The Junia Project

Advocating for Women's Equality in the Church and Home

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Those Who Protect a Woman’s Call

May 8, 2019 by Sarah Sparks-Franklin

Thank God for those who protect a woman’s call! “I’m not sure I can continue as a leader in this church.” So exhausted from lack of sleep, and reeling from the many personal life changes swirling around me, I could not believe those words had escaped from my mouth. Seated directly across from my former […]

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: leadership in the church, Sarah Sparks Franklin, women pastors

Seeing Myself in the Texts of Terror

November 12, 2018 by Hannah Gaddini

The other day I happened to go through some old writings from college and I stumbled upon something. It was a reflection I wrote in a Theology class where we had discussed the “texts of terror.” “Texts of Terror” is a term created by Phyllis Trible to refer to four narratives of disturbing violence against women that are depicted in the Old Testament. The class was, understandably, triggering for me. I had never heard these stories before. After the class I wrote a reflection to process.

Filed Under: Personal Stories, women in the old testament Tagged With: Hannah Gaddini, texts of terror in the bible

When Words Aren’t Enough: A Pastor’s Thoughts on Gender Equality

February 15, 2018 by Matt VanGent

“Girls can’t be drummers.”  My 3-year-old daughter.

“I had no idea I could be a youth pastor.”  A female high school student.

These two statements have had a profound impact on my pursuit of gender equality.  Let me start with my daughter.

She and I love to watch music videos together and one morning, we were watching a band with a girl drummer.  With the certainty of a toddler, she uttered the statement above that broke my heart a little bit.

She wasn’t sad; she wasn’t feeling excluded.  This was just the simple reality for her because she had never seen a woman drummer before.  Of course, girls can’t be drummers!

The situation was remarkably similar for that female high school student.   Every winter, we hosted a winter retreat for middle school and high school students.  Every year, we invited a local pastor or youth pastor to be our speaker for the weekend.  And every year, that pastor was a man.

I realized what we had been unintentionally communicating to our students by this choice: girls can’t be pastors.  So I decided it was time to invite a female pastor to be our speaker.

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: Matt VanGent

The Birth of a Pastor

January 30, 2018 by Kate Wallace Nunneley

  My call to pastoral ministry began during my first semester of seminary. I was taking 3 required courses – Greek Exegesis, Mentored Ministry, and Exegesis of Genesis. God used Greek class to show me I was really good at this stuff and ministry class to show me that I had a lot to learn […]

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: Kate Wallace Nunneley, women pastors

Surviving Domestic Abuse: My Story

October 4, 2017 by Ally Moder

I thought my dreams were about to come true when I [finally] got married. I left my family, friends, and my job as a pastor in Canada to move to the U.S. for love. I had waited a long time to meet a guy I could partner with in ministry. My American husband had wooed me with his discourse of our shared theological studies, passion for church work, and a vision of us as a happily married couple in ministry together. Babies would complete the picture of our Christian nuclear family. After our vows, I was shocked to immediately find myself in a different kind of nuclear situation: domestic violence.

Filed Under: abuse of women, Personal Stories Tagged With: Ally Moder, domestic abuse, domestic violence

Moving from Complementarian to Egalitarian

September 13, 2017 by Jenn Dieringer

I was 32 years old before I heard the word egalitarian.

My universe was very small growing up. I, sort of, realized there was a Christian culture outside of my soft patriarchal, quiverfull one. But that’s how it was always understood. Being out there, on the fringe, barely Christian, if they were Christian at all. Even though I was shy and non-confrontational by nature, I grew up with a strong sense of justice…and the culture around me was unjust. I knew it. I had no theology to back it up, no one to talk to who could explain to me that there was a different way. I didn’t even have words to put to it. But I knew it was wrong.

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: complementarianism, Jenn Dieringer, patriarchy

Finding My Voice as a Woman in the Church

August 30, 2017 by Nikki Holland

When I was 5 years old, I sang in my first church choir. My dad encouraged me to sing loud so he could hear me. I did, joyfully and unconsciously convinced that my voice was wanted and welcomed in my church, as loud as I wanted to be. When I was 14, I had found […]

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: Nikki Holland

How to Raise an Egalitarian

August 23, 2017 by Julia Ball

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a pastor. Raised as a pastor’s kid, my childhood is filled with memories of church and all things related. As a child, I loved the church; the building, the people, the preaching, and the programs. I sat in the front pew with my notebook […]

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: Julia Ball

If They Don’t Affirm You? Preach and Pastor Anyway

August 16, 2017 by Randi Shepherd

Pastor’s wife problems: Getting slapped on the behind after your husband’s sermon while the congregant calls out, “Good message from Kris today”.  Almost like “good game” after a sporting event. Woman pastor’s problems: Getting grabbed by the face after your sermon and pulled nose-to-nose with a congregant while she gruffly declares, “I don’t believe in […]

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: Randi Shepherd

Giftedness vs. Gender Roles: A Personal Story

August 9, 2017 by Christi Rooke

My siblings and I were setting the table when we heard an echo from the kitchen. “Honey, please put down that chain saw and come in; dinner is getting cold.” It was a typical weekend growing up in our home. My dad joyfully spent the day in the kitchen preparing us an amazing meal while […]

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: biblical manhood, biblical womanhood, Christi Rooke

Being Egalitarian in a Complementarian World

July 26, 2017 by Eva Burkholder

As I listened to the pastor of my new church describe the insults and attacks he and the elders had endured after they made the decision to invite women onto the elder board, a weight lifted off my soul.
For the first time in my life, I discovered what it felt like to have male leadership take the hit for me.
Prior to this, only one or two individual men had heralded my gifts. Finally I knew what it meant to be part of a church body where I did not need to keep my mouth shut or squirm in my seat or disagree in silence whenever issues regarding women were addressed. Because that is my world for the most part.
While my own position concerning the role of women in the church has gradually changed, my work environment has not.

Filed Under: Personal Stories, Women and the Church Tagged With: Eva Burkholder

Submitting to Egalitarianism: One Couple’s Journey

July 12, 2017 by Tammi Kauffman

I should have realized it long ago; I should have recognized the signs.

But I didn’t. I suppose I was so lost in my own ideas that I didn’t notice. My husband and I were both raised in complementarian or patriarchal homes. Both of us were taught that the man was the head of the home, the priest and leader of the family, and that the woman was to submit to his leadership. He was wise to take her counsel, but the ultimate decision lay with him. He, as the man, made the final decision. And the wife submitted.

Soon after our 8th anniversary, we began homeschooling our children. The homeschooling community is, by and large, staunchly patriarchal. I threw myself into the whole scene. Women were to be raised to be keepers at home; there would be no careers for my daughters. I still remember my 5 year old daughter throwing herself on the couch in tears when she realized I didn’t support her desire to become a doctor.

Filed Under: marriage and family, Personal Stories Tagged With: complementarianism, patriarchy, Tammi Kauffman

Taking the Backseat of Christianity

June 28, 2017 by Sharon Klingemann

I was a freshman in college and I believed that I needed to take the backseat of Christianity.

I was headed to Columbia, Missouri with some peers to do homeless ministry. People were piling into cars, and it came down to who was getting shot gun. Without a fight, I took the backseat. I told one of my peers: “I will take the back seat, I guess I am going to have to get used to this submission thing.” Defeated, I quietly slid into the back seat.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: complementarianism, Sharon Klingemann

Becoming an Advocate for Women: One Man’s Journey

June 22, 2017 by Alex Evangelista

Learning to be an advocate for women is difficult when you have to unlearn years of a complementarian mentality, male privilege and the effect of centuries of patriarchy.

But I believe this is what we are called to pursue.

This has been my journey. Sometimes I think it has been difficult, but what is more difficult is seeing how women are being oppressed. Every man needs to face the messiness of what it means to be egalitarian, regardless of how uncomfortable or challenging it may be.

While at times I identify myself as egalitarian, sometimes it is more useful to say I’m a recovering sexist/complementarian/patriarchist. This reminds me I’m always on a journey in pursuing equality – not only because it means liberation for women from oppressive structures, but also because it means liberation for me.

So here I share a few things I have learned in my journey about being an advocate for women.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: Alex Evangelista, egalitarianism, male privilege

Who Really Cares about Male Headship?

June 16, 2017 by Tim Evans

I recently had a conversation with a good friend. As we were talking, I shared some frustrations I had surrounding ways that many husbands live out headship and their perceived authority in marriage. My friend is in his sixties, he’s a “PK” (pastor’s kid), and a good guy who has loved God his entire life. He’s a husband, dad, grandpa, and successful in his career.

As we talked, he paused and declared; “Tim, you talk so much about equality/inequality, authority, submission, hierarchy, and headship.

Filed Under: Personal Stories Tagged With: egalitarian marriage, headship in the Bible, Tim Evans

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