Reflections on the challenges faced by women in ministry
Kylie Cullinan graduated in 2000 with a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology. Her ministry has marked many firsts, including the first commissioned female pastor to work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Victoria and the first to work—as departmental director—for the church in the New Zealand Pacific.
You mentioned at Call and Commission last year that as a child you had a longing for serving God. What was it that fuelled that dream?
I honestly don’t know. You would not have picked me out of the crowd as a leader, so I put it down to factors like my family being really caring people. I came from a church that gave children and young people an opportunity to serve; I remember reading a poem in church for the first time when I was 11. Dad helped me; took me down to church during the week to practise behind a large pulpit with gold velour covering. I can still recite portions of the poem today. I’d say that diversity also worked in my favour and created an energy and a drive for change.
How do you balance your passion for ministry with ensuring you have time for yourself and your family?
I haven’t always done this well. There have been times in my life that I’ve been submerged in ministry and it didn’t serve me or anyone else well. These days I try to have good time management disciplines, I try to prepare and be organised in advance, and I’m honest about what I can and can’t do.
I also make an effort to have a good relationship with God and a good relationship with myself. The Bible says to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and love your neighbour as yourself. I take that seriously—to love God, to love myself, and then to do the same for others.
Which Bible character do you find easiest to relate to?
Joseph resonates with me because I’ve seen God send me to all sorts of places and use all those twists and turns in a powerful way. I’ve seen through my journey how God has helped me to grow in my life and leadership, just like how we see Joseph grow through his journey. I love how the journeys of leaders in the Bible don’t follow a straight line—that gives me courage.
Being the first in many positions is a quite an achievement. How to you deal with the continued pressures and expectations?
I think being the first means there are lots of paths to carve and conversations to have. It’s time consuming and sometimes discouraging when you’re regularly asked, “Why are people calling you ‘pastor’?” But it’s a privilege in some ways to have opened doors.
One thing I love about God is that what the devil intends for evil, He uses for good. I’ve seen that over and over again in my life, and while the road I’ve travelled was new and hard, it created an amazing amount of learning and insight for me. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I coach a number of female pastors, and I find great joy in being able to share with them as well.
From your variety of ministerial experiences, what are some of the highlights?
That’s tremendously hard to answer, but I’d have to say that highlights have been the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and what I’ve seen and learnt of who God is. Right now, I love coaching and consulting, and I love being able to have pieces of all the things that matter to me: ministry, family, my dog, good food, bringing justice to the disadvantaged, and living on the beautiful South Coast of New South Wales.
Share
Author
