Baptists in Tension: The Status of Women's Leadership and Ministry, 2012

Together stories and statistics describe the status of women's leadership among Baptists. In turn the status of women's ministry and leadership narrates a larger and more encompassing story about the variety of ways Baptists are working out questions of meaning, purpose, and everyday faith. In 2012 a growing number of women in the moderate-to-progressive constellation of Baptists—those who distanced themselves from the Southern Baptist Convention—find ordination, calls to service, and places of leadership. In Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-related theological schools, more than forty percent of students enrolled in masters-level programs are women. Female faculty in these schools dropped to twenty percent since 2005. Women currently serving in ministry, including 150 pastors and co-pastors, reached an all-time high in 2012. However, controversy about women's entry into pastoral leadership continues. Both the actual numbers and percentages of women's ordination and pastoral leadership remain far below that of mainline denominations. Women's volunteer leadership on Baptist governing boards typically reflects official commitments of each group regarding women's equality and inclusion, yet men continue to fill most high-level staff roles at all Baptist schools and agencies. Women's pay, benefits, and job opportunities in ministry remain lower than those for men in similar jobs, reflecting ongoing gender inequities among Baptists. For Baptists affiliated with CBF, the Alliance of Baptists, Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the Baptist General Association of Virginia, women's visible leadership shows significant numeric growth over the last four decades, reflecting changes in Baptist belief and practice regarding the ministry of women. Yet, change in Baptist life is slow, and the status of women's leadership reflects how different Baptist groups work out long-standing tensions and conflict over questions of identity, meaning, and faithfulness.