‘True complementarianism’ examined at meetings

Anglican evangelical organisation Church Society has partnered with Bishop Rod Thomas for a series of regional meetings in London, Bristol, Leicester and Manchester.

‘It was wonderful to be able to gather in person with ministers, women workers, and lay leaders at each of these events’, said one delegate who attended.

A session on ‘Complementarianism in Practice’ included talks from Church Society’s Associate Director, Dr Ros Clarke and Theological Consultant, The Revd Dr Kirsten Birkett (see photo). There were also short videos showing how different churches put their complementarianism into practice, which illustrated how positive and productive ministry can be when men and women are working together, whether in paid positions or voluntary roles.

Ros Clarke spoke about ‘True Complementarianism’. She explained that Biblical complementarianism values the gifts of women, recognises that the ministry of women is necessary for the whole church, and is not based on sexism. After this, Kirsten Birkett presented the findings of her research into the ministry of women in complementarian Anglican churches. She shared both what is good about current practice, as well as some of the weaknesses. Sadly, she said, there is still evidence of some churches treating women as less-valued workers. Examples included women being furloughed while their male colleagues were not; women receiving the same salary as men but without the benefit of housing; and training being thought unimportant for women in ministry.

In the light of this, delegates were reportedly excited to hear news of three initiatives designed to support women in complementarian churches: the Priscilla Programme, run by Church Society and Union School of Theology, which has trained nearly 50 women for volunteer ministries in their local churches in its first four years; the Co-Workers network launched in 2021, offering support, fellowship and resources for complementarian women working in Anglican churches; and the new Mary Vere Grant from Church Society, supporting complementarian women training for ministry.