new church life : november / december 2016
women ’ s participation task force
The Rt . Rev . Peter M . Buss Jr .
The General Church strategic plan calls for a Women ’ s Participation Task Force . The charge of this group is :
Promote involvement of women through a task force charged with exploring respect for and utilization of feminine wisdom in the Church . After doctrinal and current-state exploration , develop a report on appropriate methods of enhancing the roles feminine wisdom and expertise may play .
This task force is up and running . I write to describe who is involved , what is happening , and how to share any input you may have . There are 14 people on this task force , including me :
• Heather Allais ( Buccleuch , South Africa )
• Rakel BjÖrkstrom ( Stockholm , Sweden )
• Hilary Bryntesson ( Bryn Athyn )
• Ethan Daum ( Austin , Texas )
• Liane de Chazal ( Oak Arbor , Michigan )
• Nina Dewees ( Bryn Athyn )
• The Rev . Mac Frazier ( Glenview , Illinois )
• Charlotte Gyllenhaal ( General Church Board , Indiana )
• Cathlin Hendricks ( Boulder , Colorado )
• Laura Hill ( Caryndale , Ontario , Canada )
• The Rev . Jeremy Simons ( Bryn Athyn )
• Craig Steen ( Oak Arbor , Michigan )
• Dr . Jane Williams-Hogan ( Bryn Athyn College , Co-Chair ) We have met three times : once to get oriented and organized ; a second time to digest relevant teachings from the Word ; and a third time to review summary statements based on those teachings that can serve as a reference point for our continued work .
I would characterize the discussion so far as equally inspiring and challenging : inspiring in that members are offering insights on teachings , and thinking creatively about how they apply in today ’ s world ; challenging in that not all task force members agree on the meaning we should derive from these teachings or on some of the proposed applications .
Nevertheless , we are making progress . By way of illustration , I offer two
( of 17 ) of the summary statements brainstormed by this task force :
• Given the complementary perspective and approach of men and women , it follows that human society works best when masculine and feminine input is brought to bear . When both masculine and feminine approach a given
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