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enlightenment from the Word and Heavenly Doctrines on this issue, I have
become personally clear that there is no clarity on this issue. Perhaps the Lord,
in His Divine Providence, intends that it should be so. I am also clear that
every woman who aspires to the priesthood feels called by the Lord alone and
desires to become ordained so that she might minister to people with her own
special gifts as a woman would, not as a man would.
Just imagine what new and wonderful insights women could bring to this
use for the spiritual welfare of all. Each would bring her own unique gifts of
love, perception and wisdom to complement the men currently serving in this
use. Together, they could minister to everyone with the skill and compassion
so needed in today’s world: accommodating and meeting each person’s needs
where he or she is; helping to provide the answers so necessary for healing life’s
– natural and spiritual – struggles and pain.
As a faith that believes deeply in the Lord’s gift of individual freedom,
are we perhaps more influenced, as Bishop Emeritus Louis B. King noted in
Questions Regarding the Uses of Women in the General Church (November 6,
2000), by “ . . . remains, tradition and important cultural considerations that
have grown up around the service of worship [he loved].” He believed then, and
I believe now, that women will be given the opportunity to become ordained
priests in the General Church. It’s only a matter of time, but with some of the
questions and concerns raised in this article, time may be running out.
Those who lead the General Church are good and caring priests who are
genuinely seeking what is good from the Lord’s Word. With this knowledge in
mind, it is my most sincere hope that those members – men and women – who
are most impassioned about this issue will work within the General Church to
make it possible. Please do not resign out of anguish or heartache, but rather
become strong and persistent voices for change from within. We need that
courage if the General Church is to survive and thrive!
We must always remember that the General Church is a human
organization. It was, and is, man-made to publish, to teach, and to spread the
good news throughout the world of the Lord in His Second Coming. It must
change – and change quickly – to truly meet the needs of those it serves. And
we must not lose hope that the General Church can still be that mechanism
for the New Church spoken of as “ . . . the Crown of all Churches that have
hitherto existed on earth.” (True Christian Religion 786)
(Note: All statistics and references noted in this article have been obtained
through searching the archives of heavenlydoctrines.org, from the 2014 ANC/
College Treasurer’s Report online, and from answers received to specific questions
from the General Church Data Center, courtesy of Administrator Susan Wright.
MARS statistics were provided by Dr. Jane Williams-Hogan.)
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