A church-sponsored organization to assist the minister’s spouse in personal and spiritual growth; clarification of her role as a minister’s spouse; development of a team ministry with her husband, uniquely suited to her own interests and abilities; training as a paraprofessional in the ministry; finding fellowship and a support system; and developing closer home relationships” ( Organizational Guidelines for Shepherdess Chapters ).
Organized in 1984 as a pilot program under the direction of Marie Spangler as coordinator and Ellen Bresee as associate coordinator, Shepherdess International (SI) was officially voted as a regular part of the General Conference Ministerial Association at the 1987 Annual Council. By 1992 approximately 316 chapters were organized worldwide in the various conferences/missions. All divisions except one had selected a coordinator.
An SI advisory council, advisory board, and executive committee, with a broad spectrum of ministers’ wives and others, meet regularly for the purpose of giving overall guidance to SI development.
Materials include (1) a quarterly Shepherdess International Journal ; (2) Organizational Guidelines for Shepherdess Chapters , which contains a model constitution for SI chapters, job descriptions for division and union coordinators, and information on the quarterly SI Journal ; (3) home-based continuing education courses in videos, tapes, and books; and (4) three resource packets for sponsors and presidents, newsletter editors, and interns’ spouses.
Meetings of local conference SI chapters are held regularly as well as meetings held at the time of workers’ meetings, Annual Councils, and General Conference sessions. Authorized women’s meetings, attended largely by workers’ wives, were planned and conducted by GC SI leaders for the 1985 and 1990 GC sessions. The World Ministerial Conferences at the GC presessions plan special seminars for ministers’ wives.
Leaders. Upon Marie Spangler’s retirement in 1987, Ellen Bresee was appointed General Conference SI coordinator and shared her responsibilities with Sally Streib. Streib later became the acting SI coordinator for six months when Bresee retired in early 1992. At the Annual Council in 1992, Sharon Cress was appointed SI coordinator.
History of SI Development. Following the 1966 GC session, Dollis Pierson, wife of General Conference president Robert Pierson, was invited by N. R. Dower, secretary of the Ministerial Association, and J. R. Spangler, associate secretary and Ministry editor, to solicit articles for a regular feature, By His Side, for Ministry. Under her leadership, the book By His Side was compiled and published for ministers’ wives. After Mrs. Pierson resigned, Kay Dower joined her husband in a team ministry. She traveled extensively with him, holding meetings for the wives of ministers in various conferences/missions around the world. She also prepared special bulletins and sponsored the Shepherdess section of Ministry. Both Pierson and Dower, on their own initiative, planned and conducted meetings for the wives of workers at Annual Councils and GC sessions. Dower led out in planning and conducting the first major meeting in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for ministers’ wives, at the 1970 GC session in Atlantic City, followed by meetings at the GC sessions in 1975 and 1980.
J. R. Spangler, secretary of the General Conference Ministerial Association, along with W. B. Quigley, associate ministerial secretary, presented the need for a worldwide support system for ministers’ wives to the GC officers. At that time a pilot program was authorized, with Enoch Oliveira, GC vice president, as first chair of a committee that promoted the development and expansion of SI.