Good News: Women in Ministry (Alice Shirey)

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:00 pm by Scot McKnight

Good News: Women in Ministry (Alice Shirey) 2015-03-13T22:00:55-05:00 Scot McKnight

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This week is dedicated to Good News stories about women in ministry, some of whom are serving in local churches and others serving in parachurch ministries. This is Christmas week, and these stories are told in the context of the story of Mary.

The first story is about Alice Shirey and comes from my book Junia is Not Alone, but with an important footnote at the end!

Alice Shirey was a student of mine at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School way back in the old days when people were wearing leisure suits and not really even wondering what to do with women in the church. But she kept on and landed on her feet in the middle of America, in Iowa, an heir to Calvin’s Reformed churches. Let the stereotyping about America’s heartland begin because most of them are true in Alice’s case. A Northwestern grad with a master’s degree from TEDS in counseling and psychology, a Harvard husband, and a Campus Crusade set of beliefs that included some traditional views of marriage and women in ministry.

She had three kids and was running a medical research business, when Alice up and got the idea that she should run for the school board. Which she did and though she didn’t win, she spoke publicly and speaking publicly energized her because people were moved by her words.

She got to thinking God might want to use her teaching gift in the church so when her husband Chuck’s investment work flew with the rest of America’s economy, Alice decided to teach an adult church class on money. “People came,” she said to me, “and the next time even more people came.” Then she realized she liked it, so she taught another subject. An elder, after observing and sitting in her class made this observation to her: “Alice, you’ve got the gift. And we’ve been praying for a woman teacher in our church.”

The stereotypes are at work here so she and her husband spent some time renegotiating their relationship. Chuck has an MDiv from Fuller but isn’t called to be a teaching pastor; Alice doesn’t have the MDiv but she’s got the gift. Chuck has become Alice’s biggest supporter.

The next stereotype has to do with the pastor, so Alice found the pluck to speak to him. Alice now knew she had the gift of teaching, so she said to him: “I think I have the gift to teach and preach and I’d like to know if it will be safe for me here?” The pastor’s response: “Do you want to find out? How about July 6th? No one is scheduled to preach.” She spent six weeks preparing that sermon.

In America’s heartland Alice was a “lay teacher” for seven years, and the church battled the stereotypes by using them: that is, they explained that Alice was a “mom” and a “wife” and even a “stay at home mom,” and she kept on teaching.

Four years ago Alice approached the pastor with these evocative words, “I’ve been wearing this JV uniform for seven years now, don’t you think it’s about time I get a varsity uniform?” Sure enough, Alice can be seen wearing a varsity preacher’s uniform three out of four weeks in a church with multi-site campuses. Including at a little rural church that in 120 years has not had a woman preach. Recently one of the pastors on staff caught wind of what the good folks in that rural church thought and told Alice, “Alice, they like you.”

Junia is not alone. She’s accompanied by a host of women who have been gifted by God to teach and preach and lead. It’s time now to do something about it.

Footnote: Alice is now on the executive teaching team at Orchard. Wonderful good news! She’s not just got a varsity uniform; she’s coaching!

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