An Inclusive Community
I believe in an inclusive church. My definition of “inclusive” involves a multiple list of issues. For example, socio-economic justice for the “least of these”; racial harmony that includes leadership roles for all races; women preaching and leading God’s church; and hospitality for folks our government will not document.
Related to women in leadership, the best preachers in my classes these days are women. When teaching a class overseas, some men were uneasy about a female student. Then she preached! The response swelled, “Surely God has granted women the gift of preaching.” Here are some related websites:
Gal 3:28
Half the Church
In a recent sermon, I did not follow my script closely. I planned to say more about persons who are not documented. “The nation has the right to protect its borders. However, the church is not the nation. The church has the right, the responsibility, the obligation to stand with open arms of hospitality to receive all with tenderness and care. The church stands and says, ”Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” —Emma Lazarus
I did say about women leadership something like, “If our congregations are to reflect God’s inclusive community, then our pulpits must mirror that reality. If our congregations are to reflect God’s inclusive community, then our leadership must mirror that reality.” I referred to gender inclusivity and not to ethnic diversity because the audience has a small minority in their male leadership and has often invited men of color to speak from the pulpit.
Let me publicly cast my vote! It is time for the Church of Christ to do the hard work of racial reconciliation and gender inclusivity in our leadership and preaching roles.
If your congregation would like to invite one of my female students to preach, they are eager and able to proclaim God’s truth. Email me at sensingt@acu.edu for student contact information.
Thanks for passing this on. I often think about the story of Cornelius in Acts when I think about gender inclusivity and preaching. Suddenly the narrative shifts, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit before baptism causes Peter’s imagination to stretch concerning who constitutes God’s people. Before the community is able to throw up its boundary of initiation (in that case baptism, in our case sanctioned leadership roles like preaching), the outpouring of God’s grace precipitates a fresh look at inclusion. I’ve been in those preaching classes you mention. I’ve seen firsthand the giftedness of my female colleagues.
I believe strongly that God’s church is worthy of good preaching. So let’s invite gifted persons into our pulpits, regardless of sex, nationality, gender, or race! May our pulpits reflect that we too “understand that God shows no partiality.”
Glad to find about this blog. Great thoughts here on gender inclusivity. I’ll vouch for those women in preaching class as well!