An organization comprised of a General Conference Office of Women’s Ministries director; division, union, and conference directors; and local church women’s ministries coordinators.
History. The beginnings of women’s ministries are reflected as early as Mar. 30, 1898, when the General Conference issued Sarepta Myrenda Irish Henry a ministerial license as a vote of confidence in her work of women’s ministries. Corresponding from Australia in 1898, Ellen White endorsed Mrs. Henry’s work. In 1899 a weekly column in the Review was published, entitled “Woman’s Gospel Work.” The weekly column ceased with Mrs. Henry’s death in 1900.
In 1874 S.M.I. Henry joined forces with the newly formed Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), the largest women’s organization in the world. Campaigning against liquor and determined to assist families in crisis, the WCTU fostered temperance, better schools, improved nutrition, and established kindergartens. From 1879 to 1898 S.M.I Henry became a national evangelist, preaching and organizing for WCTU . Through her preaching, hundreds accepted Christ and were reformed in lifestyle. In 1898 some felt that she should receive a ministerial license, which would be more in keeping with her line of work. A motion prevailed to grant her such recognition from the General Conference. Unfortunately, Mrs. Henry passed away two years later, on Jan. 16, 1900.
Prior to Mrs. Henry’s leadership, women ministered intensely and had a significant impact in the beginnings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In June 1869 Mary Haskell opened her home in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, to a small group of women on Wednesday afternoons for the purpose and intent of intercessory prayer. The women first prayed for their children, church members, and then non- SDA neighbors. This led to a strategy of action. They divided up their neighborhood and began to visit the sick, cheer the lonely, and distribute free tracts. They wrote letters and sent pamphlets to people in need in different countries. The group became the Vigilant Missionary Society. It had an effective outreach, creating roots for the current Publishing Department, and the Home Missionary Department, which later became Personal Ministries.
Mrs. Henry Gardner established a prayer ministry in Battle Creek that led to the formation of the Dorcas and Benevolent Association in October 1874. Women met to sew, mend clothes, distribute food, and become involved in a caring outreach to widows, orphans, and the sick. Today, this caring ministry impacts thousands of lives worldwide under the auspices of Community Services.
On Jan. 6, 1900, the first Seventh-day Adventist deaconesses were ordained by W. C. White, in Australia.
In print, official recognition of women’s ministries was not recorded from 1900 to the 1970s. A record of the first woman ordained as a local church elder was that of Josephine Benton, at the Brotherhood church in Washington, D.C., in 1972. A committee was formed to respond to women’s concerns and the Women’s Commission on the Role of the Women in the Church met for the first time in September 1973 at Camp Mohaven, Ohio.
The North American Division Women’s Commission was voted by the 1984 Annual Council as a liaison between the women of the church and the NAD administration. This commission was founded through the Office of Human Relations when Warren Banfield, director of OHR, received approval and financial support for its establishment. The commission has had shifts in leadership, each adding a distinct influence to its purpose and direction: Alice Smith was the first to chair the commission; Thesba Johnston succeeded her in 1986, and in January 1990 Ramona Perez Greek assumed the chair. Because of its focus on women’s ministries activities, the NAD Women’s Commission requested a name change. In March 1991 it became Women’s Ministries.
In March 1985 the Commission on the Role of Women met again and recommended that an affirmative action plan be developed to enhance women’s involvement in the church. In response to this recommendation, the General Conference session in New Orleans in July 1985 voted to urge that ‘affirmative action’ for the involvement of women in the work of the church be a priority plan with church leadership, and to request leaders to use their executive influence to open to women all aspects of ministry in the church that do not require ordination.” This led to the General Conference Committee establishing a Women’s Ministries Advisory Committee on Oct. 15, 1985. The committee appointed Betty Holbrook as chair, and in April 1988 Karen Flowers was appointed chair of the General Conference Women’s Ministries Advisory.
The first Department of Women’s Ministries was established (January 1988) in the North American Division in the Oregon Conference with Ruthie Jacobsen as a full-time paid director.
On July 12–17, 1989, the Commission on the Role of the Women in the Church met in Cohutta Springs, Georgia. Karen Flowers presented the findings of “The Role of Women in the Church: An International Survey of Seventh-day Adventist Women in Leadership.” The study conducted by Karen Flowers and Carole Kilcher revealed a profile of 875 respondents from all divisions of the worldwide church and summarized their concerns. The results were intended to facilitate the consideration of qualified women when positions become available at higher administrative levels. On July 17, 1989, the 17 women members of the Commission on the Role of Women in the Church in caucus stated, “We recommend the employment of Women’s Ministries coordinators to coordinate ministries for all SDA women, both lay and denominational employees: full-time at General Conference and division levels; at least half-time at unions and local conferences.”
Soon after the 1990 General Conference session in Indianapolis, an Office of Women’s Ministries was created in the North American Division. Elizabeth Sterndale was appointed as director of the entity. Sterndale also became a NAD officer with the title of field secretary. She carried other responsibilities that included executive director of the Association of SDA Nurses and associate director of the Health and Temperance Department. Ramona Perez Greek was appointed as assistant director for the NAD Office of Women’s Ministries.
In October 1990 the Annual Council accepted GC president Robert S. Folkenberg’s recommendation to establish a GC Office of Women’s Ministries for the purpose of “fostering ministry by women to women in the world church.” Rose Otis was named director of this new ministry, and reports directly to the General Conference president. Otis is challenged to encourage opportunities for women in the church’s decision-making bodies, and to inspire both young and seasoned women to become intimately involved in the mission of the church, after having their own needs addressed by nurturing programs in the church.
Soon after the GC Office of Women’s Ministries was in place, a 30-member Women’s Ministries World Advisory was appointed, representing more than 18 different cultures and ethnic groups. It meets quarterly. Also, both Otis and Sterndale are members of the GC Committee.
Six of the 11 divisions worldwide have appointed women leaders to provide direction to the ministries of women: Thelma Nortey, Africa-Indian Ocean Division, provides leadership to tens of thousands of evangelistic-minded women; Dr. Nancy Bassham, Far Eastern Division, has motivated literally thousands of women to become involved in various ministries that resulted in 13,601 baptisms between 1991 and 1992; Ludmila Krushenitskya, Euro-Asia Division, pioneers programs for women where the church is undergoing dramatic growth and where women’s ministries is playing a role in nurturing and discipling the influx of new members; Elizabeth Sterndale and Ramona Perez Greek, North American Division, work toward improving the potential and full utilization of the gifts of women in the church, thus maximizing the advancement of the church’s mission; Carole Ferch-Johnson, South Pacific Division, established women’s ministries through the organization of training seminars for women, and prayer ministries; Birthe Kendel, Trans-European Division, is developing new programs in various parts of Europe and Scandinavia; Valerie Fidelia, Middle East Union, is the newly elected leader meeting the needs of women in the mecca of Muslim experience.
The mission of the General Conference Office of Women’s Ministries is to uphold, encourage, and challenge SDA women as disciples of Jesus Christ, and to uplift Him. Specifically, to elevate women as persons of inestimable worth in Christ, to deepen their faith, build networks among women and encourage bonds of friendship, mentor the younger woman, address perspectives to the issues facing the world church, expand avenues of dynamic Christian service for women, and challenge each SDA woman with her potential to complement the gifts given to others and to work side by side in furthering the Global Mission of the church.
Women’s greatest participation in church leadership clusters around 1915, the year of Ellen White’s death. The changing patterns of the roles of women in leadership indicate increased involvement from 1900 to approximately the early 1940s, when a clear decline occurs. Records indicate there were almost no women in leadership again until 1985. Statistics reflect the slowly reexpanding role of women within the church. In 1970, 17 women served in administrative posts at the General Conference, NAD, union, and conference levels. In 1991 there were 131.
Regarding women in pastoral ministry, the topic of women’s ordination has passed through a series of recommendations, study commissions, ad hoc commissions, and General Conference sessions. The issue was voted down 1,173 to 377 by the delegates of the world church at the 1990 General Conference session. Although the church has not seen fit to ordain women, a growing number of women are accepting calls to minister as pastors/associates and chaplains.
Many women, too numerous to mention by name, have been pioneers and visionaries helping to build up the church, laboring and accomplishing in areas as diverse as publishing, home missionary work, Sabbath school, administration, finances, medicine, education, evangelism, and the pastoral ministry. Each has contributed a significant difference to the church, assisting in making it what it is today. Women have taken the counsel in the book Evangelism , page 469, seriously, “When a great and decisive work is to be done, God chooses men and women to do this work, and it will feel the loss if the talents of both are not combined.” “The Lord has a work for women as well as for men. . . . They can do in families a work that men cannot do, a work that reaches the inner life. They can come close to the hearts of those whom men cannot reach. Their labor is needed” ( Welfare Ministry , p. 145).