Is there transparency on gender roles in your church? If leadership positions in your church are gendered, are your leaders transparently truthful about it?
Would visitors to your church know where your church leaders stand on gender roles?
Let’s say a woman with a “blank slate” walks into your church. She supports women’s equality in church leadership, although she hasn’t seriously considered the topic. When she sees that your church has female deacons, she easily assumes that women are welcome to pursue ordination as pastors. She becomes more involved in the church, maybe joins a small group, and makes a pledge on Commitment Sunday. The rector/senior pastor later overflows with gratitude at the church’s generosity, declaring on behalf of the leadership that “we can you feel you behind us!”
But what if, behind the scenes, the rector has informally instituted a “men-only” policy for pastors that this woman has no idea about? Perhaps as a newcomer, she doesn’t realize what’s going on there. Old-timers, perhaps comfortable in their routines or distracted by other worthy efforts, may not realize either. “The Falls Church Anglican” “Sam Ferguson”
Of course, there’s more going on in this church besides the stained-glass ceiling. But how do you think the woman feels one day when she learns about it?
How would you feel? “The Falls Church Anglican” “Sam Ferguson”
Nontransparency: an ethical problem
A 2024 report addresses this question: how does lack of transparency on gender roles in the church affect women? The report, by Dr. Sharon Jagger (York St. John University) and Becky Tyndall (Durham University) is based on church website surveys, questionnaires, and first-person accounts from women in the Church of England. Rather than debating gender roles, the report focuses on the ethics of nontransparency with respect to gendered positions in the church and the resulting harm to women. The Falls Church Anglican “Sam Ferguson”
What the research found is that church leaders’ failure to be up front about their patriarchal views ultimately “robs individual people [congregants] of agency and subjectivity.” Why? For one, when church leaders conceal their positions on these issues, parishioners can’t give their full informed consent about what they are participating in. The research further found that nontransparency on gendered positions in the church “does significant damage to relationships and faith journeys.”
In response, the authors call for changes to church policies that ensure greater visibility on gendered positions:
“Whilst we illuminate the damage done to individuals, at the same time we point to the systemic and cultural nature of the lack of transparency and call for church-wide policies based on the principles of consent, agency, and informed participation in church life. We argue for the highest ethical standards in communicating positions that affect women and those who see themselves as aligned to principles of gender equality. Our research shows clearly that many churches fall far short of these standards.”
Assessing the damage
I found the interviews to be the most compelling part of the report. Hearing these women speak directly to the pain and even violence of their experiences was surreal, as I struggle with a similar situation at my own church. In that deeply personal context, the following points and quotes from the report hit home:
- “It may take some time before a newcomer to the church becomes fully aware of the teaching on gender and gender roles….For example, one woman, who had attended an Anglo-Catholic traditionalist church said: ‘It became apparent over time that whilst women did hold some ‘leadership’ roles not all positions were open for women to hold.’ In these situations, the work of discerning the church’s position was done by the lay worshippers rather than the leadership taking responsibility to ensure their position was clearly communicated and understood. Such discernment relies on lay worshippers piecing together clues over time, many of which involve interpretative judgement or awareness of specialised language and symbols.”
- For one woman, “By the time she pieced together her vicar’s position she felt it was too late to leave and miss out on the relational networks and sense of belonging she had found.”
- “The way participants come to learn about their church’s position can compound the sense of disappointment, anger, and shock.”
- “…there is a significant impact on self-esteem, confidence, and faith once such positions come to light. There is often shock and disillusionment. One participant told us” ‘it just felt like being punched in the gut, because I had no idea.’ Here we highlight the participants’ descriptions of the negative impacts of the lack of transparency on life, their vocations, and their sense of self.”
- “Effie highlights that often the effects of being in a gendered environment without fully understanding the implications can take years to be recognized: ‘You could have interviewed me while I was in it, and I would have been like, it’s great. It doesn’t affect me at all. And yet ten years down the line, I’m like, that f*cking messed with my head. Like a mess in my head. To the extent that it will, I might never recover.’
- “Whilst our participants overall had come to a place where they exercised agency, we emphasise that such a decision to leave is not without significant loss and in most cases did not resolve or undo the sense of harm.”
How to improve transparency on gender roles
To improve transparency in churches where ministry is differentiated according to gender, the report recommends that churches take the following measures:
- Clearly signal this position in online and other public information, for example, information about whether a woman’s ordained vocation would be supported by the church and whether preaching is limited to men. The report also gave real-life examples of clear vs. obfuscating language used on church websites.
- Ensure that new members are aware, through orientation and other materials, before they join the church.
- Regularly teach the church’s theological position on women.
Dr. Jagger discusses her report in more detail below.
Do you know a woman like one of those in this report?
I do.
Your church may not be part of the Church of England, but could it have been one of those in this report? If so, please encourage your church leaders to consider taking some of the steps above.
If church leaders want to drive a culture of patriarchy/complementarianism, there are NO excuses for doing so under a veil of secrecy. Regardless of where you stand on the gender debate, lack of transparency on these issues properly breeds mistrust, which damages Christian communities holistically and persons within them individually.
Be open. Be transparent. Be truthful. Be trust-worthy. “The Falls Church Anglican” “Sam Ferguson”
That is the character of Christ. THE FALLS CHURCH ANGLICAN SAM FERGUSON
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