It started:
Please indicate how much you agree with the following statements regarding the gifts and abilities of women in OMF:
They are well utilized according to their gifting and skills.
They are well utilized according to their past experience.
They are well utilized according to their leadership potential.
They are well utilized in their available time.
By the time I got this far I was well annoyed. What kind of attitude is that? Why should I wait around to be "utilized"?!!!!!
So my answer was: "There was no space to comment on your earlier questions which I did not answer because I object to the wording. I don't believe that OMF - or anyone else - should be "utilizing" women. I believe that women should be actively serving God not passively waiting to be "utilized" by OMF. I live too far off the beaten track to comment on the rest of OMF, but my sister and I have certainly made good use of our training, skills, past experience and leadership potential! And I trust that we have also made good use of our time."
Using my training, skills, past experience and leadership potential
Teen Camp Birthday Party ... "I had made a cake and set the tables up with candlelight and decorations from the caretakers secret supply room. But the program came to me in a moment of frustration when I arrived at the evening meeting just as it was closing. It was a VERY short meeting! But there had been a good message. I briefly considered lobbying for more songs on the spot, but decided in favor of the fact that the woman with the food had the power of choice. So I made them all "sing for their supper". We had an impromptu testimony and song time (modeled on Sunday evenings at Eastford Baptist in the 1960s and 70s.) It was much more satisfying then a response to my lobbying would have been. We sang A LOT of songs and the only people who didn't give testimonies were two girls who have never even gone to church."
3 comments:
Very good points! I'm also bothered by pseudo utilitarian language applied to ministry. It sometimes feels like mission organizations are beginning to adopt input-output evaluation tools and "efficeincy" calculations right when large portions of the secular world are finally beginning to realize that these are inadequate for application to human eneavors.
I guess that point should lead into another thread of thought: believers in Jesus Christ should be setting the pace, not following socio-political, economic, or business management trends several strides behind the unbelieving creators.
Yes, yes, YES! This is exactly what we have been talking about at the dinner table all week and I've actually been thinking of writing about it.
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