Women clergy thankful for gains, frustrated by leadership gap
By Erin Strybis
Editor’s note: In observance of Women’s History Month in March, we remember the ELCA’s predeces- sor bodies that made history in 1970 when they ordained the first Lutheran women pastors. Tis article focuses on the experience of women who are pastors in the ELCA. Te work of deaconesses and laywomen will be covered in future issues.
T
he first time Jessica Crist remembers experiencing sex- ism at church was in seventh-
grade confirmation class in 1965. She had remarked that being a pastor sounded like “the best job,” and her pastor had to break the news: She couldn’t be a pastor in the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) because she was female. “But that made me think that it
was a great idea,” said Crist, now bishop of the Montana Synod and former chair of the ELCA Confer- ence of Bishops. “I totally threw that poor pastor who wasn’t expecting that answer. Tat was maybe his sexism or lack of vision—or maybe it was the whole church’s lack of vision.” Five years later, things changed.
Te LCA ordained Elizabeth A. Platz on Nov. 22, 1970, and the American Lutheran Church ordained Barbara Andrews the following month. In 1975, Crist entered Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass., and was ordained four years later. Crist cites the “early foremoth-
ers who broke down doors” and endured hardships in their ministry
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because of their gender as a source of support and inspiration. And although her path to ministry hasn’t been easy (one congregation didn’t extend her a call because of her gender), Crist cites plenty of experi- ences counter to sexism, including her election as bishop.
Gender gap diminishes Today 35 percent of some 9,250 active ELCA clergy are women, compared to 21 percent in 2000. In the past five years, 49 percent of those ordained were women. Te number of women and men attend- ing ELCA seminaries is about equal. Te church is
making strides toward equity, according to a spring 2015 survey of 1,243 clergy by ELCA Research and Evaluation. When it comes to equal pay, 49 percent of clergy surveyed are being compensated at synod guidelines (chart A), with no
Stacey Siebrasse (third from right), pastor of First English Lutheran Church in Billings, Mont., gathers with her women’s clergy support group for fellowship.
significant difference in pay based on gender. Te report also found no significant difference between men and women for length of wait time for their most recent call—49 percent waited four months or less (chart B). Te numbers tell a different story
Defining sexism
‘Sexism refers to that which promotes male privilege. So, in a patriarchal society, sexist legal codes, media, educational systems, or language promote male privilege. Sexism is expressed on a variety of social and religious levels,” wrote theologian Mary J. Streufert, director for ELCA Justice for Women, in the ELCA resource “Our Voices. Our Stories: Sex- ism in Church and Society.”
when it comes to senior leader- ship. Nine out of 65 synod bishops are women while 86 out of 456 are senior pastors in the ELCA. Te 2015 survey found that 23.3 percent of men whose recent call is their fourth or subsequent are paid above synod guidelines, com- pared to 13.7 per- cent of women. “More women
need to be thought of for senior pas- tor positions,” said Norma Cook
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