Why I don’t talk a lot about feminism, and why I should

I don’t talk a lot about feminism.

I serve my congregation as lead pastor, having grown from not at all thinking about pastoral ministry to being called and curious, and now having been in ministry for over 20 years. From my initial call to ordination to increasing responsibility with other staff, I feel as if my church has been one step ahead of me, more ready for me to take on leadership than I envisioned for myself.

The congregation had worked at their understanding of women in the church back in the 1980s well before they became my congregation. And even though not everyone was quite on the same page, by the time I arrived, it didn’t seem fruitful to keep belaboring the point. After all, the church had a woman pastor and a woman council chair. Women and men were already taking responsibility as deacons, council members, worship leaders, preachers, and in other leadership roles. So instead of talking about gender—or for that matter, talking about any of the many things that could divide us, such as race, age, language, education, and socioeconomic and other differences—I chose a different approach to focus on our commonality in following Jesus.