A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans.Thomas Nelson Publishers (2012)

Brought up in a church that supported “traditional gender roles” for men and women, Rachel Held Evans takes us on a journey to investigate what ‘biblical womanhood’ really might look like in the 21st Century. Described as “an exercise in scriptural exploration and spiritual contemplation”, Held Evans pursues a different virtue each month (gentleness, obedience, beauty, silence, submission), wrestles with Scripture and shares her stories with a great mixture of humor, compassion and detail. She pays particular attention to Proverbs 31, challenging how some churches have interpreted this passage and questions what it truly means to be a ‘woman of valor’ (a series she continues to investigate on her popular blog). A fun, thought-provoking and insightful read.

Book review by Alice Hague.

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It is now 2013 and many of us are anxious about what the new year will bring. If you have been waiting on a new or first call, the new year can either bring a new sense of hope, or be a reminder of just how long it is taking for your next steps to be revealed. If you are tired and weary from having labored long in your current call, the new year may either bring a freshness that revives you, or be a reminder that you have yet another year of serving and working ahead of you. If you are ending a call, entering into retirement or closing a ministry that has lost its sense of purpose, mission or direction, the new year may bring celebration of a life well lived in service, or a sadness about ministry that became distracted and lost its vitality. Either way, the New Year has come and as it unfolds we may find ourselves experiencing a combination of emotions. Where do you find yourself as this new year begins?

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Did you know every 9 seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten? Do you know anyone impacted by domestic violence this year? Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined. One in every four women has experienced domestic violence in her life. Are you one? Would you share your story with us? How have you felt supported or ignored? What would you like the leaders in your local church to know about how to support victims of domestic violence? How would having a woman pastor or women on your leadership staff make a difference? What support are men in your local church leading in awareness and advocacy on domestic violence? How can we make our churches a safe place for these girls and women? Let us hear from you!

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Dave Kersten on the Commission on Biblical Gender Equality

Dave Kersten, former executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry and current dean of North Park Theological Seminary, spoke briefly on the history and current status of the Commission on Biblical Gender Equality at the March 30, 2012 meeting. To hear more from Dave, check out the full version of this video here.

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This post was submitted by Reverend Karen Hinz

Psalm 40:1 says “I waited patiently for the Lord.” Six simple words, but how hard to do! Especially when we desire great changes to take place in our personal lives or in the world.

I don’t know anyone who likes to wait, but it seems that nearly everyone is waiting for something. And when we are forced to wait, we often do so impatiently, tapping our fingers and sighing. What would it take for you to “wait patiently”?

It’s common to say, “I don’t have the gift of patience,” even though patience is never defined in the Bible as a spiritual gift. Over and over again, the Bible uses command language to call us ALL to wait patiently. But the last three words of Psalm 40:1 are the most important: “I waited patiently for the Lord.” Often, when we finally decide to try to wait patiently for something, we are still waiting to get our own way, instead of waiting “for the Lord.”

I spent three years waiting for a ministry job, and God used that time to do some Potter’s molding in my life. I resisted waiting, feeling that I was already “behind” my seminary peers because I had spent years doing ministry part time while raising small children. But God was not anxious. God the Potter was removing the impurity of comparing myself to others.

In my waiting, I was very impatient at times, and yet through it all, God the Potter was smoothing and calming my spirit. I was waiting for my own dreams to be fulfilled, and yet God the Potter was teaching me to envision his own dreams for my future. I cannot say yet that I love to wait. But God worked on my willingness to wait, on my patience in waiting, and on my focus of waiting – to be on the Lord.

What are you waiting for? And what has waiting taught you?

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This post was submitted by Rev. Gricel Medina, CBGE Chairperson

The Covenant’s Commission on Biblical Gender Equality has consistently and diligently provided a strong voice of advocacy for women in every position of leadership within the church including pastoral.  It has brought visibility to an often misunderstood issue within the local church. It continues to make significant forward momentum for women. Women are now being seriously considered in positions traditionally held by men. The Commission on Biblical Gender Equality has seen women strategically succeeding in positions of leadership including Superintendents and executive positions within the denomination. CBGE continues to be a unified and strong advocate voice for all women seeking positions of leadership within the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).

As chairperson it is my passion to ignite a fresh vision that creates dialogue affirming Biblical Gender Equality in the church, in the home, in the seminary, in the university and in our communities.  Our long-term goals are to continue making people aware of our affirmation of women at every stage of life.  The guiding factors of our mission are to grow collaboratively as men and women in the journey of Biblical Gender Equality.

It is a privilege to come up with creative ways we can continue to nurture an empowering landscape of gender equality throughout our Evangelical Covenant Churches. Our continued prayer is that believers would search the Holy Scriptures and become inspired, convicted and compelled to follow the Biblical model of gender equality.

Recently, we sent approximately 300 pieces of our egalitarian materials to the people of Kenya, Africa. Young women are offered Summer of Wonder at our CHIC events. We are intentionally searching for ways we can create new resources that spread the message. We look forward to the upcoming release of a video of Dr. Rev. Dave Kersten sharing an historical landscape on the journey of women in pastoral ministry entitled “The Journey of a Decade”.  Stay tuned to this blog as we share relevant stories of women in the church, home and community.  Along with these stories we will provide occasional book reviews relevant to biblical gender equality issues as well as offer a host of reference materials and articles already in print in various Covenant publications.  We hope that these offerings and your comments might be inspiring, informative, and helpful for the journey.

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