While women face well-known and painful obstacles to ministry, the little, daily slights can be just as hurtful and draining, Laura Ellis said during a June 29 workshop hosted by Baptist Women in Ministry. “The smaller but not-insignificant microaggressions really…
Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID
Women in ministry continue to feel blocked in their callings and ignored in their ministry settings because they are female, according to an annual report released June 21 by Baptist Women in Ministry. “The State of Women in Baptist Life,”…
This is more than just sin
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee refused to act on hundreds of reports of abuse. This is more than just sin. The efforts of survivors and advocates to bring the truth to light was called, “a satanic scheme to completely…
If you’re glad women were the first Easter preachers, what are you doing about it now?
During Easter weekend this year, my social media feed was filled with posts about women preaching on the first Easter. The main theme of the posts was that if we want to be biblical, then women should be preaching the…
Lesson learned: While lifting up women we unwittingly put down those who cannot stand
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou On March 1, the first day of Women’s History Month, Baptist Women in Ministry introduced a new name for its monthly…
Sexual harassment at 30,000 feet
I recently got on an airplane for a trip to preach at a Baptist Women in Ministry partner church despite some hesitations I had about flying. My hesitations were because of health concerns related to the current Delta variant spike,…
When it comes to shaming women, the SBC isn’t the only perpetrator among Christians
The Southern Baptist Convention has made headlines not only in Baptist circles but in secular publications in the days after this year’s annual meeting. In addition to Critical Race Theory, the media has been reporting on the SBC’s commitment to…
It’s time to ‘untangle the embedded patriarchal strongholds,’ BWIM leader declares
New manifestations of the church emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic will include more openness and opportunities for women called to ministry, but it may take decades for that acceptance to become widespread in Baptist and other Christian spaces, Meredith Stone…
Reeves to lead Fellowship Southwest
Stephen Reeves has been named the second executive director of Fellowship Southwest and will follow the organization’s founding leader, Marv Knox, who will retire at year-end. Reeves currently serves as associate coordinator for advocacy at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in…
Fellowship Southwest becomes independent, ecumenical ministry
Fellowship Southwest, founded by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in 2017 and known for its outreach to immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, has spun off from its Atlanta-based parent to become an independent, ecumenical ministry. “Fellowship Southwest is incorporated now in…
How I learned to name my oppression — and my privilege
This is the fourth in a series of opinion pieces on Critical Race Theory BNG will publish in the month of December. Links to the previous articles may be found at the end of this piece. When I chose to…
We’re all waiting, but waiting is nothing new for women
It is the day after the election, and we’re waiting. Once again, we’re waiting. But waiting is not new to women. I imagine what it would have been like for Mary Magdalene and the other women who waited a day…