As a child in church, I didn’t know much. I sat quietly in the pew beside my sister. We’d watch as our Great Aunt Emmie would scoot out from a side door into the choir loft of the small Baptist…
Mohler and Pressley on women having a seat at pastoral table
Conservatives were “inches from losing the Southern Baptist Convention” before the “conservative resurgence,” Al Mohler told SBC President Clint Pressley in a new podcast. Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., has been a standard bearer for…
The difference between instinct and intention
This summer, the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team will be celebrated in Las Vegas, hosted by none other than American rapper Flavor Flav. The event promises music, spotlight and unmistakable enthusiasm. What stands out most is not the celebrity factor,…
Three reasons from this week why BWIM’s work is needed
Evidence from this week provides three reasons why the work of Baptist Women in Ministry is still needed. Reason No. 1: When Christian patriarchal theology is popularized and easily accessible, it is used for harm. Reporting by Daniel Silliman at…
Arab Women in Theological Education: Calling, Context and Faithful Witnesses
She took our mentoring call from her roof, the winter sun blazing brilliantly above. Behind her, the Mediterranean stretched to the horizon, and around her, colorful flowers her husband had tended with delicate care bloomed vibrantly in their rooftop garden….
Observations from a clergy sister of a darker hue
It is with gratitude, excitement and concern that I share my observations and response to the Baptist Women in Ministry State of Women in Baptist Life report. I commend Heather Deal and all contributors for the clear, in-depth, insightful and…
Affirmed yet not ordained?
As Meredith Stone of Baptist Women in Ministry announced the results of the State of Women in Ministry 2025 report, she said this: “BWIM has counted 2,856 Baptist women ordained to the gospel ministry.” My immediate reaction was, there has…
Six insights I learned from women in ministry
“What is your story of serving as a woman in ministry?” We asked this question to nearly 100 women ordained by Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada over the past 50 years as part of the Called to Serve research project. Their responses surprised,…
With gratitude for the women who lead us
Julie Pennington Russell called me last month. I had just finished a centering prayer group, a practice Pastor Julie helped nurture in me, and I began to weep when I saw her name on my phone. I was so grateful…
Honoring the invisible work of clergywomen in this season
Last Christmas Eve, a new post appeared in one of my clergywomen groups on social media. It began, “How many pastors are sitting at their desks crying this morning? Just me?” Spoiler alert: It wasn’t just her. The replies started…
Texas Baptists elect ordained woman as convention president
Texas Baptists elected an ordained female clergywoman as convention president this week for the first time ever. Debbie Potter, children’s pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, was chosen as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in…
Committing to a culture that empowers
In Baptist Women in Ministry’s latest “State of Women in Baptist Life” report, Executive Director Meredith Stone wrote, “Many reasons for celebration can be found in this report, as well as painful reminders of the disparity that women in ministry…