Written by: Anna Bennett
As the professor drew our class period to a close, he posed a question: “What needs to be reformed in our church today?”
Mind you, he invited 40 pastors to weigh in on this topic. Was he crazy? We were on day three of our intensive exploring of the history of Christianity, specifically discussing the Reformation period. Making the topic applicable to today, the professor invited students to share their thoughts. Of course, things like women’s ordination, race relations and perspectives on LGBTQIA+ were all mentioned along with a litany of other organizational and functional elements.
I can be very, very passionate about some of the reformation I believe our church needs to experience. As I felt this wave of passion, anger, empathy and discontent wash over me, compelling me to speak, Jesus shut my mouth.
The Holy Spirit prompted me with His own questions: “Anna, how open are you to the Holy Spirit reforming you? Are you willing to experience potential loss to speak truth and do what is right? Are you quick to critique power, authority, church organization and function, etc. but resist what God wants to do in and through you?”
I will have served as a pastor and chaplain in the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 10 years this May. It is a milestone I am both deeply proud of and extremely humbled by. I am proud to be one of only a little over 100 women serving our church in this way. I am humbled by the fact that I wouldn’t still be here if not for God’s overwhelming love, grace, mercy and empowerment. I am humbled to be used by God to help make a way for other incredible women to also serve God in full-time ministry as pastors, chaplains and one day as conference, union and division leaders.
While my experience has not been without its challenges and opposition, what in life hasn’t? In some excruciating circumstances, I have been tempted to get out, change direction and take what might appear to be a less difficult road. I have discovered, however, the people I respect the most are those who walk toward difficult challenges with the conviction and empowerment of the Holy Spirit to kickstart reformation just as courageously as they are willing to be reformed themselves.
So, if you are a woman who feels called to full-time ministry, don’t let anything or anyone stop you. If God has called you, while there will be challenges, there will also be incredible, beautiful experiences. If God has called you, nothing and no one can stop you except a distrust that God will be faithful in all things. Your gender, race, ethnicity, education, etc. is not something that will keep the Almighty God from calling you and providing a way for you, even at times when there seems to be no way.
If you are quick to critique and criticize the church just as I can be prone to do, I would ask you: 1) How open are you to the Holy Spirit reforming you? 2) Are you willing to experience difficulty, challenge or loss in order to speak the truth and do what is right and what is needed? 3) Are you willing to step up as a modern-day reformer according to the conviction(s) God has placed in your heart?
I have not set out to be a pioneer or infamous reformer, though God has placed strong convictions on my heart. The longer I serve in ministry, the more I understand that I must set out to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. I invite you to pray with me and to be reformed first in order for God to use you to reform our church in the ways that are needed right now.