Talk 1 - Orientation

00:00:00: Hello, my name is Mary Faith Hall a member of the Colorado Springs branch and a Member Of The Study Group on Women.

00:00:08: I grew up in the South Bend Branch lived In The Servant Branch for five years while teaching at Trinity And have been here in colorado For over twenty-five Years.

00:00:16: i received My bachelors in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame A Masters in Liberal Studies From st John's College and just finished a masters in theology from Notre Dame.

00:00:26: I also have a wonderful husband and four grown children.

00:00:30: Welcome to this first video in series of videos that the study group on women will be releasing!

00:00:36: This is an orientation for you about what you can expect next week's project.

00:00:42: So, What Is The Study Group On Women?

00:00:46: At the twenty-twenty four leadership convocation, almost all small groups reported.

00:00:51: The need to review the role of women in governance with many of the groups advocating for Women on the Board of Governors.

00:00:58: as a result?

00:00:58: The board set up this study group on women.

00:01:01: This study group has been asked to read and discuss what's out there regarding women in leadership With the idea that we would potentially make recommendations To the board on this issue.

00:01:12: We began meeting in March of twenty twenty five.

00:01:14: We are Susie Claremont of Vancouver Portland, Naomi Coney from Southside Indy.

00:01:20: Chelsea Mertz from South Bend, John Stabel from Servant Branch, Gus Silke from SouthBend and myself.

00:01:28: In this video series we will also be joined by Joe Clark from Vancouver Portland Ben Lebedee from Colorado Springs Sam Mertze from Southbend And Kyo from Northern Virginia.

00:01:40: So what have been doing?

00:01:43: The first thing that did was spend several months reading things from the file library.

00:01:48: What have our teachings on leadership been?

00:01:51: We've looked at various teaching roles of men and women, what were the factors, what sources has community used in ways that teach not align with current practices.

00:02:03: In the spirit resource month we tried to understand what they said why.

00:02:09: We then spent several months listening to interviews, talking to people in pastoral responsibility and the community.

00:02:17: To listen to their experience.

00:02:20: it's clear that The Community has always used both scripture And sociology when approaching this issue.

00:02:26: most of all It's evident That the People of praise Has Used discernment?

00:02:34: For example, in the seventies there was a sense that There was a confusion regarding The roles of men and women In the broader society And the community wanted to take A clear stand Even if it Was being counter-cultural.

00:02:48: Today That confusion Regarding Men & Women Continues.

00:02:52: for Example we live in a culture In which people can create their own Sense Of self through gender identity.

00:02:58: We also Live in world where many men Feel like theres no place for them anymore.

00:03:04: Men and women are currently not in harmony with each other, In our culture.

00:03:08: So most importantly Our body needs to discern who the Lord is calling us To be right now so that we can Be a sign of both The real differences between men And Women as well As the unity Between men and women in the world?

00:03:22: So the study group has been at work discussing these issues.

00:03:28: just when We would move towards consensus on an issue The conversation would quickly move to other areas that needed further consideration.

00:03:38: For example, as soon as the conversation about a woman on board of governors come up we will be talking about relationship between husband and wife in marriage?

00:03:48: Can we talk about headships with husband or wife without our pastoral life in general?

00:03:54: And what would the implications for women's leadership be?

00:03:59: all these questions intersect each.

00:04:02: You'll note throughout these video presentations that even the study group holds within itself a kind of tension as we talk about these questions.

00:04:10: We're grappling with these questions and that's okay, our job hasn't been to decide anything but to see what is out there And given how important this question are it definitely time for community-wide conversation on this.

00:04:25: So...what next?

00:04:28: What were going?

00:04:28: do?

00:04:29: release seven videos.

00:04:31: This is the first.

00:04:33: The order of the videos will loosely map onto the Order Of The Talk that Craig Lent gave at the Twenty Nineteen Leadership Conference for Women on this issue, which started with scripture and moved to sociology and then made a case for why culturally the community wanted to have solely male coordinators.

00:04:51: in fact we'll start with an interview with Craig to hear his thoughts.

00:05:02: We will be releasing these in both video format and audio, In case you want to listen in the car or wherever You listened a podcast.

00:05:10: Some are formatted like talks And others as conversations.

00:05:15: They're meant To help guide YOU to have Conversations with your families With your men's & women's groups With friends & community.

00:05:22: we really hope there is A wide open conversation.

00:05:26: There Is no set Format for having The conversation so Listen and talk as you will, although we do recommend listening to all of the recordings if possible.

00:05:35: And in order which they're released We'll be posting discussion questions that can use conversation prompts If and As Helpful After the interview with Craig.

00:05:47: The next two videos include first A scripture study on men and women in marriage, looking at Genesis one through three.

00:05:54: And Ephesians five followed by a video In which we look at some of the hot button passages in Paul that speak about woman directly and how certain churches use these passages.

00:06:05: This will also be an opportunity to explain what certain Theologians and Church's mean By the terms egalitarian and complementarian.

00:06:15: These are words you may hear in this conversation.

00:06:17: So first of all, we want to make sure to define these terms and secondly We ask some fundamental questions about the use of these terms.

00:06:26: will then shift gears to discuss sociology?

00:06:29: Will look both at what we have relied on in the past as well.

00:06:33: is what we're seeing out there.

00:06:34: In all of these presentations, we're very aware that one could pick any scripture passage or sociology study to make a case and were working hard not do it.

00:06:45: While still asking questions!

00:06:49: How do devout Christians understand the Pauline passages?

00:06:52: How DO we understand Scripture as

00:06:54: whole?!

00:06:55: How other lay communities organize themselves?

00:06:58: How does governance work in various denominations?

00:07:02: What's changed over the last fifty years?

00:07:04: What's on the table and what off-the-table?

00:07:07: as we have these conversations?

00:07:09: With that in mind, We will then try to put out a case for women in leadership.

00:07:14: As an exercise In scripture and sociology To see if such a cases possible.

00:07:19: But finally well end with a conversation That asks even If one could make this case.

00:07:25: or are The pros and cons of This being the way we structure our life?

00:07:31: To give people time to digest the content We will be releasing the videos a couple at a time so that by the beginning of October all seven should be released.

00:07:41: It seems, The most important thing for us is not just to be well-informed about scripture and sociology but to discern together what the Lord wants from US as people praise this time.

00:07:53: Please note each video has links or interviews.

00:07:58: you can listen on YouTube So those who want to dive in more can.

00:08:03: We will also be linking to things on our own file library so that you can go back and reread what the people of praise has already said, and why.

00:08:11: we know there's a lot written on this topic And so we've tried to narrow down two things That would be most helpful for people to make the clearest case On either side of a particular issue.

00:08:23: Okay some caveats as we begin this project.

00:08:27: first of all Please hear this What's being presented over this video series is not new teaching.

00:08:35: There is no new teaching at this time on this issue.

00:08:39: Please think of this as an invitation into the conversation that The study group has been having for the last year and a half And which we understand, it important enough That We want the whole community to be apart Of.

00:08:52: This Is An Invitation To Read Think Talk Pray.

00:08:57: Next Spring We Will Be Gathering Feedback.

00:09:00: We're still finalizing what this will look like.

00:09:03: At a minimum, we'll be sending you a survey to hear how you all are thinking in light of these conversations.

00:09:09: Depending on those results, we may move forward with some recommendations for the board for our future CRA.

00:09:16: that is to be determined.

00:09:18: In the meantime please keep notes of your thoughts and questions knowing that we will Be gathering input.

00:09:27: The second exhortation pay attention to the language we use to describe our life.

00:09:34: For the last year and a half, as we've been having these conversations, We have noticed that in making a case some of us lean on different models that describe our lives.

00:09:45: To explain what I mean by model let me give you an example from within The Catholic Church.

00:09:50: At the turn of the last century one primary way That the Catholic church was talking about itself Was As The Perfect City.

00:09:59: This was a time of great centralization within the church and in part, in reaction to the rise of the secular nation-state in Europe that language helped articulate who the Church was.

00:10:14: By the nineteen sixties The Church shifted away from that language towards a model of being the mystical body.

00:10:21: Christ Catholics understood both of those models, but the language they were using was emphasizing different facets.

00:10:37: Obviously that's a Catholic example!

00:10:39: But we as religious organizations do this same... Are we a family of families?

00:10:44: are We brothers and sisters, or we called the city build.

00:10:47: Or focusing on the outward turn our with the vine in branches?

00:10:51: what's The language were going to use?

00:10:53: What languages On Our heart right now To describe who he R And how are we using that language to emphasize or advocate for A certain position?

00:11:04: In these conversations have been having over the past year-and-a-half some people had been heavily relying on that language from the spirit and purpose, that says we're a family of families as a way to advocate for male leadership.

00:11:17: The man heads the family.

00:11:19: therefore men have spiritual authority in our life.

00:11:23: Our study group has some questions about this.

00:11:26: First of all is the Family Of Families' best model?

00:11:30: To talk About Our Life when looking at governance issues should be interpretation of husband's relationships with their wives and Ephesians.

00:11:38: five be the model for governance, or the whole community?

00:11:42: Moreover if we want to view marriage fundamentally as a collaborative friendship.

00:11:47: Or If we take seriously an increased focus on mutual submission in marriage would still want to posit this as a model that advocates certain kind of authority.

00:11:58: How might shift?

00:11:59: how do you use these models?

00:12:02: Moreover is The Family Of Families the only model to talk about our life?

00:12:06: As mentioned, the spirit and purpose also uses the language about being brothers and sisters.

00:12:12: Fun fact!

00:12:13: Did you know that The New Testament mentions the word for family three times?

00:12:17: And the word of brothers or sisters well over three hundred

00:12:20: times?!

00:12:21: At any rate when it comes to models we use We need be careful not overly reductive in leaning on one way.

00:12:30: talking our life at this point as might mean we are oversimplifying things.

00:12:35: Of course, this doesn't mean we can use that language when talking about our life.

00:12:41: We should just be aware of it and aware how are using it.

00:12:46: Hopefully throughout the process will gain further clarity on models to best articulate who the Lord is calling us right now.

00:12:56: Finally...we shouldn't afraid It will not surprise you that in the many conversations we've had in the last year and a half, it's become apparent at the issue of roles.

00:13:08: And women touches on nerve for many of us.

00:13:11: people can get emotionally invested into discussion pretty quickly.

00:13:16: hard as it is We need to be willing to lay our agendas down.

00:13:21: I have been telling myself this over the past year-and-a-half.

00:13:30: For example, just because someone is in favor of only male coordinators it does not mean that person is oppressing women.

00:13:38: Nor has anyone who advocates for women on the board of governors necessarily bought into this world.

00:13:45: We need to assume best at each other as we think and pray through this.

00:13:49: The Kingdom Of God works like yeast and dough Like a small seed That becomes full tree.

00:13:56: Change does not necessarily mean mission drift, or as I have heard some fear that we are caving to a secular agenda.

00:14:04: But we could drift and we need to hold each other accountable and make sure we're hearing the Lord and not just pushing forward agendas trying to be relevant.

00:14:16: If community changes on significant issues We need to make sure these are still grounded in who we are In our original calling in the spirit and purpose, and our covenant.

00:14:27: That said we do not need to be

00:14:29: afraid.".

00:14:31: We are very excited to have everyone join this conversation!

00:14:35: And were hopeful that The Lord is IN all of these.

00:14:39: We don't need to Be Afraid.

00:14:40: Rather we pray that This Conversation will only increase Our unity.

00:14:45: So stay tuned for upcoming videos.

00:14:48: Be sure To watch each one as questions you Have might be addressed In a separate video.

00:14:54: Thank You for joining us.