I don't personally know the people who read this column every week. Many of you are men. Or maybe you are a woman, but you're against women in ministry. Either way, perhaps you wish your denomination would quit ordaining women. If so, then this article is for you, because it tells you how to accomplish your goal. This is a foolproof method that has worked in at least three denominations in the last five years—both large and small—denominations who used to ordain women and then revoked their right to minister. Here is how to get your denomination to stop ordaining women.
1. Make Women-in-ministry an issue of constant discussion.
At gatherings of ministers, in denominational publications, at coffee breaks, and on the floor of all legislative sessions keep bringing it up. It doesn't even matter which way the discussion goes. Just bringing it up helps your cause. In any discussion or debate there is always someone who will take the 'other side.' This other side will agree with you, or at least be closer to you. Inflexible positions erode gradually. No position changes without discussion. The more you discuss it, the sooner the change. In fact, even this article may help you in that.
2. Recruit a prominent ally.
Try to get a prominent holiness movement leader to speak out for your side—a denominational official, college leader or District Superintendent would be perfect. There are already many to choose from—though they are right now “in the closet.” Persuade them to come out and speak up. This will be even more effective if this spokesperson is a woman. This creates two clear positions in the holiness church, enabling people to move a bit toward your side and look like they are on “middle ground.” They will say, 'Well, I wouldn't go as far as her, but still...'
3. Confuse terms.
Use 'ministry' interchangeably to mean both ‘ordained’ and ‘non-ordained’ ministry. Don't let people know which you mean. Use slight of hand between ‘director,’ ‘pastor,’ and ‘minister,’ so nobody knows which ones have clergy authority and which ones don’t. With such confusion, church people will eventually accept phrases like, ‘She ministers, but she’s not a pastor.’ Initially in publishing and speaking these phrases will help to distinguish between the many kinds of ministry. However, eventually it can be used to bar women from all kinds of ministry. Even the most supportive groups will talk about how “everyone is a minister” – use this against them to deaden the pain of revoking women’s right to [the ordained] ministry. It is not that big of a leap from there to “well, just the men lead the church—and only men serve on our boards.<span style='mso-spa