith is the Lord Jesus (The Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship.)
This excerpt from the Fellowships website proclaims their strong opinion on the issue and gives
biblical evidence to support their claim.
Within the Christian community as a whole, but more specifically the Baptist one, the
issue of women participating and fulfilling pastoral roles in churches has created quite a
controversy amongst members. Each particular Baptist convention has its own beliefs regarding
this issue and has its supporting reasons as well. The split that created the Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship came from the disgruntled Baptist members of congregations, who did not believe in
the ideals which were being upheld by The Southern Baptist Convention and they decided to
form their own fellowship in 1991 (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) As stated on their
website this Fellowship exists, because of the belief in the historic Baptist principles of soul
freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom (The Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship.) The Cooperative Baptist Fellowships mission statement is as follows; We are a
Christian network that helps people put their faith to practice through ministry efforts, global
missions and a broad community of support (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.) Whereas the
Southern Baptist Conventions mission statement reads, As a convention of churches, our
missional vision is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make
disciples of all the nations (The Southern Baptist Convention. They also have concluded that
that their purpose is, eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist
denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the gospel, any law, usage, or custom to the

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contrary notwithstanding (The Southern Baptist Convention.) While these mission statements
seem similar and most of the missions of the two sectors do share commonalities, they have very
different ways that they go about enacting their positions within their mission fields and
communities.
The Southern Baptist Convention communicates their beliefs on this issue and other
issues through resolutions and proclamations that messengers of the convention have met in
varying locations to discuss and come to a resolution on certain matters (The Southern Baptist
Convention.) In their 1984 Resolution on Ordination and the Role of Women in Ministry, they
stated that, We encourage the service of women in all aspects of church life and work other than
pastoral functions and leadership roles entailing ordination (The Resolution on Ordination and
the Role of Women in Ministry.) They use the verse 1 Timothy 2:12 as support for this belief
where it states that,
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in
silence (King James Version 1 Timothy 2:12.)
They also quote a verse from 1 Timothy 2:13-14 that states,
For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman
being deceived was in the transgression (1 Timothy 2:13-14.)
This verse is often utilized as support for The Southern Baptists belief regarding women in
ministry. However, Reverend Sara Hunt-Felke who is serving as a pastor in a Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship church rebukes this claim when she states that,
Often people look to Genesis and the fall to begin an argument against women in
ministry, however we are not called to be citizens of this post-fall age but instead

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proclaimers of good news and seekers of a world and kingdom still to come (HuntFelke.)
She states that her belief on this topic comes from Galatians 3:28 which reads,
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28.)
Reverend Hunt-Felke is not alone in her position and usage of Galatians 3:28 as her evidence as
this statement is in accordance with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowships claims on their
website as well (The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.)
The Southern Baptist Convention rests their main pillars of beliefs in The 2000 Baptist
Faith and Message which was crafted by a committee of sixteen people with one chairman in
1999 (The Southern Baptist Convention.) This committee contained fourteen men and two
women, both of whom serve as Directors of Women in their respective fields. The 2000 Baptist
Faith and Message contains a section on the church that reads, While both men and women are
gifted for service in the church the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by scripture
(The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message.) They use 1 Timothy 2:11 as their evidence for this belief
which states, Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection (1 Timothy 2:11.) Farther
down in the document in the section on Family they reference Titus 2:4-5 which reads, That
they[women] may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the
word of God be not blasphemed (Titus 2:4-5.) This verse expands the topic to womens roles in
society versus the issue of womens roles within the church. In her book Gracious Submission,
Susan M. Shaw states that,

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In Southern Baptist fundamentalist thought, husbands rule their wives. This rule is
reinforced by its corollary: the place for a woman is in the homeBy closing off the path
to successful careers, the fundamentalists force women to find their sense of self-worth,
fulfillment, and accomplishment in homemaking and childrearing (Shaw 65.)
Shaw references this desire for control in The Southern Baptist mindset, which seeps into the
church and becomes a religious issue rather than a marital one.
There is some controversy surrounding the fact that both verses that The Southern Baptist
Convention uses to support their claim, 1 Timothy 2:9-14 and Titus 2:3-5, are writings by Paul
who had strong opinions on various topics in the Bible (1 Timothy 2:9-14 and Titus 2:3-5.) An
example of Pauls stance on marriage and his belief on the importance of celibacy is stated in 1
Corinthians 8-9, I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide
even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn (1
Corinthians 8-9.) This statement is a blatant opinion and one that many may interpret as a literal
teaching of God instead of Pauls opinion not a command from God on marriage. Gods view is
contrasting that of Pauls as stated in Ephesians 5:28-29, So ought men to love their wives as
their own bodies. He that loved his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh;
but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord of the church (Ephesians 5:28-29.) This verse
implies that marriage is an institution that God not only created but cherishes as well. This idea is
also expressed in 1 Corinthians 11:11 where it is stated, Nevertheless neither is the man without
the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:11.) Reverend
Tom Lewis provides insight into this matter by explaining that, it is vital to remember that Paul
gives both practical instructions for the everyday affairs of churches and theological instructions
(Lewis.) Lewis goes on to explain that 1 Timothy 2 was written with more of a practical lens,

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meaning that Paul could not completely ignore social norms of the time whereas in Galatians 3
he utilizes more of a theological lens where he attempts to proclaim that, delineations as gender
and culture become insignificant with the coming of Gods kingdom (Lewis.) So while The
Southern Baptist Convention and The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship both employ verses from
Pauls teachings, the context of each passage must be examined in order to make sure the
interpretation of the verses is accurate, as Reverend Lewis did above. Lewis also proclaims that
the words of Galatians 3, gives us a beautiful insight into the early churchs relationship with
the surrounding cultureone that respected some traditions but tossed out others (Lewis.) This
statement is one that backs the Fellowships views entirely and one that directly contrasts that of
The Southern Baptist Convention.
As seen in the Address to the Public, The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship communicates
their beliefs on women in ministry to members of the Baptist community and to members outside
in the same format. They published this Address in order to make it clear what their beliefs were
from the beginning. This appears on The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship website which utilizes
the genre of online media. This method of communication parallels that of the Southern Baptist
Convention as they also publish resolutions and proclamations on issues especially women in
ministry on their website. The constraint of solely using the online media genre is that only
people who search and view the websites will be presented with the information. However, by
publishing this information online they have already widened their audience a considerable
amount as one does not necessarily have to attend one of these two types of churches to be able
to find this information. Both The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and The Southern Baptist
Fellowship communicate their beliefs through the online genre. This is how they communicate
their perspectives to both members inside and outside the Baptist community. These

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proclamations and addresses are also a way that The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and The
Southern Baptist Fellowship communicate amongst the two factions. This genre does allow for
response as one faction can publish a resolution and the other can respond with their own
resolution. However, it makes the communication between the two factions very minimal and
public which in turn creates a bigger issue and a major rift in the Southern Baptist denomination
as a whole. The discontent is also publicized publicly causing the disagreements to be visible
rather than them being resolved discreetly.
Within a church there are a variety of ways things are communicated. There is
communication among pastors and then there is also communication between pastors and their
congregations. For women ministers, their presence at the pulpit alone implies a huge belief of
that church and the minister herself. According to Reverend Sara Hunt-Felke, I found that by
them experiencing and seeing me in a pastoral role or elsewhere in the church, that pretty clearly
and effectively communicated my belief on women in ministry (Hunt-Felke.) However,
according to Reverend Tom Lewis, he and some of his fellow male pastors communicate this
belief by, citing the wisdom of my female colleagues often in conversation with other ministers
and to my congregation as well (Lewis.) While each pastor communicates their views in
different ways, the communication on the topic in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is open for
discussion with almost anyone on staff.
The issue of women in ministry in the Baptist faith has created a split in the
denomination. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was formed due to its disagreement with The
Southern Baptist Convention on womens roles within ministry and the church. This split has
caused confusion of both congregations as some members are not informed that this is a major
issue until they ask or look on the website. This split in the denomination has also caused a lot of

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tension between the two factions. Some believe that there is hope for reconciliation and for a
solution of some sort to arise. Reverend Tom Lewis who serves in a Cooperative Baptist
Fellowship church and has worked alongside and under women pastors currently and in the past
believes that,
One of the most difficult aspects of being a pastor is helping people to disagree and still
love each other, especially when they can back their convictions with Scripture. As a
result, progress on this issue also requires a significant amount of sensitivity and respect
to all parties involvedI think its just a matter of time, but until then, patience and
understanding are the key (Lewis.)
Reverend Lewis makes an intriguing point that the two factions seem to lose sight of at times. No
matter what the little beliefs are within the conventions, they are both still members of the
Baptist faith and of the Christian community as a whole. Reverend Lewiss statement serves as a
reminder that while compromise may not be possible on this particular issueconsideration for
the others opinions and beliefs is vital. The only solution at the present to this controversy is that
the two factions should coexist and continue to support one another as Christians and that all
disagreements be kept civil and prayerful. Each faction believes strongly in their own position,
but they must also respect and honor that of the other one in order to still honor the commands
they as Christians attempt to uphold.
The issue of women in ministry is clearly a deeply held one as each side is passionate
about their own position. Both sides have support and biblical evidence to back up their claims
and there is no clear winner of this religious battle thus far. However, as society continues to
evolve and as more and more people learn of this issue and take sides, one convention may
become obsolete.

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Works Cited Page
Address to the Public. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (2015.) Web. 20 October 2015.
Anders, Sarah F. Women in Ministry: The Distaff of the Church. Review & Expositor 80.3
(1983); 427-436. Print. 7 October 7, 2015.
Campbell-Reed, Eileen. Baptists in Tension: The Status of Womens Leadership and Ministry
(2012). Review & Expositor 110.1 (2013): 49-64. Print. 7 October 2015.
Chaves, Mark. The Symbolic Significance of Womens Ordination. The Journal of Religion
77.1(1997); 87-114. Print. 7 October 2015.
Felke-Hunt, Sarah. Personal Interview. 11 October 2015
Langley, Ralph H. Role of Women in the Church. Southwestern Journal of Theology 19.2
(1977);60-72. Print. 7 October 7, 2015.
Lewis, Tom. Personal Interview. 13 October 2015.
Shaw, Susan M. "I am woman: Southern Baptist women and feminism." Baptist History and
Heritage 45.2 (2010): 6+. Academic OneFile. Web. 6 October 2015.
Shaw, Susan M. Gracious Submission: Southern Baptist Fundamentalists and Women. NWSA
Journal 20.1(Spring 2008); 51-77. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 6 October
2015.
Resolution on the Place of Women in Christian Service (1973.) Southern Baptist Convention
(2015). Web. 7 October 7, 2015
Resolution on the Ordination and Role of Women in Ministry (1984.) Southern Baptist
Convention (2015.) Web. 7 October 2015.
The Baptist Faith and Message (2000). Southern Baptist Convention (2015). Web. 7 October
2015.
The King James Bible. King James Bible Online (2015.) Web.