Conference President: Why have female pastors when you have pastor’s wives?

The Bakers remember a better, simpler time...
The Bakers remember a better, simpler time…
SILVER SPRING, Md. – Two members of the Theology of Ordination Study Committee believe there is a simple solution to the women’s ordination question: real pastors’ wives. Tri-States Conference President Tim Baker and his wife, Jane, have drafted their opinions into yet another proposal for consideration at next year’s General Conference session. It reads as follows:

Theology of Ordination: Position #4 – In order to foster unity throughout the world church and to keep well within the mandates of Scripture, we resolve that pastors’ wives shall be strongly encouraged to eschew outside employment and devote their time and energies to serving the local church as pastoral assistants, thereby eliminating the need for women pastors.

The Bakers realize that their proposal may upset some people, but they cite Protestant tradition to help make their case. “For hundreds of years, pastors’ wives have taught children, studied with women, headed hospitality ministries, and served in many other roles appropriate for females,” said Tim. “Before the 1970s, we didn’t have women agitating to be ordained; it’s only since the ladies felt they had to work for pay that a vacancy was created in local congregations, which some people feel should be filled by female pastors.”

According to Jane, eliminating the ordination option does not preclude women from serving. “If college girls feel the Lord is calling them into the ministry, they should do what their mothers and grandmothers did: find a theology student to marry,” she said.

A small number of TOSC committee members voiced their support for the new proposal. “My wife Jojo and I completely agree with this option,” said Southeast Delaware Conference Pastor Enoch Byrne. He describes a recent prophecy seminar where his wife played the organ, ran the nursery, conducted Bible studies with three women, and read him questions during the Bible Answer-Man segment of the program. “She couldn’t be happier or more fulfilled as my assistant,” said Byrne. “And best of all, the church doesn’t have to pay her!”

Special thanks to Marian Davis for the guest post


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15 Comments

  1. Glen

    Ha – you folks are really creative!
    Talk about thinking out of the box.
    I’m so impressed, they got my vote!

    (Ps: Dear Kirsten and others, pls don’t kill me)

    Have a great Sabbath!

  2. Brenda Parkinson

    In an age where most families need two incomes, I wonder how many see an unpaid role where they can be patted on the head and told what a good job they are doing, as a realistic solution to this issue.

  3. Heidi

    Hysterical! As a PK and now PW (took my hubby almost 10 years to get me to marry him because he is a pastor ;)) there is an unfortunate amount of truth in this satire. But it gave me a good laugh.

  4. Stafford

    This whole debate/debarcle can be dealt with conscisely by just reading and understanding the word of God and not allowing the dictation of tradition to cloud our respectively thought processes.

    Genesis 1:26-29 “26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind (male and female) in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

    27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

    If God thought it necessary for men and women to be unequal, he would have specified from the beginning that Adam would rule over Eve, the animals and the rest of the earth. Instead both were rulers and both named the animals, both spoke directly to God and both were created in HIS image, why would HE not want both to have equal status? I’m no theologian, but I feel that this kind of discussion, really detracts from the GREAT COMMISSION—the more willing and able workers, the sooner the work will be done and the sooner the ONE for whom we labour will return.

    Besides, is ordination not simply a public declared blessing laying the platform for serving God and His people – How can any man deny a devout, God-fearing individual this privilege?

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