a board or committee without women. Many women have become active in
the Stephen Ministry, which provides opportunities to assist in pastoral work
by ministering to people in need. Some women are very involved with teams
helping pastors plan sermons and services.
Throughout New Church schools women are active at every level – leading
worship in primary grades and bringing the doctrines to bear on their subject
matter – and they are an inspiration. Women teach directly from the Writings
in the Secondary Schools, College and Theological School. Many women have
graduated from the Master of Arts in Religious Studies (MARS) program and
taken that training into the world. Women are writing books with impressive
theological insights. They are helping to lead the Church in many creative,
loving and unique ways. But for a growing number of people in the Church
– men and women – it will not be enough until women are allowed to be
ordained also.
So where do we go from here? The issue of women in the ministry is
a symptom of a growing divide in the Church, which must concern us all.
There are conflicting visions about what the Church should be in the world.
Increasingly, this is spilling into other issues, from same-sex marriage and
homosexuality to whether the Church, as an organization, should be directly
involved in services to the neighbor.
Beyond the pulpit and the classroom we are asked to elevate our thinking
to a more spiritual perspective with all such issues confronting the Church
– especially those that may put it at odds with popular culture and evolving
standards. We need to be asking ourselves: How does the Lord view the General
Church as part of the New Church coming down from heaven? How does He
see us as people who are trying to be a part of His Church by the way we live
our lives? Where is He trying to lead us – as a church and in our own lives? As
men and women, we are created equally, loved equally, and led equally by His
Love and Providence. And we all have a role in building the Church we love to
be a part of the Lord’s Church – on earth and in heaven.
We have clarity now on where the General Church stands with ordination
– at least for the time being – and everyone is free to agree or disagree with
the decision. Freedom is fundamental in the Church. We must always be free
in how we interpret and apply doctrine to our lives, and to act from informed
conscience. All sincere opinions must be respected and accommodated as best
we can. We know that the General Church is a human organization and will
never be perfect, but it will be what we choose to make it – beginning with the
way we live our lives.
The decision about ordination reaffirms policy but does not end the
controversy. The Church, and all of us who carry it in our hearts and minds,
are challenged going forward to respect freedom, to be guided by charity, and
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