I can only imagine

Author: Renee Ritskes

Renee Ritskes is currently serving as spiritual care practitioner in a senior’s facility in Red Deer, Alberta. Renee winks when residents introduces her as a minister's wife. Renee loves road trips, walks by the ocean, good coffee, time with family, and often can be found reading through several books at one time. Three books currently reading are Chaos and Grace by Mark Galli, The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr and Grieving Room by Leanne Friesen. Any reading recommendations?

 Ministry life began at nineteen when I vowed to follow a man I had come to know mostly through snail mail. Our story began with thousands of miles between us and a few in person dates. It’s a story of two idealistic young people ready to live out their faith and change the world. Believing if God be for us then certainly God’s people would cheer us on.

Following the wedding and the packing of a few meagre possessions we headed across the country. My man carried the title of Commended Worker in a conservative church. We were to live by faith, meaning whatever landed in the offering plate with our name, was God ordained. Even if it was nothing. At this time my only exposure to ministry life was faithfully attending a local church. Prior to marriage, I had never heard of head coverings and women wearing head coverings as symbolizing a life of submission. In our first year of ministry, we learned quickly living on love was not a sustainable lifelong plan.

We have made more moves than I’m willing to confess. We have been given various titles, served in various churches, and have directed several para church organizations. Primarily my role has been one of support but several of these roles we served as two employed co-leaders. It was not equal pay, but in all fairness to the leaders, I consented to the offered wages. Wages felt like a huge move forward in the right direction after years of serving behind the scenes.

Many of us were taught submission and service was the biblical way for women. We have made huge strides in biblical equality but this view of God, man and then woman in both home and church continues on today. A few years ago we were considering a church with a denomination we were familiar with. One of the very first questions asked was would my husband preach a sermon from the pulpit on the biblical role of woman. In other words, complementarianism with a capital “C”. There was no beating around the bush, which was appreciated as the interview was amicable but short. “

We felt a nudging to explore working equally together in a pastoral role. One by one we checked off the list – resume, interviews, an invitation to come. Done. Writing our acceptance letter was more challenging than we imagined as we requested the status, employee as co-pastors. Long story short, we arrived and within months we all became aware of the ongoing ambiguity of women in ministry. The struggle is real. How good it was to work with men who were open to God and willing to seek for truth. Not easy but so good.

We have come to understand change may take years and even generations. Unlearning deep rooted beliefs is not for the faint of heart. Not for a woman, nor for a man. Remember the Bill Gothard frenzy? Many women took this to heart but I believe many men did as well. As a twosome team in ministry, we have had many angst moments of unlearning and working our way to a healthier biblical view in regards to equality. At times the journey has been messy as we both have needed to work through our traditional views and roles. We are reminded in I Peter 4:15. “But do this with gentleness and respect.”

Recently I found myself revisiting the story of Rosa Parks. Most of you are familiar with the story. An old black woman on her way home from work in sheer exhaustion stepped into the bus and plopped herself down on a front row seat. It was a time when laws dictated front seats were reserved for the whites and the few backseats were for the blacks. Rosa was a black woman. And if 42 is old then she was old. Rosa is known to be the mother of civil rights movement.

Change in the church is happening. In the waiting we often miss the little things. Rosa’s story reminds me of the power of one. One woman. One decision to sit down. One act began the movement of equality for black people. I wonder. What would church look like if we lived out biblical equality?

“Now to Him who can do immeasurably more than we can ever imagine.”