Addie Elizabeth Davis, the first woman ordained by a Southern Baptist congregation, died Dec. 3, in her hometown of Covington, Va., after a brief illness. She was 88.
Her ordination to the gospel ministry by Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., on Aug. 9, 1964, marked the first time a Southern Baptist congregation had ordained a woman to pastoral ministry.
But those who led the 1964 service said they were unaware at the time of the occasion's historic significance. At the time, Davis was a seminary student. She told then-Watts Street pastor Warren Carr of sensing a call as a young girl to preach the gospel.
Pam Durso, associate director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society, said the ordination service “marked a new era for Baptists, and in the 41 years since that event, thousands of women have been ordained by Baptist churches in the South.”
Davis returned to Watts Street in 2004 to participate in a service celebrating the 40th anniversary of her ordination.
Davis recalled receiving dozens of letters objecting to her ordination. One urged her to “learn from her husband,” though Davis never married.
Davis, a graduate of Meredith College and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, both in North Carolina, served churches in Vermont, Rhode Island and Virginia. The Baptist Women in Ministry organization provides annual scholarships to female ministerial students through a fund established in Davis' honor.
Her funeral was held Dec. 7 in Covington.
Associated Baptist Press