A woman's guide to getting coffee

I was reading this article in the NYT, entitled, "Madam, CEO, Get Me a Coffee.” And it says a lot of the things that we have been reading and experiencing for decades about women. The workplace responds differently to the ways women work, and especially when it comes to staying late and helping others. This is particularly true for our work in the church. Being a pastor can be a helping profession in the most beautiful sort of way. We are servant-leaders. But for many women, having a servant’s heart can undermine what we’re trying to accomplish as leaders.

Now. I am anticipating in my mind the there will be men reading this article who will want to tell me that I don’t really understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. But, of course, in a lot of settings in our society, women are seen as servants (not as leaders), so we need a bit of a corrective on the other side.

When men give instruction to their friends, they are good leaders. When women give instruction to their friends, we are bossy. In classes in seminary, I would raise my hand for an entire hour, and never be called upon once. When I talked in class, I heard, “Could we please let someone else ask a question?” Like I was trying to suck everyone’s oxygen out of the room, instead of being a student, who paid money for courses and had every right to ask a question.