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Where have all the women leaders gone... 
....summarized from a speech made by Pat Gustin during a General Conference nominating committee in St. Louis, 2005
People who are retiring can say things they might not have been brave enough to say previously. Or perhaps it is that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread." In either case, I feel compelled to say a few words. I am not speaking to the issue of women's ordination. I am speaking to the issue of women in leadership.
In 1957 when I graduated from high school I learned something that nearly caused me to lose faith in my church. I learned that the cafeteria at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists was segregated. I learned that African-Americans and other black people could not eat in the cafeteria of the headquarters of my church. It nearly shook my faith. It was beyond comprehension to me. Praise the Lord that my church, in the last fifty years, has made a great deal of progress. This [nominating committee] room attests to the change.
Here is my concern. We rejoice in a membership between 13 and 14 million. God has blessed. The people in this room show that we have recognized the leadership gifts of many of our members--from all races, ethnicities, languages, tribes, nationalities. At the same time we are seriously concerned, at the shortage of qualified leadership in the church. And we are overlooking more than half of the church's potential leaders--the women.
In 1915, the year Ellen G. White died, our church membership was just over 100,000. Hard to believe, isn't it? At that same time, the number of female leaders in the church (conference/mission, union, general conference) was around 100. That means that for every 1,000 church members there was 1 female leader. (Obviously, there were many more women working as teachers, Bible workers, and yes, even evangelists and pastors. But I'm looking only at those in administrative positions.
If we had continued in this same way after Ellen White's death, we would today have 13,000 women in leadership positions in the church at the conference/mission, union, division and General Conference levels. Looking at it another way, there were approximately 5,000 workers worldwide in 1915. If we compare this to the number of women in leadership positions, the ratio would be one woman leader for every 50 workers. In the years after Ellen White's death, the number of women in positions of leadership dropped rather dramatically. I truly believe that if Ellen White walked into our gathering today, she would be appalled at what she would see.
There is a huge need in our church for leadership at all levels. Ironically, multi-national corporations and governments around the world--in every culture and every nation--are utilizing the talents of women as well as men today. Such unlikely countries as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Israel have even had women leaders--prime ministers.
When will we as a church recognize and utilize the giftedness that God has given to all of God's children? The Holy Spirit, according to Joel, quoted by Peter, will be poured out on his church as a whole--sons and daughters, men and women. The gifts of leadership/administration, gifts of speaking, and teaching are being poured out on all God's people.
I plead with this body--many of you colleagues with whom I have worked for many years:
Has not the time come for us to follow the historical example of our early church leaders who recognized and used the gfts of many of its women as well as men in leading the church?
Has not the time come for us to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit once again?
Are there not times in the history of the church when God's people have risen above their own cultural norms and traditions, their personal feelings and prejudices, and done what is right? (In 1915 when the ratio of women leaders to the membership was 1 in 1000, the church was way ahead of the culture. Women didn't even have the right to vote in the United States intil 1920!)
Or should we as a church go back to 1957 and re-segregate the GC cafeteria?
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