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VOLUME 12, NO. 1, SPRING 2018
IN THIS ISSUE
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The Annual Gathering
3BWIM News
4-52017 BWIM Supporters
6-7“Calling out Sexual Harassment
and Abuse in the Church”by Pam Durso
8A Church that Gives
Vocarea voice for women in baptist life
P. O. BOX 941294ATLANTA, GA 31141-1294
404-513-6022
FOLLOW BWIM ON FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM & TWITTER.
OUR VISIONBaptist Women in Ministry will be a catalyst in Baptist life, drawing together women and men, in partnership with God, to illuminate, advocate, and nurture the gifts and graces of women.
WORSHIP at 10 a.m. • LUNCH at 11:15 a.m. Lunch Tickets are $25 and will be available on the BWIM website on March 15.
Be watching the BWIM Facebook Page and the BWIM E-newsletter for more details.
Celebrate and Worship with Baptist Women in MinistryWEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018WILSHIRE BAPTIST CHURCH, DALLAS, TEXAS
WILSHIRE BAPTIST CHURCHDallas, Texas
RAQUEL CONTRERASOur Preacher
DARE TO BE BRAVE
BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Lynn Brinkley
Scott Claybrook
Taryn Deaton
Daniel Glaze
Jewel London
Amy McClure
Carol McEntyre
Micah Pritchett
Deborah Reeves
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORPam Durso
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTAshley Robinson
PROJECT MANAGERMeagan Smith
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Baptist Women in Ministry will host its annual gathering on June 13, 2018, at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. We will worship together, fellowship with friends both old and new, and as always enjoy exceptionally good food!
The worship theme, “Dare to be Brave,” is drawn from a poem by womanist theologian Renita Weems from her book Showing Mary: How Women Can Share Prayers, Wisdom, and the Blessings of God, and the art work is a creation of Suzanne Vinson.
WORSHIPWorship on Wednesday, June 13, begins at 10:00 a.m., and Wilshire Baptist Church is located at 4316 Abrams Road. The preacher for our ser-vice is Raquel Contreras, general director, Baptist Spanish Publishing House, El Paso, Texas.
LUNCHLunch will be served following worship. Tickets for lunch are $25 and will be available on March 15 on the BWIM website – www.bwim.info. More details to come soon.
WORKSHOPDuring the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s General Assembly Baptist Women in Ministry will host a workshop: “#metoo: Join the Movement, Be the Change” Through dialogue, discussion, and storytelling, the workshop will address the insidious, pervasive problem of sexual abuse in our society and offer practical suggestions for Baptist leaders as they seek to speak truth, offer care to victims and survivors, and lead their churches to work for change. A second workshop will be hosted by the Clergy Sexual Misconduct Task Force, which is a collaborative effort of Baptist Women in Ministry and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. This workshop, “#churchtoo: Resourcing Your Congregation on the Issue of Clergy Sexual Abuse,” will preview a new resource for churches titled “Safe Churches and Ministers.”
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THEANNUAL GATHERING
Create in me, O Lord, a new picture for myself.Hold up the mirror that reflects back to me the God
within me,the good in me, the whole in me, the love in me,
the laughter in me,the power within.
Let me see me, so I can be the me you createdme to be.
Renew my self-image.Show me reflections that say
I am not helpless. I am not weak. I am not powerless.I am not a victim.
I am no longer asleep.I am fully conscious.
And now that I am awakeI’ve got plans for me.
— Renita Weems
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BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY NEWS THE BWIM WEBSITE
The BWIM website is packed full of resources, including informa-tion about Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, the Addie Davis Awards, the Clergy Sexual Miscon-duct Task Force’s work, and a resource page, which includes maternity leave policies, ordination and installation service resources, ministry search and personnel helps, state and regional BWIM contact information, and a list of helpful books and articles.
THE BWIM BLOG Baptist Women in Ministry welcomes you to read, enjoy, and share our blog. New in 2018 is a series titled “Learning Leadership,” which features interviews with exceptional Baptist leaders. The first interview was, of course, with Molly T. Marshall. You can find it at www.bwim.info/blog/. Other blog writers featured in 2018 are Mary Alice Birdwhistell, Brittany McDonald-Null, Carol McEntrye, and Ossie McKinney, and for the fourth year, BWIM will continue its popular Friday series THIS IS WHAT A MINISTER LOOKS LIKE.
MARTHA STEARNS MARSHALL MONTH OF PREACHING BWIM sponsored the first Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching in 2007! That year, 54 churches participated and invited a woman to preach during February. Last year, 200 churches participated. MSM is an opportunity for churches to publicly voice their support of women in ministry, to be counted with other Baptist churches in celebrating the calling and gifts of women, and to remind their congregations that God does indeed call women to the work of the kingdom. Resources for MSM are on the BWIM website—including a bulletin insert that is available both in English and Spanish.
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that as of February 1, 2018, a new structure for ministry search assistance is in place—churches and candidates are invited to submit information, job descriptions, and resumes via our new Ministry Search Registration. The registration may be found at www.bwim.info/ministrysearch.
DISCERNMENT RETREATS FOR COLLEGE WOMEN Each year BWIM hosts discernment events for college women. These events create intentional space for college women to reflect on God’s calling. In September 2017, BWIM and Campbellsville University co-hosted a Discernment Retreat in Kentucky for thirty-one college women, and on February 9-11, 2018, BWIM will host a Discernment Retreat at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, Georgia.
CLERGY SEXUAL MISCONDUCT TASK FORCE In July 2016, Baptist Women in Ministry and Baptist Women in Ministry formed a Clergy Sexual Misconduct Task Force to address harassment and abuse by clergy in our Baptist circles. The Task Force has helped raise awareness of clergy sexual abuse and is in process of crafting guidelines for best practice policies, processes, and cov-enants for churches and organizations within Baptist life. In addition, the Task Force has created an educational resource that will soon be available.
THE T-SHIRT IS BACK Ten years ago, Baptist Women in Ministry sold its first THIS IS WHAT A PREACHER LOOKS LIKE t-shirt. It was wildly popular, lots of fun. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the much-requested shirt, BWIM is for a limited time selling an updated version—a new color but the same message! Join us in celebrating these past ten years by purchasing your THIS IS WHAT A PREACHER LOOKS LIKE t-shirt! To order your t-shirt, visit http://bwim.info/t-shirt/.
MENTORING The first cohort of BWIM’s Mentoring Group Program has now completed their year-long journey together, and the second cohort has begun their year of learning. In 2018, BWIM is pleased to once again sponsor five mentoring groups—two for new pastors, two for associate ministers, and one for outside-the-box ministers. Each group includes one mentor and four participants. The 2018 cohort gathered in January for a three-day retreat at the Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman, Alabama. The five groups will meet monthly this year via ZOOM with their mentors: Taryn Deaton, Bianca Howard, Carol McEntrye, Kristen Muse, and Sarah Shelton.
MINISTRY SEARCH RESOURCES Baptist Women in Ministry offers resources and assistance both to churches searching for a minister and ministers searching for a new position. Over the years, numerous churches have reached out to BWIM, asking for resumes, recommendations, and information about potential ministry candidates, and the BWIM staff has responded to each request and provided assistance. The BWIM staff also has assisted numerous candidates, both women and men, coaching them on resume preparation, interviewing and negotiating skills, and serving as a connecting point between many of the candidates and search committees. BWIM is pleased to announce
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TO BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRY SUPPORTERS, 2017
WITH MUCH THANKS
INDIVIDUALSMonthly GiversLinsey AddingtonAlyssa AldapeCourtney AllenMissy Ward AngallaJessica AsbellJackie BakerJennifer BashawLauren and David BassIrene Bennett Mary Alice BirdwhistellKatie BrayLynn BrinkleyKatrina BrooksGary BurtonAnyra CanoPaul and Shauw Chin Capps Becky Caswell-Speight and Josh SpeightSusan CauleyKa’thy Gore ChappellRuth ClowaterBillie Boyd CoxJim and Susan Crumpler Paula DempseyEllen DiGiosiaMelanie DoverAubrey DuckerAlex DursoPam DursoChristy FoldenauerPam Foster Jeni Cook FurrTJ GeigerChristy McMillin GoodwinErin and Jake Hall Mary Elizabeth and Matt HancheyKirsten Hancock Yvonne HaroldKristen Harris-BridwellIrcel HarrisonDavid HawesJennifer HawksClaire HeltonJenny HodgeKarlan HolikEmily HolladayJane HullBecky and Doug Jackson
Craig JanneyBarry and LeAnn JohnsLibby Johnson Christine JonesKelly Moreland JonesLinda Jones Kellie KirkseyRuth Perkins LeeAmy LinSheila LlewellynDeborah LoftisJewel LondonJulie LongRebecca MathisAmy McClureMarna and Robert McClureEmily Hull McGeeOssie McKinneyStephanie MoodyDavid and Sarah MurrayKristen MuseNatasha NedrickKarla NelsonCarrie Walker NettlesBrittany NullBeth and John ParkerMegan and Marty PikeKristen PopeKevin PranotoAurelia PrattStacy Pyle Deborah ReevesBrittany RiddleStephanie RileyLee RitchieSara RobbCharity RobersonAshley RobinsonJulie SadlerKatrina Salter-WoodRobin SandbotheTiffany Brown SeafordEllen SechrestStephanie ShafferRachel Sherron Tamara SmathersMeagan SmithCarolyn StaleyMaria StinnettMeredith and James Stone
Tambi SwineyDavid Tew Molly Shoulta TuckerAmanda TylerTonya VickeryWill WardCharles WatsonDoug and Pat WeaverAshton WellsStacie WhalenAnnual GiversMary Yangsook AhnNancy AmmermanLaCount and Anna AndersonPatricia AyersDaniel BagbyJudith Bledsoe BaileyMartha BaileyPatricia BaldwinHarold BassCarrie BeardenBill and Libby BellingerStacy BlackmonDoris BlackwellCarolyn BlevinsFred BongiovanniAnn and Kent BrownCaralie Nelson BrownKaren BrownRoss BrummettCharles and Diane BuggColleen and David BurroughsLouise ByrdTerri ByrdEileen Campbell-ReedSummer CanigliaSusan and Tony CartledgeBetsy CherryAgnes ChurchJann ClantonCindy and Ryan ClarkVickie ClarkReba CobbJeremy ColliverDolores and Melvin CooperMargaret CooperJana CottinghamCherilyn CroweJim and Susan CrumplerRuth Cuellar
Guyton DanielsAriel DarnellNatarsha DavisRonald DavisShekinta DavisTaryn DeatonAli Chappell DeHayRuth DembyJohn DennisKellie DentonRobert DietzDeneise DillonRebecca DixonMegan DoudSharyn DowdElizabeth and Mark EdwardsKaren EickhoffBob EllisCharlotte EpleyAmy Joyner FinkelbergJohn FinleySue FitzgeraldRachel FreenyChris GambillRobert GauthierNeita GeilkerJerry GentryDaniel GlazeLibby GrammerBill GunterJanice HaleKate HanchEd and Judy HareLoraine HarrellMerianna HarrelsonSusan HarthonTracy HartmanMerrill HawkinsWilliam Craig HenryDan HobbsCynthia InskoDalen and Shari JacksonBarry JonesBill and Joanna JonesDana and Tammi JonesDani JonesFrances and Joseph JonesRichard KahoeKaren KelleyElizabeth Kennett
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Wanda KiddJay KieveCheryl KimbleSue KinzerVallerie KingBarbara KollBrittany KrebsMelissa KremerKathryn KreutzerMeg LacySandra LangstonAngela LoweNora LozanoCy LynchJane LyonMary MannJoan and Terry MaplesMolly T. MarshallAdell and Jerry MartinGloria and Phill MartinLaVeta MartinSusan and Tom MartinMelody MaxwellRebecca Husband MaynardBeth McConnellRene McCoyNancy Stanton McDanielCarol McEntyreNenette MeaselsGeneva MetzgerAlonda MontgomeryHelen Moore-MontgomerySally MorganEsther Soud ParkerJudson ParkerSuzii PaynterD’Najah PendergrassJulie Pennington-RussellChristina PerkinsRoger PittardBill and Ruth PittsLeDayne PolaskiJames T. PollardMorgan PonderMicah PritchettMelody PryorMitch RandallJason RankeAngela ReedGayle RobertsLorita and Mac RobinsonKristin RogersPatti and Royce RoseMelissa RoysdonAnthony Mark RozaKitty RushingDoyle SagerEvaleen SargentPamela ScottRob and Janie SellersPaula SettleKelly SettlemyreMichelle Shackelford
Rachel Gunter ShapardTammy SnyderInez SpiveyCourtney StameyCourtney StevensStephen StewartKelsey StillwellClarissa StricklandAnita ThompsonBill and Leta TillmanJakob TopperKristen TuckerPriscilla TunnellCarrie VealBrent and Nancy WalkerMimi WalkerNaomi WalkerRebecca WallChris and Kara WheelerMark and Rebecca WiggsMari WilesJean WillinghamCassandra WilsonAnn and David WilsonBelinda WisdomBarbara and Wade WoodJoyce Cope WyattOuida WyattCharles YarbroughKaren Zimmerman
CHURCHES Monthly GiversFirst Baptist Church, Austin, TXGrace Baptist Church, Richmond, VALamberth Memorial Baptist Church, Roxboro, NCNorthminster Baptist Church, Jackson, MS
Annual GiversArdmore Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NCBroadway Baptist Church, Louisville, KYCalvary Baptist Church, Waco, TXCornerstone Church, Snellville, GAFirst Baptist Church, Abilene, TXFirst Baptist Church, Ahoskie, NCFirst Baptist Church, Aiken, SCFirst Baptist Church, Amarillo, TXFirst Baptist Church, Austin, TXFirst Baptist Church, Dalton, GAFirst Baptist Church, Gainesville, GAFirst Baptist Church, Greensboro, NCFirst Baptist Church, Greenville, SCFirst Baptist Church, Gretna, VAFirst Baptist Church, Madison, NCFirst Baptist Church, Richmond, VAFirst Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.First Baptist Church of Christ, Macon, GAGreenwood Forest Baptist Church, Cary, NCHayes Barton Baptist Church, Raleigh, NCHillSong Church, Chapel Hill, NCImmanuel Baptist Church, Nashville, TNLake Shore Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Millbrook Baptist Church, Raleigh, NCNorthHaven Church, Norman, OKNorthside Baptist Church, Clinton, MSPintlala Baptist Church, Pintlala, ALRoyal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas, TXSecond Baptist Church, Liberty, MOSouth Main Baptist Church, Houston, TXThe United Baptist Church, Annandale, VAUn Nuevo Amanecer, Morrow, GAUniversity Heights Baptist Church, Springfield, MOWatts Street Baptist Church, Durham, NCWilliamsburg Baptist Church, Richmond, VAWilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, TXWoodland Baptist Church, San Antonio, TX
ORGANIZATIONSMonthly GiversCooperative Baptist FellowshipCooperating Baptist Fellowship of OklahomaSmyth & Helwys Publishers
Annual GiversCampus Ministries, Carson Newman UniversityCooperative Baptist Fellowship FoundationCooperative Baptist Fellowship of ArkansasCooperative Baptist Fellowship of North CarolinaCooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina
SeminariesBaptist Seminary of KentuckyBaptist Theological Seminary at RichmondBaylor University’s Truett SeminaryCampbell University Divinity SchoolCentral Baptist Theological SeminaryGardner Webb University School of DivinityHardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon SeminaryMercer University’s McAfee School of TheologyWake Forest University Divinity School
Gifts Made in Honor or MemoryDorisanne Cooper, in honor of Kyndall RothausDorisanne Cooper, in honor of Natalie WebbTaryn Deaton, in honor of Jackie Baugh MooreBarry and Beth Jones, in honor of Lynn BrinkleyNora Lozano, in honor of Catherine AllenMolly T. Marshall, in honor of Tonya VickeryNenette Measels, in honor of Carolyn BlevinsNenette Measels, in honor of Christine JonesNenette Measels, in honor of Ellen DiGiosiaNenette Measels, in honor of SWIMM at Carson-Newman UniversityJason Ranke, in honor of Sharyn DowdJason Ranke, in honor of Pam DursoJason Ranke, in honor of Jane HullJason Ranke, in honor of Julie Pennington-RussellLake Shore Baptist Church, in honor Ellen DiGiosia and First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, TN
My friends, it is time for Baptists to have a sustained conversation about clergy sexual harassment and abuse. We have waited much too long to talk about
the inappropriate touches, inappropriate jokes, inappropriate suggestions, inappropriate leers that happen all too often in our churches and networks. We have waited too long to talk about sexual assault and abuse. As Baptists, we have been silent, too embarrassed, too squeamish, or too frightened to call out harassment within our circles. Or perhaps our silence is an outgrowth of our polity.
Most Baptist denominations have no official code of conduct, no mandated policies for churches, and no specific guidelines or instructions about how to deal with clergy who assault or harass parishioners or other clergy. Most Baptist denominations do not have provisions for investigating violations or monitoring violators. The Baptist commitment to congregational autonomy, while providing freedom for local churches, offers little official guidance or protection for ministers or churches. The sad result is often that Baptists are at a loss and sometimes paralyzed when a sexual assault happens in their church, and even sadder still is that Baptists are not educated on the subject and thus not are not working toward creating safe and healthy church environments in which clergy assault and abuse is less likely to happen.
It is time, my friends, to talk, to talk about the harassment and abuse that happens in our circles. We must be honest with ourselves and with each other. Acknowledging the reality of harassment and abuse is a first step forward. A second step forward is recognizing the depth of the injury caused. The hurt caused by ministers who abuse is devastating for victims, creating life-long pain and trauma that shapes relationships with family, friends, the church, and even God. Many victims of clergy abuse leave the church forever. Clergy abuse also
has rippling effects, reaching across the aisles and outside the walls of the church building. Including the victims, there is an ever-expanding circle of those impacted by the assault or abuse: the victim’s family and close friends; the congregation, its leaders, and its members; the congregation’s neighborhood and community; local clergy members; ministers who join the staff following the abuse; and the offender’s family and friends. The gravity of clergy sexual misconduct cannot be overstated, nor can the need for and expectation of high standards of clergy ethics be overstated.
The seriousness of clergy sexual misconduct demands a diligent response, especially by freedom-loving, autonomous Baptist churches. To create healthy church systems and to ensure the presence of ethical, honest, trusted minsters in those churches requires hard conversations, intentional education, and consistent attention from all corners of the Baptist world, including ministers, church leaders, denominational leaders, and seminary professors.
In July 2016, Baptist Women in Ministry and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship formed a Task Force to address clergy sexual misconduct, to find proactive ways in which together we could assist ministers, church members, partner organizations, and congregations in responding to clergy abuse. The Task Force first worked toward a definition of the clergy sexual misconduct and “borrowed” heavily from denominations who have already done hard work around the issue. In 2008, The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church defined clergy sexual misconduct as “a betrayal of sacred trust.”
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ABUSE IN THE CHURCH
CALLING OUTby Pam Durso
Pam Durso
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“It is a continuum of unwanted sexual or gender-directed behaviors by either a lay or clergy person within a ministerial relationship (paid or unpaid). It can include child abuse, adult sexual abuse, harassment, rape or sexual assault, sexualized verbal comments or visuals, unwelcome touching and advances, use of sexualized materials including pornography, stalking, sexual abuse of youth or those without capacity to consent, or misuse of the pastoral or ministerial position using sexualized conduct to take advantage of the vulnerability of another. It includes criminal behaviors in some nations, states, and communities.”
As you can see, clergy sexual misconduct encompasses numerous behaviors—all of which need attention. Fortunately, most Baptist congregations have established policies and procedures with regard to abuse and assault of children, but few Baptist churches have guidelines that address clergy sexual misconduct with adults, which is the focus of this joint Task Force.
The Task Force, which is comprised of two attorneys, two pastors, four church staff members, four social work degrees, two seminary professors, two leaders of CBF partner organizations, one pastoral counselor, and several survivors and/or family members of survivors, has been hard at work for nineteen months. Our stated goals are these:
1. To collect and compile best practices policies, processes, and covenants that can be distributed to churches and partners via CBF and BWIM networks.
2. To raise awareness by educating Baptists through blogs, workshops, curriculum, and digital resources.
3. To provide recovery services resources and information.In 2018, the Task Force will release a collection of resources.
During CBF’s General Assembly in June 2018, the Task Force will host a workshop in which “Safe Churches and Ministers,” a new digital resource, will be previewed and will then be made available for use by church groups, deacons, and church staff and leadership. Other resources are already available on the BWIM and CBF websites—to access these resources, visit
http://bwim.info/clergy-sexual-misconduct-taskforce/ and https://cbfblog.com/category/clergy-sexual-abuse/
In recent months, the Task Force has given attention to the #metoo and the #churchtoo campaigns, both which have helped shift the conversations in our society, allowing women to share their stories, speak their truth, talk about what has happened and what is happening to them. The sudden outburst of support for victims of sexual harassment and abuse has inspired and freed clergywomen to recognize that they are not alone and that they too will be heard and believed.
I appreciate these campaigns for many reasons. #metoo and #churchtoo have shed light on the ever-present reality of sexual harassment and abuse, have empowered victims to speak boldly and bravely, have created for many women a sisterhood of support, and have opened the door of possibility for change. Baptist clergywomen have embraced the light, the empowerment, the sisterhood, and the possibility for change. They too have joined in sharing #metoo and #churchtoo stories.
The work of reform in our Baptist world, however, must not and cannot be pushed onto the shoulders of those who have been harassed and abused. Baptist leaders, Baptist pastors, Baptist people of influence must use their voices, their platforms, their pulpits to call for an end of harassment and abuse. We cannot be silent, and we must clearly and specifically identify the abuses we have seen and have heard about. We must name those abuses as sin. It is time for leading Baptists to do their part.
Pam Durso is the executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, Atlanta, Georgia
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BAPTIST WOMEN IN MINISTRYP. O. Box 941294Atlanta, GA 31141-1294
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDPermit No. 11
Athens, GA
A CHURCH THAT GIVESCALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH, WACO, TEXAS
Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, founded in 1928, has for many years nurtured and encouraged the callings and gifts of women. In 1990, Calvary first ordained women as deacons, and in 1995, the church ordained Fran Porter to the gospel ministry. Three years later, the congregation called Julie Pennington-Russell as pastor, and Calvary became the first Baptist church in Texas to have a woman pastor. Julie began her ministry in August 1998 and served until 2007.
Last year, Calvary called one of its own as pastor. Mary Alice Birdwhistell had been on the church staff since 2009, first as minister to children and then as associate pastor. In April 2017, the congregation called her as pastor. She began that new position in July. Mary Alice will officially be installed on February 11, 2018, and her beloved mentor and friend, Julie Pennington-Russell, will preach the installation sermon.
Church member Doug Weaver says of his new pastor: “The congregation’s glass isn’t cracked, it’s shattered. The pastoral and preaching ministry of Mary Alice Birdwhistell is authentic and inspiring. I can’t wait to hear her preach each
week, and her pastoral gifts embody the best of the healing presence of Christ.”
Baptist Women in Ministry gives thanks for Calvary Baptist Church and is grateful for the church’s consistent and faithful support since 2015. BWIM is also greatly appreciative of Mary Alice, who served on the BWIM Leadership Team from 2014 to 2017.
Calvary’s support and ongoing contribution makes possible BWIM’s work of advocating, con-necting, and network-ing. Your church can be a supporter too. Give online at www.bwim.info/give or send in a contribution to Baptist Women in Ministry, P.O. Box 941294, Atlanta, GA 31141-1294.
Mary Alice Birdwhistell and Julie Pennington-Russell
