January 17, 2014
Jenny Rae Armstrong leads with a troubling stat from the Barna group which highlights the fact that while many churches are experiencing declines in numbers in Western culture, the rate of attrition for women is higher than that of men. The question is: Why?
The answer isn’t likely to be surprising for women who have spent time in traditional ecclesiastic contexts: They simply don’t feel the freedom to bring their whole selves to the table. While women have been integral to the vibrancy and growth of the church since its inception, in Western cultures, especially those of the North American variety, the evolution of women’s roles in the church has not been allowed to match pace with the development and opportunities for women in the surrounding culture.
While there is still much room for improvement regarding gender equality in Western society, the fact is that today there are many women in the highest echelons of business, government, and not-for-profit sectors. It make no sense to limit how far they can go in the church. Part of that means letting people bring their whole selves and every gift that God has given them to table. Especially women.
posted by Corbin Lambeth
