Women, ministry, and identity: establishing female deacons at First Baptist Church, Waco, Texas.

Numerous factors contribute to understanding Baptist identity, including theology, ethnicity, class, region, and political environment. This article focuses on changing gender roles in Baptist leadership as part of the evolving identity of Baptists.

In 1996, First Baptist Church of Waco, Texas, ordained its first women deacons--Doris Smith and Amanda Smith (the women are not related). The church, once viewed as socially conservative, has since moved rapidly to elect more women to this leadership position every year since the process began. By July 2003, twenty-four of the church's 130 deacons were women.

Thesis and Sources

This article documents a major change in one local Baptist church. The research relies primarily on interviews with six key participants--four women deacons (Doris Smith, Amanda Smith, Doriss Hambrick, and Anita Rolf), the pastor (Scott Walker), and a former deacon chairman (Alton Pearson). Other participants in the process, as well as records of deacons' meetings and policy papers adopted by the church, were also consulted. The story not only addresses a significant change at First Baptist Church, Waco; it may also be viewed as a case study important to current Baptist identity--a change that other twenty-first-century Baptist churches are encountering and must decide whether to adopt, reject, or avoid.

Significant new opportunities opened for women in the United States in the 1960s. (1) Acceptance of women in church leadership roles was part of that social change. (2) Yet, women holding church leadership positions still seems novel for many Baptist churches in the southern United States.

Precedents

Precedents for women deacons at First Baptist, Waco, may be found in the church well over one hundred years ago. In 1877, B. H. Carroll, pastor of the church, not only argued that deaconesses had a biblical basis; he also supported the office of deaconess in the church. Beginning in April 1877, First Baptist had deaconesses serving in several capacities, but they did so without ordination. Members now regularly cite this early precedent for women serving in diaconal roles.

Several other Waco churches--both Baptist and non-Baptist--began ordaining women as deacons in the 1960s and in the years following. In 1975, Lake Shore Baptist Church elected women deacons; Seventh and James Baptist Church followed in 1980. (3) Several of the interviewees cited the importance of this precedent in their willingness to elect women as deacons at First Baptist; others reported influence from female family members and friends who were serving as deacons in other cities.

Discussing New Directions

In order for a change to occur, the idea first has to be planted. Doris Smith remembered that one Wednesday night during a church prayer meeting, Peter McLeod, a former pastor of First Baptist, asked members to think about possibilities for the future of the church. One of the possibilities he suggested was the election of women as deacons. Doris recalled a church member being terribly upset by this suggestion. She and her husband followed him out to the car to reassure him that this was just a possibility, not a proposal. Yet, the offended member left the church and soon joined Columbus Avenue Baptist Church. (4)

Alton Pearson cited as an example of the church's growing consciousness of the issue a discussion in his Sunday School class that was led by Bob Patterson, professor of theology in the Department of Religion at Baylor University. (5) When Doriss Hambrick first heard the suggestion to include women as deacons, she said that she "didn't think it would happen," (6) and she was surprised by the suggestion and skeptical about its implementation.

Ironically, Doris Smith, one of the first women elected, believed that it would "never happen." (7) Why the high level of skepticism? Hambrick believed the answer lay in the influence of a traditional view of Southern culture and of Baptists in the South, both generally seen as socially conservative. In the church in which she grew up, near Amarillo, Texas, "women didn't speak in church." Moreover, "they didn't ask to" do so. (8) They would sing in the choir and play instruments in church, and they would work in the Sunday School. But they held no formal leadership positions. This situation prevailed despite the fact that there were not enough men to carry out the tasks of the church. This understanding of Southern culture recurred in many of the interviews completed, and it explained why women were not a part of the deacon bodies in the Baptist churches of the South. (9) The culture of male leadership in the churches prevailed and was not challenged by either men or women. Changing the church's practice and thought on this issue thus represented a decisive shift--a new model of leadership, authority, power, and ministry in the local Baptist churches in the South. From the broad perspective of church history, Christians have witnessed and participated during the past half century a major revolution in the organization and identity of churches. This revolution is now influencing some Baptist churches in the southern United States.

The Pastor

The role of a new pastor was decisive in extending deaconship to women. Anita Rolf remembered exactly when the idea that women should be ordained as deacons first dawned on her. She was part of the Pastor Search Committee that interviewed Scott Walker. In the process of the interviews, he indicated that he would support the election of women deacons. As Rolf recalled, his statements planted a seed in the minds of several church leaders and opened the door to change. (10)

Walker accepted the invitation of the church to become its pastor in 1994. Several experiences led him to welcome women deacons. Walker had grown up as a missionary child in the Philippines, where he experienced what he calls a "macho" culture that was nevertheless greatly dependent on strong roles for women in the home. Moreover, in the fledgling Protestant churches in the predominately Catholic society of the Philippines, missionaries relied heavily on women to carry out church work. Walker completed his seminary training at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which during his time there as a student encouraged women who were preparing for the ministry. F. F. Bruce, a New Testament scholar at the seminary, helped Walker resolve the scriptural question concerning the ordination of women as deacons. Bruce argued that both men and women clearly served as deacons in the early New Testament church. Finally, Walker's earlier pastorates were in Athens, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, and both churches had women serving as deacons. (11) Thus, by training, practice, and conviction, the new pastor was prepared to support a change at First Baptist.

Despite his personal understanding of the issue, Walker was apprehensive about introducing the idea to his new church. (12) While supportive of a gender-inclusive deacon body, he was hesitant to appear to be pushing an agenda, and he worried about the timing in introducing the issue. Nevertheless, the church was seriously discussing the issue within eighteen months of his arrival. (13)

According to Amanda Smith, the new "vision" brought to the church by Walker was essential for the change to occur. She believed that someone had to have the idea and to provide leadership in the process, and she further noted that Walker was the initiator and the driving force behind the decision to elect women deacons. (14) Walker, on the other hand, attributed the shift to lay leadership, (15) and lay leadership did, in fact, prove to be critical to the process.

In order to move from idea to practice, a proposal would have to be developed and accepted in three stages: (1) a committee would be appointed to reexamine criteria for deacon selection; (2) the deacon body would have to decide about the possibility of ordaining women; and (3) the church would have to vote on the issue.

Deacon Selection Criteria Committee

The deacon chair, Kent Starr, initiated the change in 1994 by appointing a committee that was given the task of reexamining deacon criteria, which had been debated repeatedly in the preceding two decades. The same criteria, however, surfaced every time a new group of deacons was nominated. Those criteria were based on answers to the following questions: Does the candidate drink alcoholic beverages? Does the candidate tithe? Has the candidate ever been divorced?

Starr appointed Clyde Hart to chair the new committee. Alton Pearson, former deacon chair, thought Hart, the Baylor track coach, was an ideal choice since he was accustomed to working in compliance with "a lot of regulations." Hart, Pearson believed, could be objective in applying the guidelines of the church. Hart's father was a Baptist minister, who in 1994 in his nineties supported women deacons. (16) Under Hart's leadership, the committee met for eighteen months, and when the committee rewrote the deacon selection policy document, the criteria for deacons no longer focused on the specifics of alcohol, tithing, or divorce. Instead, the document stated that the purpose of the deacon was to be a servant, and rather than citing particulars, the document cited the general biblical criteria that a deacon should be of "good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom" (Acts 6:3). The policy made specific mention of women deacons. In the section on transfer deacons, the document read, "A deacon who has been ordained by another Baptist church and has transferred his or her membership to First Baptist Church of Waco may also be recommended to the Deacon Selection Committee." (17) Thus, the issue had been discussed by this committee. Women, as well as men, were envisioned in the deacon transfer process, which thereby opened the way for electing women as deacons.

Debate in Deacons' Meeting

Alton Pearson, retired president of Hillcrest Baptist Hospital, became chairman of the deacons during this time period. Pearson has been credited by many of those interviewed with providing leadership essential for leading the church through the process of electing women deacons. Pearson himself took a broad view of deacon selection. He bluntly stated, "We needed new blood. I looked at that crowd, and they were old. We needed young men, and we needed women." (18)

Pearson first presented a pragmatic argument to the deacon body that included the possibility of women serving alongside the men. Second, he provided practical procedural advice when he suggested that the church survey the practice of other churches. Third, he noted that he had worked with women in the hospital and found them capable. "Deacons,"' he said, "are for service, not to run the church"; he resisted the image of a board of deacons that existed merely to make financial decisions. Fourth, Pearson resolved the hermeneutical question relating to divorce. When looking to the Bible for guidance, he held strongly to the sentiment that people should not sit in judgment of one another. He noted that divorce was common in American society and that the church had many members who, although divorced, served well. Fifth and finally, he noted that the committee had created a provision for active and inactive deacons, thereby allowing people to remain deacons in name but withdraw from active service if they disapproved of the change.

The new policy proposal was presented to the deacon body on May 13, 1996. Committee Chairman Clyde Hart recommended adoption of the policy. One deacon asked that the traditional biblical texts, Acts 6:1-6 and 1 Timothy 3:8-13, be included in the new document. The deacons accepted this amendment. (19) Another deacon offered a minority report from the committee. He stated that it was a mistake to emphasize broad general criteria, because such a policy would open the way to selection of "mediocre people." A third deacon read aloud the Timothy passage and simply said, "My Bible tells me these are the requirements." The pastor spoke to the issue, emphasizing that although the committee members did not all agree, they were seeking to find common ground in order "to give a unified direction to the church." (20) The deacons then voted on the new deacon policy document; it passed with a vote of 41 to 17, since a two-thirds majority was required for policy changes.

The deacon minutes do not record any discussion of women. The drafters of the new policy document referenced the biblical texts and chose to emphasize the broader requirement of "good reputation" for deacons, thereby shifting qualifications from specific disqualifiers to service as the key criteria and also thereby opening the way for women to serve as deacons. The church and the deacon selection committee would soon nominate women to serve--but not before a public airing of the issue.

The Response of the Church

The final stage in the process was now acceptance by the entire church. Since the new policy specifically mentioned the possibility of women deacons for the church, the pastor resolved to have an open public discussion of the issue. He stated that creating an appropriate review process was critical for acceptance of change, and he was especially concerned that the church stay together through this process. (21) The church devoted a Sunday evening service to discussion. Microphones were placed in the aisles of the church, and the pastor encouraged everyone who desired to speak to do so. Many people remarked on the open character of the hearing. Pearson and others believed that the honest discussion was the key to the church's acceptance of the new policy. (22)

When the new deacon criteria proposal was read at the meeting, longtime First Baptist member Emmy Parrish said as a very audible aside, "It's about time!" Amanda Smith remembered that at the meeting the proposal was "never a contested thing." (23) Pearson recalled positive support for the proposal from retired religion professor Eddie Dwyer. (24) Doris Smith stated that "everyone who wanted to, stood and talked." (25) At the meeting, most public comments about the proposal were favorable. Yet, resistance to the proposal that had surfaced in the earlier deacons' meeting carried over into the public discussion. What occurred next at the meeting seemed to all of the interviewees the most surprising development in the course of the process. Voiced opposition to women deacons came from young people in the church, chiefly those in their thirties. (26) They were typically young married couples with children.

The rationale of the young couples for objecting to the proposed policy centered on two issues, according to Amanda Smith. First, they cited traditional biblical interpretation, and second, they voiced their belief in the tradition of the subservience of wives. (27) Pearson described their objections in slightly different language: "It was just the idea that the man is the head of the house." (28) Doris Smith reflected on the issue of biblical interpretation: "They quoted the Bible. But you know you can make your point on both sides from the Bible. They didn't make me mad because they were honest about it [their convictions]." (29) Pearson also observed that the opposition expressed was "not ugly." (30)

Four issues clearly emerged when analyzing the dynamics of this public forum. First, how will scripture be used? Over and over in church history, an interpretation has shaped thought and practice only to be challenged; reformers have always sought biblical justification for their reinterpretation. Second, the cultural traditions of male dominance were at issue. The highly committed active young members had apparently seen only male leadership in their home churches as they grew up. No other model had been considered. Third, the older church members had wider exposure to a variety of practices and were willing to support the proposal. The debate centered not only on scripture and gender but was shaped by age differences. Fourth, especially important to participants was the hope that the church preserve as much unity and harmony as possible. Thus, decorum prevailed in the meeting despite strong convictions held on both sides. Walker noted that when the vote was taken, about 90 percent voted for it. In the end, Walker recalled the church losing only two families as a result of adopting the new policy. (31)

Women Selected as Deacons

The inclusive new policy was soon implemented. The procedure for deacon selection allowed any church member to nominate any other church member, and in the next round of nominations, two women's names surfaced repeatedly: Doris Smith and Amanda Smith. These two were nominated by the committee, approved by the deacons, and elected and ordained by the church.

Doris Smith had been active at First Baptist all of her life. She enjoyed young children and spent years working with four-year-olds. In the 1960s, she and other women of the church created what has since been known as the "Sewing Class," which is an inner-city ministry. Doris had a sister and a daughter who were members of churches that had women deacons, and Doris's attorney husband, Vernon, had served as chair of the deacons at First Baptist. When asked to serve as a deacon, she expressed reservations. She thought younger women should have the opportunity, for she believed that they would attract others to the church. The pastor pressed her to serve, and she responded, "All right, but I can't be as energetic as I used to be. But maybe it's good to have an older person because no one is going to get mad at me." (32)

Amanda Smith recalled that when she was asked to serve she was shocked and humbled. Her memory of her interview with the pastor was important to her. They talked about qualifications but especially about a new program in which every deacon would be asked to pick an area of active service and participate in a particular ministry. Walker convinced her that she was needed, especially for ministry to other women. (33)

Immediate Consequences of the Election of Women Deacons

First Baptist experienced both immediate and long-term consequences as a result of this important decision. Among the immediate questions raised were: How would the election of women deacons affect the unity of the church? What specific roles for women were available? What personal impact would ordination have on these women?

The most obvious evidence of discontent in a church is whether members leave in protest to an action. Interviewees remembered only one or two families who left following the election of the first women deacons. Amanda Smith recalled that her greatest regret was that "we lost a very strong family." (34) Yet, she also emphasized a point that no one else made. She noted that earlier First Baptist had lost a family by not having women deacons. Her neighbors had moved their membership from First Baptist to St. Paul's Episcopal Church because they wanted full participation opportunities for their young daughters. Amanda was also aware that "we lost a few active deacons to inactive status as a result [of the policy change]." (35) She also recalled that once when she served communion, a man changed places with another deacon, apparently to avoid serving on the same row with her.

On the other hand, all of the women deacons interviewed named men who spoke words of encouragement to them. Undoubtedly, this change was marked by strong feelings. People adjusted one way or another, but no one could ignore the change that transpired. Several interviewees recalled that women church members expressed special appreciation for the fact that women were now involved in serving communion. The service of communion, in fact, was perhaps the most regularly commented on aspect of the change in policy by general members of the congregation. (36)

In interviewing these new deacons, I was interested in their personal feelings about the entire process. Doris Smith remembered that her Sunday night ordination was very moving--precisely the description I have heard from men for many years. The laying on of hands and the personal affirmation by many friends can hardly fail to make a powerful impression on an ordination candidate.

Longer-term Consequences of the Election of Women Deacons

The election of women deacons by First Baptist also had longer-term consequences that would affect the present and the future of the church. Including women deacons meant that the church had established important new patterns of governance, worship, and service that would influence its practice for many years ahead.

Doris Smith noted that when she now hears a complaint or rumor from other women in Sunday School, such as "They are spending on things we don't need," she intervenes to set the record straight. She is now able to diffuse potential problems created by hearsay by simply reporting the facts because she has been present in the deacons' meeting where all the proposals are discussed. (37)

All of the interviewees referred to the newly adopted deacon ministry program in which each deacon selects one of five ministries (hospital, bereavement, visitation, hospitality, or missions), and serves in that area. Each deacon interviewed had developed a strong sense of vocational service through one of these activities.

Another longer-term consequence involves women in ministry. Clearly, women will have a visible and vital role in deacon ministry in the future of First Baptist Church of Waco, and women have served on the church staff for a long time. Yet, women now have a fresh source of support in leadership from women deacons. When asked about a woman as chair of the deacons, Amanda Smith said that the idea should not be pushed for now. "Give it time," she advised. She noted that people need time to get used to the current change. (38) When asked about this experience as a case study or example for other churches, Doriss Hambrick remarked that she would not have supported the election of women deacons if it had been highly divisive, and she further stated that many Baptist churches would still find this issue to be divisive. (39)

Since 1996, women have been added to each new class of deacons. Everyone interviewed believed that the pattern will continue. The election of women deacons also paved the way for the first ordination of a female minister in the church's history. In the fall of 2000, the church ordained Rebecca Reynolds to the gospel ministry. (40)

Another consequence of the election of women deacons has been that women in the church have had an increased role and a higher visibility in worship. Women were already leading in worship by praying and reading scripture. Doriss Hambrick observed that since the first women were ordained as deacons, women had had additional leadership roles in worship. Women now give the welcome to the service, take up the offering, serve communion, and greet guests at the end of the service. "They're everywhere," she said. (41) Ordination has legitimated many new forms of leadership for the women at First Baptist.

When asked to become a deacon, Doriss Hambrick exclaimed, "O, my soul! I'll have to think about it." (42) Her teenage daughter voted against the new policy, but Doriss was influenced by Sally Firmin, her friend, who said, "It's such a shame not to be able to serve in your own church." (43) Doriss has two daughters, and she remembered wanting them to have a choice. The world was changing, and she was prepared to change with it--especially for the sake of the next generation of women, including her daughters. (44)

When asked about other women who qualify but do not serve, the response of many of those interviewed was that some older women have too many responsibilities, especially those who care for their parents. And many younger women still resist accepting the role of deacons because of cultural or biblical reasons. (45)

Doriss Hambrick observed that by including women's perspectives, some programs that are important to women, such as daycare, now get more input and support. "Women now know that money is available. Experience in the deacons' meetings helps them make decisions more readily." (46) She also noted that the older limited vision was that "we can only do what the earnings of the cookie sale will bring in." Now women in the church understood "that they could help shape and approve the budget." (47)

When the women deacon option was first broached, Anita Rolf remembered thinking, "I appreciate that; [but] I'm not there." (48) However, when asked to serve, she repeated to herself, "You are being called by the church to serve. It may be wrong theologically, but you are being called." She accepted after a struggle. Serving on the Deacon Selection Committee in 2000, Rolf was delighted to see the church elect as deacons not only women but also an Hispanic and an African American. "That was important to me," she concluded. Empowering women had paved the way to empowering others. (49)

Liberation is at work at old First Baptist. Finally, women achieved an even fuller level of empowerment in Waco Baptist churches when Julie Pennington-Russell was called as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in 1998. She was the first woman to serve as senior pastor among Baptists in the state. Dorisanne Cooper followed only eighteen months later when she became senior pastor of Lake Shore Baptist Church. (50)

Conclusion

Many factors were involved in bringing about the election of women deacons at First Baptist Church of Waco. First, leadership was critical--both clerical and lay leadership. Second, concern for unity coupled with willingness to change were essential. Third, a new hermeneutic had to be accepted by a large consensus of people. The new policy would not have been accepted if the people thought it was non-biblical. (51) The classic biblical texts were reinterpreted and placed in a larger theological context that adopted the model of deacons as servants. This interpretation made it much easier for women who were being asked to accept the new assignment. Fourth, the new program for deacons that gave women and men specific opportunities for active service contributed to the acceptance of women deacons. Fifth, and on a pragmatic note, the older men may have earned their spurs years ago, but many were inactive and had finished their effective leadership of the church. The church needed new blood for many ministries it envisioned. Sixth, cultural forces were at work. Traditional roles that limited women's leadership in the South had been undergoing steady erosion for a generation, and other progressive churches had long since made the change.

Levels of change are difficult to assess. Few people left the church. Yet, everyone was forced to confront the issue and to work through it. The new policy is probably not reversible; it is likely set for the future. To judge from the assessment of interviewees, substantial change has occurred, creating not merely a surface perception of change, but a profound shift in the lives of women and men in understanding the nature of this church. The women's revolution of the past generation has been one of the decisive shifts of modern history. It has many expressions, not the least of which are the changes in identity that is being experienced in churches. (52)

First Baptist Church of Waco was twenty years behind her sister church, Lake Shore Baptist, in ordaining women as deacons. Other denominations had ordained women long before, and many have now moved to the question of gay ordination. From this perspective, the church seems far behind the curve of social changes. On the other hand, relatively few Baptist churches in the South have taken the step to ordain women. Thus, from the perspective of ordained women deacons, First Baptist, Waco, is now clearly in the progressive camp, having affirmed leadership roles for women. This action took courage; members had to rethink the nature of the church and their identity as Baptists.

(1.) The ideas of the women's movement are most frequently traced to Betty Friedman's The Feminine Mystique (New York: Dell, 1962).

(2.) The movement in the church gathered much momentum in the 1980s. See E. A, Livingstone, ed., Concise Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), s.v. "Feminist Theology."

(3.) Carol Crawford Holcomb thoroughly examined the beginning of the ordination of women as deacons at Seventh and James Baptist Church in "Coming into a New Awareness: Women Deacons at Seventh and James Baptist Church," Texas Baptist History 18 (1988): 1-26.

(4.) Doris Smith, interview by author, February 15, 2001, tape recording, Oral History Memoir, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas.

(5.) Alton Pearson, interview by author, February 27, 2001, tape recording, Oral History Memoir, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas.

(6.) Doriss Hambrick, interview by author, February 15, 2001, tape recording, Oral History Memoir, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas.

(7.) D. Smith, interview.

(8.) Hambrick, interview.

(9.) Pearson interview; also see Anita Roll interview by author, February 13, 2001, tape recording, Oral History Memoir, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas.

(10.) Rolf, interview.

(11.) Scott Walker, interview by author, February 8, 2001, tape recording, Oral History Memoir, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas.

(12.) Pearson, interview.

(13.) Walker, interview.

(14.) Amanda Smith, interview by author, February 22, 2001, tape recording, Oral History Memoir, Baylor University Institute for Oral History, Waco, Texas. Smith also credited Larry Maddox, the church's assistant pastor, with a key leadership role. She believed that general staff support of the idea was essential for the change to occur.

(15.) Walker, interview.

(16.) Pearson, interview.

(17.) "Policy for the Election and Tenure of Deacons, First Baptist Church of Waco, Texas," May 22, 1996.

(18.) Pearson, interview.

(19.) Deacon Minutes, May 13, 1996, 1.

(20.) Ibid., 3.

(21.) Walker, interview. The concern to preserve unity and peace in the church directly affected this research, and interviewees refused to name opponents of the new policy or families that left the church.

(22.) See Pearson, Rolf, and D. Smith interviews.

(23.) A. Smith, interview

(24.) Pearson, interview.

(25.) D. Smith, interview.

(26.) See Pearson, A. Smith, and D. Smith, interviews.

(27.) A. Smith, interview

(28.) Pearson, interview.

(29.) D. Smith, interview.

(30.) Pearson, interview.

(31.) Walker, interview.

(32.) D. Smith, interview.

(33.) A. Smith, interview.

(34.) Ibid.

(35.) Ibid.

(36.) D. Smith, interview.

(37.) Ibid.

(38.) A. Smith, interview.

(39.) Hambrick, interview.

(40.) Pearson, interview.

(41.) Hambrick, interview.

(42.) Ibid.

(43.) Ibid.

(44.) Ibid.

(45.) A. Smith, interview.

(46.) Hambrick, interview.

(47.) Ibid.

(48.) Rolf, interview.

(49.) Ibid.

(50.) Terry Jo Ryan, "Lake Shore Baptist Calls Second Woman To Be Senior Pastor in Waco," Waco Tribune Herald, December 3, 2001.

(51.) A. Smith, interview.

(52.) Many of the same issues surfaced in 1981-83 when First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, made the decision to open its diaconate to women. See the pastor's account, Gene Garrison, "Baptist Women in Ministry," Folio 3 (Summer 1985): 1.

Bill Pitts is professor of religion at Baylor University, Waco, Texas.