Women in leadership
15/07/16 04:36
Tucked away in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke there are four verses that report of an exchange between Jesus and the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. Luke’s Gospel doesn’t give much attention to Lazarus, whose famous resurrection is reported in the Gospel of John, and there really isn’t too much information about the sisters in Luke, either.
Here’s what Luke has to report:
“She [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her’ ” (Luke 10:39-42).
Over the centuries, a lot of preachers have preached a lot of sermons about this brief text. The conclusions drawn in some of these sermons are, at best, speculation. We don’t know what impression this brief exchange had on Martha. We don’t know if she changed her mind or changed her ways. We don’t know how it affected Mary, either. Was she just trying to get out of the work, or was she able to see clearly what was most important in the process of offering hospitality to their honored guest? Did she somehow sense that attentive listening was as critical to hospitality as serving food, or did she just skip out of her chores?
We don’t know Jesus’ intention behind the words he said. Was he truly bringing a revolution to an intensely patriarchal culture that often did not value the roles and contributions of women? Was he trying to make a point to his male disciples about the role of women in the church that was to come? Clearly the later consideration is worthy of contemplation if for no other reason than the timing of the writing of the Gospel. The Gospel first appeared in the early days of the formation of the institutional church, a time when the leadership of women was critical. The companion book to Luke, Acts, reports of the critical roles of Lydia and other women in the founding of the early church.
Do women in leadership roles transform the nature of the institutions of society? The question may be more sociological than theological, but there is a very real possibility that the world is about to find out. Now that Theresa May has become Prime Minister of Britain, there are women in leadership positions in many major governments around the world.
If Hillary Clinton wins the American presidential election in November, there will be women in charge of five of the leading countries and organizations in the world - the US, the UK, Germany, the IMF and the US Federal Reserve.
That's three of the world's biggest economies and two of the most important financial institutions. There's also the reasonable possibility of former United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres becoming the new UN Secretary General.
Obviously we don't yet know about either the US or the UN. There are many other possibilities about how history might unfold. Even if they do not succeed in achieving the offices to which they aspire, in addition to those named above, there are 22 other women who are monarchs, presidents and prime ministers of their countries.
I’m not certain, but it seems that these developments are unprecedented in the history of the world.
I, for one, am not worried about women being in charge of some of the most powerful positions in the world. It isn’t as if centuries of male kings, presidents and prime ministers has yielded a world of peace and justice where the aspirations of all humans are respected and there is liberty and justice for all. The one thing that all of these men have given us is a deep appreciation for the gap between intentions and realities, between vision and actuality.
A wealth of global studies now show us that organizations perform better when there is a mix of men and women in charge. There is something about the combined different experiences and styles that seems to make for better decisions. Most importantly, women in leadership also means that half the talent in the world isn't excluded from the selection process.
I speak from personal experience. My time as an ordained minister corresponds with the opening of the Protestant clergy to women. Although my own denomination has been ordaining women since 1853, there was a definite increase in women attending theological seminary and becoming ordained in my generation. My class in seminary was one of the last classes in the long history of that school to have a majority of male students. These days, women outnumber men by a significant percentage. I have always worked with women as colleagues and leaders and I know that the leadership of women is critical to the church we have become.
And yet, there are still some glass ceilings in the church. Our United Church of Christ has never had a female General Minister and President. There has never been a woman serving as the Conference Minister of the South Dakota Conference. There are more than a few congregations whose senior pastor position has never been occupied by a woman. Studies, including those of the church, clearly demonstrate that there is a significant gap in the pay of women and men for the same job.
I’m not sure whether or not Jesus’ comments to Martha give the church any definite directions in regards to the role of women in the church. It might be reading a bit too much into the ancient text to say that it is a clear endorsement of women clergy. On the other hand, it does address the diversity of roles that might be occupied by women in the process of spreading the Gospel.
I’ll be away from the pulpit this Sunday. Our congregation will have a woman in the pulpit preaching on this text. I wish I could be there to hear the sermon. As it is, I also keep wondering about what I would say were it my time to speak.
Here’s what Luke has to report:
“She [Martha] had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her’ ” (Luke 10:39-42).
Over the centuries, a lot of preachers have preached a lot of sermons about this brief text. The conclusions drawn in some of these sermons are, at best, speculation. We don’t know what impression this brief exchange had on Martha. We don’t know if she changed her mind or changed her ways. We don’t know how it affected Mary, either. Was she just trying to get out of the work, or was she able to see clearly what was most important in the process of offering hospitality to their honored guest? Did she somehow sense that attentive listening was as critical to hospitality as serving food, or did she just skip out of her chores?
We don’t know Jesus’ intention behind the words he said. Was he truly bringing a revolution to an intensely patriarchal culture that often did not value the roles and contributions of women? Was he trying to make a point to his male disciples about the role of women in the church that was to come? Clearly the later consideration is worthy of contemplation if for no other reason than the timing of the writing of the Gospel. The Gospel first appeared in the early days of the formation of the institutional church, a time when the leadership of women was critical. The companion book to Luke, Acts, reports of the critical roles of Lydia and other women in the founding of the early church.
Do women in leadership roles transform the nature of the institutions of society? The question may be more sociological than theological, but there is a very real possibility that the world is about to find out. Now that Theresa May has become Prime Minister of Britain, there are women in leadership positions in many major governments around the world.
If Hillary Clinton wins the American presidential election in November, there will be women in charge of five of the leading countries and organizations in the world - the US, the UK, Germany, the IMF and the US Federal Reserve.
That's three of the world's biggest economies and two of the most important financial institutions. There's also the reasonable possibility of former United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres becoming the new UN Secretary General.
Obviously we don't yet know about either the US or the UN. There are many other possibilities about how history might unfold. Even if they do not succeed in achieving the offices to which they aspire, in addition to those named above, there are 22 other women who are monarchs, presidents and prime ministers of their countries.
I’m not certain, but it seems that these developments are unprecedented in the history of the world.
I, for one, am not worried about women being in charge of some of the most powerful positions in the world. It isn’t as if centuries of male kings, presidents and prime ministers has yielded a world of peace and justice where the aspirations of all humans are respected and there is liberty and justice for all. The one thing that all of these men have given us is a deep appreciation for the gap between intentions and realities, between vision and actuality.
A wealth of global studies now show us that organizations perform better when there is a mix of men and women in charge. There is something about the combined different experiences and styles that seems to make for better decisions. Most importantly, women in leadership also means that half the talent in the world isn't excluded from the selection process.
I speak from personal experience. My time as an ordained minister corresponds with the opening of the Protestant clergy to women. Although my own denomination has been ordaining women since 1853, there was a definite increase in women attending theological seminary and becoming ordained in my generation. My class in seminary was one of the last classes in the long history of that school to have a majority of male students. These days, women outnumber men by a significant percentage. I have always worked with women as colleagues and leaders and I know that the leadership of women is critical to the church we have become.
And yet, there are still some glass ceilings in the church. Our United Church of Christ has never had a female General Minister and President. There has never been a woman serving as the Conference Minister of the South Dakota Conference. There are more than a few congregations whose senior pastor position has never been occupied by a woman. Studies, including those of the church, clearly demonstrate that there is a significant gap in the pay of women and men for the same job.
I’m not sure whether or not Jesus’ comments to Martha give the church any definite directions in regards to the role of women in the church. It might be reading a bit too much into the ancient text to say that it is a clear endorsement of women clergy. On the other hand, it does address the diversity of roles that might be occupied by women in the process of spreading the Gospel.
I’ll be away from the pulpit this Sunday. Our congregation will have a woman in the pulpit preaching on this text. I wish I could be there to hear the sermon. As it is, I also keep wondering about what I would say were it my time to speak.