Friday, February 28, 2014

Stained glass ceiling: Women in ministry

From North Carolina-

As women fight to break the glass ceiling in their secular professions, female clergy say some women are coming up against the stained-glass ceiling as they answer the calling to do what they believe is God’s will.

Some women ministers say while many religions have been ordaining women since the 1960s, many parishioners prefer a man as their spiritual leader.

Mary Jo Atkinson is a pastor in the Free Will Baptist Church organization and pastors two churches: Living Hope Free Will Baptist Church in Wilson and New Bethel Free Will Baptist in Rocky Mount. Marty Stebbins is head pastor of St. Timothy Episcopal Church, and Tuck Taylor heads Black Creek United Methodist Church.

"It is easier to become an Episcopal bishop as a woman than it is to become a rector of a very large church; it is what we call the stained glass ceiling,” Stebbins said in her pastor’s office. "Many times a congregation will have a certain image of what their rector will be, and wearing skirts and having tresses is not part of that picture.”

She said very slowly things are changing. 


More here-

http://www.wilsontimes.com/News/Feature/Story/29839552---The-stained-glass-ceiling

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