Sometimes I’m disappointed in my tribe. Not my local church mind you (I’m super biased but Flint Central Church is a great church). No, I’m saddened by USA/Canada version of the Church of the Nazarene. Here’s why: a highly qualified female candidate was not elected to be the lead pastor in a local church (in this case, the District Superintendent was strongly supportive of her. It wasn’t his fault that she wasn’t elected). I’m convinced there was only one reason for her failure to reach the two thirds threshold required by the Manual. She is a female. In far too many places, we will let females be our children pastors or our youth pastors, but that’s it. In far too many places, a female pastoral candidate has no chance of becoming the lead pastor.
It’s a local church issue, you might defend the tribe. I wish that were the case. I wish it were just one local church with a lack of biblical understanding or a lack of Nazarene history and tradition or because (I hate to write it) misogynistic attitudes among the congregation that voted against the over qualified female candidate. But is it a local issue? I’m not so sure.
Yes, we (finally) have a couple of female District Superintendents in USA/Canada (two in USA; one in Canada). Are three out of 80+ districts really worth celebrating or should we be weeping? Yes, we have a female General Superintendent. But even she was never a solo pastor. I sometimes wonder if even Carla Sunberg would be elected to be the lead pastor in some of our churches. Of the COK churches (larger churches in USA/Canada), there are only three female pastors (Shawna Gaines at Trevecca Community, Selena Freeman at The Well in Springfield, MO and Beth Nelson at Prairie Heights in Fargo, ND). Again three out of top 100 or so churches isn’t a great record. Just ask former Nazarene large church pastor, Tara Beth Leach, of the remarks and attitudes she encountered and had to endure in our tribe. It’s not a good report.
Maybe it’s time for the USA/Canada region to learn from the Asia Pacific Region. That forward thinking region has a “Women in Leadership Coordinator” on its regional leadership team. Dr. Lynne Bollinger is serving in this role. It seems that USA/Canada needs to think of better ways to develop and elevate women in ministry too. But it’s not just giving a seat on the leadership team that’s needed. We must educate our people of the numerous Biblical references of female leaders. We need to call out misogynistic churches and leaders and remind them that “our sons AND DAUGHTERS will prophesy.” We need to confess that our polity (we have always ordained women) and our actions have not always matched.
To be sure, there are other problems in the church in America. It’s not always easy building a growing, Christ-honoring church in our current culture. Our leaders have a lot on their plates. Prioritizing the endorsement and encouragement of female leaders will help us in dealing with some of these other issues. God speaks through women. We need them. We need their voices. Just as God used Miriam and Deborah and Esther and Mary Magdalene and Phoebe and Priscilla and… well you get the idea… God will use today’s female leaders if we give them the opportunity.
My Two Cent Offering 
This vote also involved what i consider to be unfair criticism of an ordained elder over their purported view of the CotN statement on human sexuality. The rumor mill and gossip surrounding this situation has been greatly frustrating. The word of a GS, DS, the Pastor’s own testimony, and countless other leaders was not enough to convince those who would rather believe gossip.
Interesting to see these numbers. I hesitate to agree that misogyny plays a big role though. While I’m sure that exists to some degree, my guess (and it is a guess) is that the Church of the Nazarene is more divided theologically on the issue of women as head pastors than one may think. It may be similar to issues such as alcohol or the doctrine of entire sanctification, where the manual takes one stance but a large percentage of the denomination holds differing beliefs (from my experience). I wouldn’t necessarily jump to misogyny.
The Tribe (USA) has other serious issues. My mother is the first Tenured Woman Evangelist in the CotN and she has been going strong almost 40 years with some resistance along the way. That said, the Tribe (USA) is becoming less Nazarene all the time. The colleges universities and seminaries bring students in from the Aliance of 21+ denominations and graduate them all as Nazarenes. I’ve pastored a Nazarene church almost 2 years now and keep attending events with new Nazarene pastors who are from reformed traditions and have barely heard of entire sanctification. Today the Tribe (USA) teaches liberal theologies, magic ministries, pluralism. Worship is panned, Evangelism is out, Missions is down, Discipleship is chaotic, Formation is a lost art. Holiness is replaced by popular slogans. The only light still on is Compassionate ministries – hanging on by Bresee’s challenge to make the poor feel welcome.
I have pastored the same Nazarene church almost twenty years (not 2)
Hi Pastor Rob!
I appreciate this post, and highly recommend reading “The Making of Biblical Womanhood” by Beth Allison Barr as it discusses this exact issue.
For me, not encouraging women to obtain leadership roles within the church continues to build off the idea that men are the spiritual leaders within the church, and that women are subordinate, and that this structure is thus ordained by God. This hierarchical structure within the church community I believe sets a dangerous precedent, where women are not only not encouraged to preach the word of God, but are also subliminally encouraged to stay silent. Can we honestly say with the current structure of the evangelical faith that if issues of domestic abuse or sexual assault happens (sometimes unfortunately, my prominent members of the church themselves), that women are encouraged to speak? When women are supposed to be obey their husbands and other men in positions of power above them, what power do they have to make their voices heard?