MinistrySistahs

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Comment by Apostle Truth on June 22, 2009 at 4:16pm

You all are invited!

Comment by Pastor Natalie A. Francisco, Ed. D. on January 10, 2009 at 11:28pm

One Lady Pastor’s Perspective
by Pastor Natalie A. Francisco, Ed. D.
Co-Pastor/Minister of Music, Calvary Community Church, Hampton, VA.
Founder/Executive Director, Women of Worth & Worship Institute, LLC
Author, Wisdom for Women of Worth & Worship: Lessons for a Life of Virtue, Value & Victory
(Available Online and in Bookstores March 1, 2009)

What are the implications of being a female pastor in the 21st century? To be quite honest, both the best and the worst prevail, all at the same time. Incredible joys juxtaposed by the incredulous jeers of others (who even in this day and time maintain that women are to be silent in the church, thus prohibiting them from preaching or teaching behind the sacred desk), cause both delight and despair in the minds and hearts of some handmaidens of the Lord who only desire to display obedience in heeding the call of God upon their lives. Such is my dilemma as a co-pastor who happens to be a woman.

I have been involved in full-time ministry since I was twelve years old. It was then that I would be blessed with the gift to play the piano by ear as a result of being prayed for and having my hands anointed with oil by my former pastor (who would be my father-in-law years later unbeknownst to me). I loved the Lord with all my heart, and promised Him that if He would bestow upon me that gift, that I would always use it for His glory. I accompanied four choirs, organized a worship team, taught harmony and directed various groups within the music ministry, taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, all during my teenage years. Little did I know that God was preparing me to be used greatly at a young age, not only in the music and Christian Education departments, but later as a pastor’s wife (or first lady), co-founder of a Christian school and Bible College, an ordained minister, and the first female pastor in the history of our local church. Those who are “the first” in anything also serve as “the trailblazer” or pioneer who is called to greatness at the expense of great suffering and sacrifice.

Many first ladies and lady pastors in particular have expressed to me how they too have experienced both ends of the spectrum – finding fulfillment in their God-given gift of teaching or preaching but yet being ostracized by those who take Paul’s statement made to a few women who were causing dissension in the city of Corinth as a doctrinal license to silence women of the past, present and future, thereby forbidding them to serve in any spiritual leadership role. The horrendous mistake of taking I Corinthians 14:34 out of context in order to suppress the gifts of women, has caused many to become angry, antagonized, bewildered and bitter, perhaps rightfully and certainly regrettably so. No woman or man for that matter can truly minister effectively with integrity if such heart issues are not yielded to and healed by God.

I have been to several churches where I was only allowed to speak from a podium placed on the floor because women were not allowed in the pulpit. I have also gone to several churches with my husband to support him as the preacher of the hour, and although both of us are ordained and have celebrated (and sometimes lamented over) 23 years of pastoral ministry, he was ushered to the pulpit to sit with other licensed and ordained men while I was escorted to the pew to sit where I (allegedly) belonged – with the women. I cannot say that experiencing such dichotomy in doctrinal and denominational dissonance has not taken its toll upon my mind and heart, for I would be disingenuous in expressing the truth of my journey. I can say, however, that I have learned over the years to sing, teach and preach wherever God allows, and the platform, whether on the floor or in the pulpit has taken a back seat to the Spirit of God that has been poured out upon me as the prophet Joel proclaimed. I no longer focus on the double standards that do indeed exist throughout Christendom, but my eyes are fixed upon God the Father who created me, Jesus Christ who has called, anointed and appointed me (as He did His disciples and the women who followed Him), and the Holy Spirit who has equipped and empowered me to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to a lost and dying world consisting of men, women, boys and girls who need a Savior.

What is it like to be a female minister or pastor in the 21st century? It is both a blessing and a burden at times, but it is truly rewarding as I embody and expect the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29 and Galatians 3:28-29 in my own life as well as in the lives of others. Hence, I encourage everyone to embrace God’s Word in its entirety and to dismantle discrimination and doctrinal dogmas by celebrating the call of God upon the lives of His servants, irrespective of gender (and that, my brothers and sisters, is a daily choice).

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