Many years ago, a senior pastor said to me: “We don’t have a Sunday to celebrate women in ministry at our church because we already support women in ministry. It’s a nonissue for us.”
At the time, I accepted his statement at face value. I was young, eager to please and anxious to be seen as a team player. Over the years, I’ve come to realize the inherent flaw in his logic.
Nikki Hardeman
Justice never is only about a single person, a single church or a single issue. It’s about a pervasive, systemic commitment that permeates every aspect of our shared life. True support isn’t a static state; it’s a dynamic, ongoing process of dismantling barriers, challenging assumptions and actively working for change. It requires so much more than simply saying, “We support them.”
On March 9-15, I attended the United Nations 69th annual Commission on the Status of Women in New York as part of the Baptist World Alliance Women delegation. It proved to be an incredibly impactful educational, training and networking event.
Amid more than 13,000 global participants, a pervasive theme emerged: A worldwide pushback against gender equity, fueled significantly by algorithmic amplification of hate on big-tech platforms. A second and equally important theme arose: The crucial need for active male participation in dismantling patriarchy.
We know you have played a key role in supporting women in ministry among Baptists thus far, demonstrating a commitment to the very values of equality and justice we hold dear. Building on this vital foundation, I hope you will continue taking proactive and out-loud roles to actively engage in the work for gender equity in the church. Your consistent voice and action will inspire others and propel us further along this important path.
“Our inaction becomes a form of action in which we reinforce the status quo and delay true equality.”
For too long, the church, and Baptist life in particular, has been diminished by the exclusion of women from full participation in ministry and leadership. Imagine the vibrant tapestry of faith we can weave together when all God’s people are empowered to lead and to minister.
Every time any of us remain silent in the face of injustice, every time we fail to amplify the voices of women, every time we prioritize our own comfort over the call to dismantle patriarchy, we perpetuate the very systems we claim to oppose. Our inaction becomes a form of action in which we reinforce the status quo and delay true equality.
As a man who supports women in ministry, you know both Scripture and theology support women in ministry. We know you also recognize the need for your continued influence, and I hope you will now encourage your brothers to join in this struggle for gender equality in Baptist spaces. Women already are pushing the doors open for themselves, advocating for their rightful place at the table. We need you on the other side, pulling those doors open as well.
I want to invite you to be part of creating a truly transformative future. Together, we can dismantle the structures and systems that perpetuate injustice and build a world where the gifts of all believers, regardless of gender, are celebrated and utilized.
Our legacy on this issue will be judged not by our words, but by our deeds. Think of the joy and growth we will experience as we witness the full potential of our sisters unleashed!
Several years ago, in a meeting, I made a suggestion to address an issue we were discussing. No one really picked up on the idea, and discussion continued. Eventually, a man made the same suggestion I had made minutes earlier and it received a positive response from everyone there. Another man in the meeting spoke up and said, “I thought that was a great idea when Nikki made it earlier.”
Let us no longer be bound by a past that has privileged male voices and let us step into a future where the full diversity of God’s people, women and men, can lead together.
Nikki Hardeman serves as director for advocating for women in ministry at Baptist Women in Ministry. She lives in Atlanta with her two children and Jayne, the cutest rat terrier to ever live.
Related articles:
10 things men can do to support women in the church | Opinion by Susan Shaw
Let’s hear from the male allies | Opinion by Sheila Sholes-Ross