A personal reflection on ordination of women seminar

Dr Wendy Jackson
Lecturer
Faculty of Theology, Avondale College

When it comes to the issue of the ordination of women in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, it is hard not to think, “Here we go again: the same tired arguments rehashed for what purpose?”

We have been down this route so many times over the past 30 years, with no tangible result. However, the seminar presented fresh perspectives.

Instead of focusing on the arguments and controversies over disputed texts in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy, speakers took a step back to look at the wider issue of ordination and how it relates to biblical practice. This meant two equally important messages emerged along with the expected emphasis on the inequality and injustice of the current Adventist position on ordination.

First, if we strip away the ceremonialism from ordination and aim for a more biblical model of pastoral recognition, perhaps we will find commissioning—the “Clayton’s ordination” as one speaker described it—is what we should be practicing for both men and women.

Second, when we choose messengers based on gender, we put the messengers in direct opposition to the message they bear about the inclusive nature of the gospel.

The significance of these observations should not be overlooked for they highlight an incongruity between our beliefs and our practice; an incongruity that has potential to handicap our mission as a church.

Yet as powerful and timely as these observations are, it is passionate female pastors in love with Jesus who are rapidly changing attitudes at the grassroots level. While responsible interpretation of Scripture must remain the key to any decisions about ordination, it is not through debates and forums that reformation of the current policy will occur, but through the living witness of the gospel from the lips of men and women.