by
Sylvia Dooling
_Echoes_ is the Presbyterian Women’s newsletter for the Presbytery of Plains
and Peaks. In the November 2000 issue, Carol Howard, PW Moderator for the
Synod of the Rocky Mountains, claims _’there are attacks being made upon PW
by organized groups who do not agree with decisions made with (sic) our
governing body at (sic) church wide level.”_
Because I am distressed by Ms. Howard’s use of what I believe to be
inaccurate and unnecessarily divisive language, I have chosen to respond in
this venue. A copy will be sent to Echoes, Ms. Howard, and General
Assembly’s PW Coordinator, Ann Ferguson.
‘Attacks by organized groups ” That’s a pretty serious accusation. So, in
order to fully understand its meaning, let’s break it down into its
component parts, and let’s begin with the phrase, ‘organized groups.”
Now, I’m not sure exactly how many groups Ms. Howard is referring to, but I
know of only two that even vaguely fit the parameters of her sweeping
allegation The first is The Network of Presbyterian Women in Leadership
(NPWL), and Voices of Orthodox Women (VOW).
NPWL is a ministry of Presbyterians For Renewal, and as such, it clearly is
organized. VOW is a Colorado corporation, and is, therefore, also organized.
But, the important question is this: what are they organized for which
brings us to the second part of Ms. Howard’s indictment, that these
organized groups are ‘attacking” PW.
According to its website, NPWL was formed in 1994 to foster personal,
spiritual and professional support among Christ-centered and
ministry-focused women leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). NPWL’s
focus is on: supporting, connecting, and equipping through resources,
programs, and models of servant leadership. It provides seminars and
workshops, enlists speakers for events, and identifies and encourages the
gifts and ministries of promising, Christ-centered women theologians and
leaders who embrace the scriptural and confessional standards of the
Reformed Faith. In their own words, ‘NPWL is designed to complement, not
compete with, existing groups and ministries as we commit to renewal within
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to the glory of God.”
In a sentence, NPWL is ministry driven, and has consistently avoided getting
involved in more issue-oriented ‘partisan” activities.
That, of course, is not true of Voices of Orthodox Women. VOW’s purpose is
‘to work for renewal of the PC(U.S.A.) through the promotion of the
doctrines and practices of historic, biblical and confessional orthodoxy”
By definition, VOW is an advocacy organization. We have a point of view, and
we have vigorously championed that point of view as we have participated in
the ongoing debates that mark our life together as Presbyterians. We have
criticized some things about PW, and we have supported some other things. We
want to see some things change that are inconsistent with the creeds,
confessions and constitution of our church; but, we want other things about
PW to stay the same. We have met with PW’s Churchwide Coordinating Team (at
our own expense), and we hope to do so again in the future. In all, VOW has
played the role of loyal opposition to the Churchwide Gathering, _Horizons_
Magazine, and the _Horizons_ Bible Study.
But, neither NPWL nor VOW has targeted Presbyterian Women for destruction.
In fact, I personally spend a great deal of time encouraging women of the
church not to leave Presbyterian Women, but rather to stay involved and to
work for the changes they believe are important.
Ms. Howard states that she is concerned that _’these dissenting groups will
increase their creation of divisiveness which will greatly harm PW as a
whole.”_ My response is that for Presbyterians, neither unity nor loyalty
can be defined as a willingness to walk in lock step with anyone. After all,
no group is above accountability including VOW and, among other things,
accountability means being willing to answer the questions and respond to
the voice of one’s constituency. In the end, PW will only harm itself if it
systematically turns its back on Presbyterian women who disagree with the
direction in which it is going.
Speaking of accountability, two questions that I am regularly asked are
these: to whom is PW accountable? And, what is the relationship of PW to the
General Assembly of our church? The answers to these questions should be
resolved within the next six months, because the 212th General Assembly
(Long Beach) instructed ‘representatives of Presbyterian Women, the Women’s
Ministry Program Area, and the National Ministries Division to continue the
process of clarifying the exact nature of the relationship between
Presbyterian Women, the Women’s Ministry Program Area, and the General
Assembly, and to report its findings to the 213th General Assembly in
2001.”
For more twenty years, many women who are now a part of the VOW network have
raised concerns about the direction of Presbyterian Women. And many of us
were summarily ignored. We understand that it is the Churchwide Coordinating
Team that has the authority to make decisions for PW. However, when the
Coordinating Team makes the decision to teach radical spiritual feminism
rather than the faith of the church, to promote positions on human sexuality
that are contrary to our church’s constitution, and to donate money to
political and social advocacy groups with little or no concern for the
primary mission of the church, then responsible women must speak out.
Understandably, Ms. Howard, you may ‘feel” discomfited, and you may ‘feel”
that PW is under attack by those who are raising disagreements. But,
feelings are not facts, disagreement does not mean disloyalty, and debate is
not an assault.
Jan. 3, 2000