HOW TO FORM POCKETS OF TOV IN YOUR CHURCH
Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer
Suppose you are a female staff member at your church ; you know people ’ s names , and the pastor knows your name . In your presence , he often says he likes having women on staff and that he ’ s proud of the presence of women around the church . It gives the church a good reputation .
But one day you notice the pastor in an office near you . You hear raised voices and wonder what ’ s going on . Soon the pastor shuts the door — rather , he slams it — and storms off . It turns out it was the office of one of your closest female friends . A month later you witness something similar , with a male associate this time , but this time you overhear the conversation , including some harsh comments about another woman . Some of it sounds both ugly and sexist . You decide to tell
a trusted friend on staff , and she responds that she ’ s seen the same behavior over at least the past five years .
How can a pastor act like that ? you wonder . How could people in the church permit such behavior ? Further conversations confirm that the pastor does speak in a derogatory fashion about women . He likes to have women on staff , but he makes sure they have no power at the table when decisions are made . He will tear down any woman who begins to gain respect and a following . You decide that this toxicity really needs to stop , and you want to be part of a positive shift in that culture .
We have heard so many stories like this , and we want to help people find a way to get every organization on a pathway toward tov .
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