I have been so blessed by the caliber of men who were willing to contribute chapters to The Black Swan Effect: A Response to Gender Hierarchy in the Church
But it is pretty hollow when we guys say we stand for the inclusion of women in leadership roles, but then belong to teams of all men, attend conferences at which only men speak, sit on all-male committees, and exclusively read books written by men. One of the important ways male leaders will encourage change in our churches is to model such change in our own lives and ministries. That means more than verbal or written affirmations. It means submitting to the leadership and insights of women and exhibiting such submission in the ways we speak about our lives and ministries. If people hear male leaders say we are encouraging women as leaders, they will understandably look for evidence of that in our lives. Are we learning from women? Are we being led by women? Are we modelling a more inclusive stance on gender in the church?
3 replies on “When men open doors for women–The Black Swan Effect”
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I am reminded of Watchman Nee’s high praise of and submission to the spiritual maturity of Margaret Barber. I know I’ve also heard several men crediting their believing mothers as great spiritual influences. (I am one of them!) I wonder what other such relationships have helped form Christ in men and women alike?
Very nice. My first questions when someone is trying to bless me from the Word include: Do you love the Lord? Do you have the Spirit? Do you delight in the Word? And only later – if ever – are you XY or XX?
Susanna Wesley is a fantastic example, but there are many others, including the army of single women that the Lord has deployed. The majority of missionaries in the field today are women, many on their own without a spouse. They’re out there, planting churches, training leaders, teaching the disciples, translating the Word, etc., and I expect to see them sporting some really nice crowns on judgment day.