History of Women Elders and Pastors

[John317]

Quote:

A person cannot tell where they went to school and what kind of degree they earned without your making it sound as if they are bragging?

The context of that remark makes it clear you were attempting to gain leverage in the debate with that claim. It was not about bragging, it was about manipulation.

I was talking to Taylor, who had asked me where I went to school. This was the original exchange:

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TAYLOR: Does Loma Linda still offer a degree in Theology?

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ME: I don't know for certain, but LLU did offer an advanced theological degree. Most everything theological is now under La Sierra U.

I graduated when LLU consisted of both campuses. One of my favorite profs there was Dr. Lynn Mallory.

[melvin mccarty]

So do you believe that everything Paul wrote can be cosidered as universal principles for all time and all places?

mel

[John317]

... I have no idea where Dr. Ben went but he moved. I really liked him and his sweet wife. It was great to see a couple so madly in love after so many years! Stan is home but next time he comes down maybe we can get the CA people in our area together. That would be fun!

Dr. Ben gave me his phone number and said he probably wouldn't be able to get online where he was moving.

I agree it would be lots of fun meeting together again.

Quote:

I was intrigued that you went to Loma Linda because currently they don't have a theology degree though La Sierra does. But they have great Bible classes at Loma Linda I am told.

Loma Linda University operated the La Sierra campus from 1967 to 1990. I graduated from LLU before 1990.

They do have very good Bible classes on both campuses. The ones on the Loma Linda campus are now mainly for medical, nursing, dental students, etc. Graham Maxwell was one of the teachers on the Loma Linda Campus before his retirement. He was always a favorite of mine. Dr. Baldwin also is on the Loma Linda Campus.

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[there buster]

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two individuals who received professional training in NT Greek

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I would simply suggest that you be careful to avoid giving the appearance of being an authority on NT Greek

[there buster]

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I graduated from Loma Linda University as a theology major and have enjoyed continuing my studies of the Greek NT printed texts.

It can be dangerous for people who have no training in Greek, and have not studied it. . .

Yeah. Glad to know you weren't trying to gain leverage.

Blessings

[David Koot]

John317, as I reflect on what I have read on this thread in reference to NT Greek, I seem to notice several types of responses. Of course, as you have pointed out, the issue of the Greek word was not involved in this discussion until someone brought it up--Tom, from what I could read. Vigorous discussion ensued. Someone else weighed in on the Greek. A couple of people who seem to have a rudimentary knowledge of the subject, made authoritative statements which, however, indicated their lack of *competent* knowledge of the technical issues. A number of others were simply not interested--which is fine. But here is what I found intriguing--and of some real concern--scary, frankly. The impression I got from reading some of the posts was that a few individuals may have felt that their ideas about the technical aspects of the Greek were just as valid if not perhaps more so, than what is found in the professional literature. (For example, the suggestion that we should not be reflectors of others' thoughts--the implication being that we don't need to rely on such things as lexicons. We can decide for ourselves.) However, they did not provide any sort of textual data to support their views. (It is fine to disagree with Kittel, for example. HOWEVER a student had better be able to provide extremely solid textual evidence to support his or her dissenting position.) IOW their ideas were valid BECAUSE they were their ideas--their ideas are just as good as those of the scholars who edited and authored the lexicons, for example. That is a huge red flag. That suggests an unwillingness to accept counsel, and self-supremacy. Highly dangerous. I see such an attitude, wherever it occurs, as the same type of spirit that actuated Lucifer, who felt he was 'just as good' as God. I am reminded also of the issues involved in the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the end, Adam and Eve decided that they knew better--they could decide for themselves. I would simply suggest to someone like that, a spirit of humility and a teachable spirit. Be willing to listen and to learn.

Dave

[John317]

... this is really interesting! Enjoy reading this and learning from it! Hi John317! (We just met John317 last week)....

Hi there Denise! Glad to see you made it through at least some of this thread.

I'll drive down to meet you again next year, along with my cousin! That is going to be great fun. Just hope the cost of gas doesn't go up too much more. I've already told Norm that when we do I'll give you guys that Bible you like.

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[David Koot]

two individuals who received professional training in NT Greek

I would simply suggest that you be careful to avoid giving the appearance of being an authority on NT Greek.

[David Koot]

Yeah. Glad to know you weren't trying to gain leverage.

That type of comment suggests or implies, based on the common meaning of the words, some self-centered motivation on the part of John317--which is an unfortunate and inappropriate judgment of motive, and one which reflects poorly upon the one making such a judgment. That, and the possible implication that someone else's ideas--someone who does not have the level of training or experience--on a technical issue are just as good, if not better, than one who has the level of training and expertise which John317 has. Not a healthy stance to take.

Dave

[John317]

Exactly so! The same thought occurred to me. It's frightening because it means that people are not simply analyzing the text to see what it says but are forcing it into a mold that satisfies their preconceived ideas rather than letting the verse speak as it does when translated by hundreds of people who have devoted their lives to translation of the original language.

I've seen the same thing happen when studying, for instance, with "Jehovah's Witnesses" on John 1: 1. Ninety-nine percent of the translations of John 1: 1 read the same: "And the Word was God," or something similar, but instead of taking this correct translation simply as it reads, they will try to make the verse say something it doesn't so that it agrees with their preconceived notions, that Jesus was "a god."

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[John317]

Well, this is very interesting. I see several people who I esteem very highly, engaged in a lively discussion, and taking opposing positions. Hmmmm . . . how can I contribute to clarity of the issue of the Greek word in 1 Tim. 5:2? First of all, I can tell you that I 'don't have a dog in that fight.' I don't feel a need to take a position in regard to women's roles in leadership, or not. However, I AM interested in NT Greek....

At this point I think it might be best to simply discuss the meaning of individual texts dealing with the subject of church officers, and then see at the end of the study if the NT gives evidence of the existence of female pastors or elders in the New Testament church. I plan on analyzing Romans 16:1 later today.

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[David Koot]

John, permit me to jump the gun a bit. I simply wish to provide a cite from Louw-Nida, which places this occurrence in the domain of roles and functions. Here is the very brief article:

"53.67 DIAKONEW, ou m and f: one who serves as a deacon, with responsibility to care for the needs of believers - ‘deacon, one who helps the believers.’ sunivsthmi de; uJmi`n Foivbhn th;n ajdelfh;n hJmw`n, ou\san kai; diavkonon th`" ejkklhsiva" th`" ejn Kegcreai`" ‘I recommend to you our sister Phoebe who is a deacon in the church at Cenchreae’ Ro 16.1 . . ."

(Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, (New York: United Bible Societies) 1988, 1989.)

(Sorry, there's no Greek font on C/A and I don't have time to rewrite the Greek cite.)

As is the practice in English, we seem to refer to the feminine as 'deaconness.'

Dave

[Woody]

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That suggests an unwillingness to accept counsel, and self-supremacy. Highly dangerous.

Dave ... I would have to disagree. I simply see it as a difference of opinion. No matter what authority write what .... there is always another authority who will disagree.

Just think ... that is what CA is based on ... Disagreement. Hopefully we can each try to do it respectfully. But I think that each is entitled to do it.

I do respect where you are coming from ... I am just coming from a little different slant. I think it would be far more dangerous to not allow divergent of thought or to censure those who think differently.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: ichabod

two individuals who received professional training in NT Greek

I would simply suggest that you be careful to avoid giving the appearance of being an authority on NT Greek.

I would suggest that ALL avoid the appearance of being an authority on anything. We are here to have discussions ... and to offer "opinions" ... not authority. I do not come here to get any type of "authority" on ANY subject.

[David Koot]

Dave ... I would have to disagree. I simply see it as a difference of opinion. No matter what authority write what .... there is always another authority who will disagree.

[Woody]

Quote:

At this point I think it might be best to simply discuss the meaning of individual texts dealing with the subject of church officers, and then see at the end of the study if the NT gives evidence of the existence of female pastors or elders in the New Testament church. I plan on analyzing Romans 16:1 later today.

Is there any way ... that I can respectfully suggest or recommend that this was not the purpose of the thread that I started. I personally feel that this thread has been hijacked. I know there are tender feelings around that may feel it is a personal attack. But how else can I recommend that if the Greek is to be discussed ... that it go to another thread.

Like Stan said ... we are here to discuss. I would like to return to the "discussion" of the thread that I presented. Can I somehow respectfully request that? I do recognize the great skills of the Greek scholars here. But honestly ... I am not interested.

[John317]

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I would be glad to talk to you about these things, but right now it seems to be leading away from the subject. The subject is, does the Bible support women being pastors and elders?

I knew this would happen. From the classic offender of switching or avoiding the topic ... he states that he can't address the questions. This is what happens when the questions get tough.

Redwood, there's nothing at all "tough" about the questions he asked me, and if you look at my posts here, you will see that I did answer some of Ichabod's questions. I simply didn't want to get off the subject of 1 Timothy 5: 2 and Titus 2: 3. I explained myself and said that I would be glad to take up those questions in due time.

Why do you think it's appropriate for you to make the kind of comment you did because I made the decision as I did? Again, don't you see that your statement shows you are assuming you can read people's intentions and minds-- in this case, that you know I didn't answer the questions because they are particularly "tough"?

If you don't answer a question immediately, or if you never answer it, you will notice that I don't make comments about why you don't answer me or why you decide to discuss a different subject. That's each person's business.

In this case, I wasn't even addressing you, yet you came forward with your private judgment of why I did not answer him. Surely you must see that this sort of thing is just not right or appropriate. I know you don't like it when other people do that to you, and I don't blame you. Please have the courtesy to do the same for others.

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Since I started this thread ... I think I am better qualified to speak to what the subject is. I may not be a "moderator" but I do know what I started the thread for. And NO John317 ... it was not to see "does the Bible support women being pastors and elders?". That is what you hijacked it into though.

I know you began the thread with the history of women Elders and Pastors in the SDA church, but I think that what the Bible teaches on that subject is also an important part of the evidence. As I recall, your original post almost from the very beginning caused some posters to question whether the Bible supports women in those roles.

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I hope this clarified this. I would be happy to see the answer put forth to "Taylor's" questions. I think he deserves an answer.

Yes, I'm sure you would be happy to see my answers to "Taylor's questions." I plan on giving Taylor those answers by private message soon, but if she wants to share them with you that's perfectly fine with me.

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[John317]

Quote:

At this point I think it might be best to simply discuss the meaning of individual texts dealing with the subject of church officers, and then see at the end of the study if the NT gives evidence of the existence of female pastors or elders in the New Testament church. I plan on analyzing Romans 16:1 later today.

Is there any way ... that I can respectfully suggest or recommend that this was not the purpose of the thread that I started. I personally feel that this thread has been hijacked. I know there are tender feelings around that may feel it is a personal attack. But how else can I recommend that if the Greek is to be discussed ... that it go to another thread.

Like Stan said ... we are here to discuss. I would like to return to the "discussion" of the thread that I presented. Can I somehow respectfully request that? I do recognize the great skills of the Greek scholars here. But honestly ... I am not interested.

OK, the subject can be moved to a different thread.

[Woody]

Great. I appreciate what you are willing to do.

Now ... I would like to get back on the topic of the History of the evolution of having women as elders and pastors. If we look at the cultural changes I think we can see how the church was then able to move in this direction because it was accepted in society. I believe that the only restriction that ever existed has been one of cultural. And this is one we as a church have to respect.

Look at the following from SDAnet ...

Not a hand should be bound, not a soul discouraged, not a voice should be hushed let every individual labor, privately or publicly, to help forward this grand work.-Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, July 9, 1895.

At the dawn of the nineteenth century in the United States, women held approximately the same legal status as children and slaves. Married women generally could not own property independent of their husbands. If they were employed, their wages could be appropriated by their husbands. Legal say about their children resided entirely in the father's hands.2

Women were not admitted to colleges or universities.3 They were not allowed to enter professions. They could not vote or hold an office. And women were not permitted to speak in public.4

Whenever these customs and laws were tested by proposals to change or enlarge women's role in the home, church, or society, emotional debate was likely to ensue.

Given the constraints on nineteenth century women in general, what were the attitudes in the early Adventist Church toward women? How does this compare with what was happening to women in other Christian groups?

Was Ellen Harmon White an exception in our ranks, or did a significant number of Adventist women serve as elected leaders and public figures? What trends emerged during the past 150 years?

[Woody]

more ...

"Separate and Unequal

The reasons offered in the early 1800s for the low social status of women were not new, harking back to Roman and Greek times.5 Women were thought of as physically weak, intellectually feeble, and emotionally unstable. Therefore, they were assigned a separate sphere from men in human affairs. The moral worth of women has been debated through the centuries. Aristotle theorized that females were "misbegotten" males. They are "weaker and colder in nature," he said, "and we must look upon the female character as being a sort of natural deficiency."6

Churchman Thomas Aquinas (1227-1274) thought Aristotle went rather far. He reasoned that anything "misbegotten" would not have been made at Creation. Still, the only work which he could imagine that woman could help man with was procreation. In everything else, a "man can be more efficiently helped by another man," he said.7 Such views persisted in the nineteenth century. In 1840 a writer for Godey's Lady's Book, one of the earliest magazines for females in the U.S., defined women as "the connecting link", between man and the inferior animals, possessing a central rank between the mysterious instinct of the latter and the unattainable energies of the former.

Gospel Soil

Christian teachings were often used to confine women. Yet, the seeds of change that began to modify the role of women in society sprang not from secular sources but from gospel soil.

Hints of this arose in the 1740s as the first Great Awakening swept England and the American colonies. Religion propelled women out of the shadows. "The conversion experience itself, for example, became a public ritual in which women were encouraged to join."8

John Wesley, founder of Methodism in England, took another step by giving women public responsibilities, at first in small groups of other women. Next, he "welcomed their public speaking as it took the forms of prayer, personal testimony, exhortation, and exposition on religious literature."9

While mainline churches such as Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Episcopalians lagged behind in expanding women's roles, the new evangelical groups quickly gave women voice.10

In England, George Fox argued from Scripture that women's equality and their speaking in public could be justified. Emboldened by this vision, women preachers crossed the Atlantic and endured enormous hardship - even torture and death - to share Quaker ideals in the colonies.11

If such ideas blossomed in the first Awakening, what occurred in the Second Great Awakening (1795-1835)? Once again the convicting power of the gospel spurred many women out of traditional roles.12

Among the earliest reforms in which American women participated publicly was the antislavery movement. Awakened and energized by Christian principles, women soon began to spearhead other social reforms.

They rallied tens of thousands to join the Women's Christian Temperance Union. They worked tirelessly to improve conditions in mental asylums, prisons, hospitals, and schools. Through diligence and self-sacrifice they organized and funded great missionary societies that reached India, Africa, China, and the islands of the sea."

[John317]

John, permit me to jump the gun a bit. I simply wish to provide a cite from Louw-Nida, which places this occurrence in the domain of roles and functions. Here is the very brief article:

"53.67 DIAKONEW, ou m and f: one who serves as a deacon, with responsibility to care for the needs of believers - ‘deacon, one who helps the believers.’ sunivsthmi de; uJmi`n Foivbhn th;n ajdelfh;n hJmw`n, ou\san kai; diavkonon th`" ejkklhsiva" th`" ejn Kegcreai`" ‘I recommend to you our sister Phoebe who is a deacon in the church at Cenchreae’ Ro 16.1 . . ."

(Louw, Johannes P. and Nida, Eugene A., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains, (New York: United Bible Societies) 1988, 1989.)

(Sorry, there's no Greek font on C/A and I don't have time to rewrite the Greek cite.)

As is the practice in English, we seem to refer to the feminine as 'deaconness.'

Dave

My sincere apologies to Redwood for this latest post. I am posting it as the "finishing touches" on a verse I had promised to discuss.

I know I've said the subject can be moved to a different thread, and we can do that some time today, but for now, let me just say that I think the information you've posted here is very good. The word has also been translated as "ministering servant" (Conybeare), which I think perfectly captures the meaning. The New American Standard and the King James Version have "servant." That agrees with a number of other verses where it is similarly translated. We don't know exactly what she did for the church, but one thing we may be certain of, and that is that she was not the pastor or elder. How do we know this? Because Romans 16: 1 was written from Corinth about 57 AD, or about a year after he wrote 1 Corinthians. Phoebe was from Corinth, for Cenchrea was the name of the port at Corinth. Naturally, then, Phoebe was a member of one of the churches at Corinth, from which Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. Phoebe was in Rome on some kind of business, possibly of a legal nature that took her to a court there (v. 2).

So this woman, Phoebe, was a member of one of the churches which Paul founded in Corinth. Was Phoebe the pastor of the church? It's hard to see how she could have been the pastor or the minister of the church since Paul gave clear instruction to the Corinthians that they were to "let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says," and, "It is shameful for women to speak in church."

Notice that Paul uses the word, "churches," so that he is obviously talking about his instructions about women in more than one church. He does not indicate that the reason for this instruction is due to a local situation such as women doing anything unusual or bad; but rather Paul says his instructions are in agreement with "the law" (i.e., the Old Testament, where see Gen. 3: 17). Then Paul also asserts that his instructions are "the commandment of the Lord." We can assume that all of his instructions in 1 Cor. 14: 26-36 are part of "the commandment of the Lord."

My conclusion here is that it is difficult if not impossible to believe that Paul would have given this clear instruction to a church-- that women were to keep silent in church-- at the same time that a woman was the pastor of the church! Add to this Paul's instruction about 64 or 65 AD to Timothy in Ephesus that he, Paul, permitted "no woman to teach or have authority over a man" (1 Tim. 2: 12) and we begin to see the difficulty of believing that Phoebe was the pastor of the church at Cenchrea.

I will rewrite this and add more details when I post it later on a separate thread. In the meantime I would like to see people's responses and challenges to it.

Regards,

"John 3: 17"

[Woody]

And ...

Ellen's World

In 1827, Ellen Harmon was born into a Methodist home in Maine. With her parents and siblings she was seized by hope and excitement as William Miller preached that Christ would come in 1843 or 1844. Although the Harmons were disfellowshipped by their local congregation for their fervent Adventist belief, it seems likely that they retained many Methodist views and worship prac-tices. The occasion of Harmon's first vision should be noted here. After the Great Disappointment, she met in a small group to study and pray with other young women - a setting considered appropriate for evangelical women of the day. It was these young women, along with the Harmon family and others, who encouraged Ellen to accept what she considered a startling and overwhelming call - the call to speak publicly and to mixed audiences, about her unusual personal religious experience. Some of her reluctance to do this stemmed from her youth, shyness, and poor health.

But for a woman to pray or speak publicly to both men and women was a daring thing in those days, even in religious circles.

In 1889 Ellen recalled that her own brother had begged her not to go public. "I beg of you do not disgrace the family. I will do anything for you if you will not go out as a preacher," he wrote to her.

Ellen replied, "Can it disgrace the family for me to preach Christ and him crucified. If you would give me all the gold your house could hold, I would not cease giving my testimony for God."13

When revivalist Charles Finney began to allow women to assume these public roles in 1827, fellow revivalists accused him of supporting a cause that would split churches.14

Phoebe Palmer, a Methodist preacher, was frequently challenged about the appropriateness of her public work. In 1859 she published a 429-page book in defense of women who spoke in church, launching her biblical arguments from Joel 2:28.15

Early Adventist Views

Joel 2 was familiar ground for early Seventh-day Adventists for similar reasons. To deflect criticism about the public and prophetic ministry of a specific woman (Ellen Harmon White, who had married James in 1846), they sometimes addressed the role of women in general.

As early as July 30, 1861, Uriah Smith, editor of the Review, reprinted an article from the Portadown News, with these words of approval: "We consider the following a triumphant vindication of the right of the sisters to take part in the public worship of God. The writer applies the prophecy of Joel - "Your daughters shall prophesy,' etc. - to female preaching but while it must embrace public speaking of some kind, this we think is but half of its meaning."15

In the August 18, 1868, Review, M. H. Howard spoke of "that conservatism which so readily takes fright at the prominence accorded to a woman."

The topic of women's public role in the Adventist Church resurfaced many times. In 1879, J. N. Andrews and James White wrote articles supporting it, as did G. C. Tenney in a Review editorial published first in 1892 and reprinted in 1894.16

[Woody]

An Advocate for Women

Ellen White became a model and spokesperson for her Adventist women contemporaries. She encouraged women to make full use of their talents in both traditional and nontraditional (public) roles. She also asked men to support them. The following three statements illustrate her growing conviction that women should engage in public ministry.

In 1878: "Sisters, God calls you to work in the harvest field and help gather in the sheaves."17

In 1886: "It was Mary who first preached a risen Jesus and the refining, softening influence of Christian women is needed in the great work of preaching the truth now."18

In 1898: "There are women who should labor in the gospel ministry. In many respects they would do more good than the ministers who neglect to visit the flock of God."19

Ellen White ever upheld the importance of a mother's role in rearing children. Like Christians around her in the nineteenth century, she saw the home as a high-priority mission.20

My own research, however, leads me to conclude that the longer Ellen White lived, the more emphatic she became about women's place in public ministry.21 She was also an outspoken advocate for fair wages and policies affecting women.

In 1898, for example, she stated:

If a woman is appointed by the Lord to do a certain work, her work is to be estimated according to its value . . . It may be thought to allow persons to give talent and earnest labor to the work of God, while they draw nothing from the treasury. . God will not put His sanction on any such plan.22

[Woody]

Women Decision-Makers

What impact did White's advocacy have upon women and the church? One measure may be the number of women whom the church employed in key leadership roles. Bertha Dasher has tabulated the number of women leaders listed in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook for various years.

This study shows that scores of women were once elected to key decision-making roles where today there are almost none. In 1905, for example, women held 20 out of 60 conference treasurer positions.

The number of women heading conference departments was even more remarkable. In 1915 approximately two-thirds of the 60 educational department leaders and more than 50 of the 60 Sabbath School department leaders were women.

As the graphs show, women's influence as decision-makers in the Seventh-day Adventist Church peaked between 1900 and 1915.

Some of these women held high offices very early in our church history. Three were elected as General Conference treasurer before the turn of the century: Adelia Patten Van Horn (1871-1873), Fredricka House Sisley (1875-1876), and Minerva Jane Loughborough Chapman (1877-1883).

Fewer gained prominence after Ellen White's death in 1915. One was Flora Plummer whose career began during White's lifetime when she was elected secretary of the Iowa Conference in 1897. Plummer is also the first woman known to have been an acting conference president (when Clarence Santee was called to California in 1900).23

Plummer's most remembered contribution came during the 23 years she led the General Conference Sabbath School department (19 13-1936). No General Conference Sabbath School leader since has exceeded her record.

Women Evangelists and Preachers

Another measure of the impact of White's advocacy for women may be shown by the number of Adventist women who have carried ministerial licenses.

Using lists found in old Seventh-day Adventist Yearbooks (which were first published in 1883), Josephine Benton discovered at least 53 women who were licensed as ministers between 1884 and 1975. Most worked in the United States, but some were licensed in Finland, New Zealand, China, and South Africa. Twenty-eight of these women were granted these licenses in the 31-year period between 1884 and 1915. From that point on the numbers decrease steadily. In the 60-year period between 1915 and 1975, only 25 women are named in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook as carrying this credential. (The cut-off in the late 1970s was made when the question of women's ordination arose. The church then halted its 100-year practice of issuing ministerial licenses to females.)

Actually, more than 53 women have carried a ministerial license in Adventist history the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, like any record, has inaccuracies. Sarah A. Hallock Lindsey's record reflects one of these inaccuracies. As a pioneer evangelist who worked among churches in New York during a period marked by apostasy and disarray, she was licensed in 1872.24 However, her name does not appear in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook until 23 years later, in 1895.25 Records can also be misplaced or overlooked. Helen Stanton Williams (Mrs. E. R. Williams) attended Battle Creek College, became a Bible instructor, a popular camp meeting speaker, and an effective evangelist. According to the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, she was first licensed in 1897. In 1906 she and her husband became pastors in Chicago, each leading separate churches, and later were missionaries in South Africa.

But, late in life, Williams was grieved to be accused of lying about having once held a minister's license. A church leader assumed her dishonesty when he failed to locate the record.26

Bert Haloviak has subsequently discovered a dozen women who were issued ministerial licenses by six conferences before 1884. The names of at least two of them, Helen Morse and Ida Ballenger, do not appear in the yearbooks at all.27 Thus, the total number of Adventist women who have carried ministerial license is definitely greater than 53.

[Woody]

The Importance of Ministerial Licenses

How important were ministerial licenses to early Adventists? Did women and men receive them on the same basis?

Licenses were taken very seriously in the nineteenth century. For example, Haloviak points out that the Michigan Conference adopted a resolution in 1881 asking churches not to "encourage individuals to preach who have not been licensed . . ."28 For a time, licentiates were tested - each year.

Women "followed the same path to the ministry as that followed by men."29 They were paid by local conferences or the General Conference from tithe funds. They took the same training that men did and passed the same tests.

Although the emphasis of Adventist ministry did change over time, women were as effective as men in all of these roles - as evangelists, resident ministers, and local pastors.30

Why the Decline?

Several factors contributed to the dramatic decline both of Adventist women who were decision-making leaders and licensed ministers.

In 1923, for example, church leaders enacted new policies at Annual Council, policies intended to ensure that departmental leaders would be soul winners. For example, they recommended that "in the future home missionary and missionary volunteer secretaries31 be selected who have had successful experience in evangelistic work, preferably ordained ministers." Women had held many departmental positions up until then. Because women were not ordained these new policies became a key factor in bringing about their demise as church administrators.32

Socioeconomic trends in the United States made an impact on the church.33 During the Great Depression that began in 1929, Adventist leaders enacted other policies designed to save the church from financial ruin. Some of these impacted more negatively upon women than men, including wage cuts, mergers of conferences, and term limits for conference positions.34

As budgets constricted, ordained ministers were often the last to lose jobs. Lacking this credential, women were vulnerable.

There were other issues. The number of professionally trained male ministers increased. And, as men returned to the United States at the close of World War II, society gave renewed emphasis to home and motherhood.35

Ellen White's death in 1915 must not be underestimated as a factor in women's declining visibility in the church. When an advocate's voice becomes silent, there is less incentive to maintain inclusive policies, especially if leaders have had doubts about them to begin with.

Some had these doubts. If all had agreed with White's view, she would have had no occasion to write the pointed counsel on fair pay noted earlier.

More Women, Lesser Credentials

Another element has affected the decline in the number of women who were issued ministerial licenses since 1915: the subjective judgment of church administrators.

Leaders have not always been willing, or have not always received permission, to measure women's ministry by the same criteria used to measure men's. In all likelihood, the actual number of Adventist women doing evangelistic and ministerial work has increased since 1915. But the number of administrators who have issued appropriate credentials recognizing the content and quality of these women's work has decreased.