Called

I did not seek to be the first female pastor in our church’s 48 year history.  In the 15 years since I have been born again, one thing I have learned beyond a shadow of a doubt is that when I don’t want to do something I think I'm supposed to do, if I do not turn to God for clarity, I will be facing regret. 

I have learned the key to making good decisions is threefold:

• God's Word

• God's People

• God's Spirit

So to my knees, wise counsel of friends, and Bible I went.  The result was for me to do what I did not necessarily want to do.  My hesitation, fear and insecurity, birthed in the lies of the enemy, were not to be victorious over God’s plan to advance His kingdom through my story of slaying the status quo.

It is never easy to be first.  The movie Hidden Figures tells the story of three brilliant African-American women at NASA – Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson – who served as the brains beyond one of the greatest operations in history:  the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.  As I watched that movie, my mind and heart stirred with memories of being a young girl staring into space with the rest of America when we sent a man to the moon, and empathy for these female space pioneers and the struggles they faced simply because of their gender and race. 

The movie depicts that the three women were all believers in Jesus Christ and found strength for their struggles through their faith in Him.  History records the events of each victory and vindication.  Society and NASA corrected injustices and rewarded the women who paved the way for young girls, particularly young African-American girls.  Permission was given for young girls to dream big dreams, and realize their God-given potential, even if it meant breaking into fields traditionally dominated by men – white men. 

While I never had to face the race barrier, I can entirely empathize with issues of gender bias and preparing the way for the future.  My road to ordination as the first female pastor in our church’s history would pave the way for other women as much as it would be used by God to empower me and those whom I serve in the present.  In reflecting on how I slayed the status quo, three essential components come to mind.

1. Know yourself.  I was raised with seven brothers and two sisters in a family with a mother who stayed at home and tended to the household and a father who left for work at 5AM six days a week and returned home for a late dinner, usually eaten alone well after the rest of us were fed.  My upbringing predisposed me to a life dominated by males as well as traditional gender roles reflected in my parents. 

I have always been comfortable being the sole female in a room full of men, and never questioned gender roles. However, I also have never been intimidated to employ my intellect and leadership qualities. These were ways that I was able to stand out and receive positive feedback from my parents in a crowded family. 

Prior to entering into ministry full-time, I worked in the competitive field of sales, managing men and women, nurturing all of us to achieve high levels of success.  Gender never mattered in who was leading or who was being led.  I never questioned my abilities, and males for whom I worked never limited my leadership because I was female.  As long as I fulfilled the expectations of the assignment and produced the results, all was well. 

While staying home to tend to the household was fine for my mother, it was not my calling, and that was never discouraged. In fact it was celebrated.

2. Know your surroundings.  When God called me out of the business world and into ministry, it was into a growing, independent Christian church very soon after I committed my life to Christ.  I quickly learned about complementarianism, and willingly submitted to authority.  If I was not willing to submit, then it was up to me to evict.  I would need to find another place to serve.  It was important as a staff member to follow the direction of the leaders and understand the traditions.  I joyfully served as I was given opportunity, and produced fruit where I was placed. 

There came a time when leadership began to place me in teaching positions that were contrary to established tradition.  I was criticized, shunned, and hurt by several members of the church – equally by men and women.  It would have been easy to run back into the secular world, but I knew this calling was never just about me. I knew there was a spiritual battle taking place, and a fight was on for the future of the Bride of Christ. I began to understand that I was being used by God to restore hope in a future generation of women in the church.  Instead of running or lashing out at the critics, I turned to those respected, mature men and women who were on my side – on God’s side. 

Eventually God brought us a Lead Pastor (much like Al Harrison, the character played by Kevin Costner in Hidden Figures) who encouraged me to go to seminary, which I did, and received a Master’s degree in ministry 30 years after receiving a Bachelor’s degree! If this brings to mind words like perseverance, patience, division, unity, and sovereignty, then you’re tracking with me. 

While in seminary, as I was studying the book of Ephesians with a self-identified egalitarian professor, I discerned God calling me to be a pastor (Ephesians 4:11-13).  By this time I had been pastoring without the title or distinction of ordination for several years.  I took my revelation to my Lead Pastor, who agreed and took it to the Elders of the church, who set out on a year-long study of their own.  Prayerfully, I waited and trusted while they came to the same conclusion I had; and they made the decision to ordain me as the first female pastor in the church’s 48-year history.

3. Know your Savior.  Through all the twists and turns of the past 15 years living as a born-again Christian and leader in the local church, my constant source of comfort, motivation, and hope has been Jesus Christ.  People disappointed, but God’s love never ceased.  I never had a relationship with Him in all the years growing up with religion. I wandered in the desert without him for two and a half decades, searching for what only He could provide.  God’s endless pursuit of me and the providential circumstances which He arranged have propelled me into an unlikely position of slaying the status quo much like David’s slaying of Goliath.  I would have been satisfied simply to be a spectator, but that’s not how my Savior works.  He always gives us immeasurably more than we could ever ask or imagine, doesn’t He?

Whether it's the movie Hidden Figures showing how the women of NASA were vindicated, or the story of my road to ordination, may you be inspired to slay the status quo of your current situation through faith, obedience, and commitment.