RoboPreacher

This week I am finishing up on my story about women’s ordination. It’s been such a great experience. I’ve spoken with pastors about stewardship, gifts, theology, hope and sorrows. It’s humbling. At the end of this process I am emerging with a renewed sense about the importance of diverse perspectives and characteristics leading within the church. While this affirmation has to do with rights, it has a lot more to do with a promise; a promise of God’s presence and the promise of the goodness of God’s creation. Keeping those from ministry who bring new, unique and important gifts ultimately stunts the growth of the church. The growth I am talking about isn’t a growth in numbers, institutional strength, political prowess, social relevance or the like. Instead this growth is a promise to be part of God’s mission in the world . Once this story is published I will link it, and I am very excited to do so. Until then I have to sit on my hands and let the story go through the ed...

The story I am working on now is centered on woman's ordination. Today I spoke with Rev. Susan Peterson of Gloria Dei , in St. Paul. I interviewed her for two reason. First, at the end of this summer she will retire. Second, she was the first woman to be the head pastor in a large ELCA congregation . We spoke about looking back, looking ahead, joys and hopes. We also spoke about challenges. She shared about the real struggles of being a woman in a leadership role. It was tempting for me to direct a narrative that suggested those struggles are historic and over, but they aren't. I was very humbled when I asked her to share what it was like for her to experience the struggles (facing hostility/skepticism in various forms) "It wounded me," she said. "It wounded me because people were hostile to me for being the person God created me to be." Wow. It would be easy for a person who had experienced that to become bitter. Susan, though, allowed God to work in those ...