Wisdom for Women of Worth and Worship

One Lady Pastor’s Perspective

by Pastor Natalie A. Francisco, Ed. D.

Co-Pastor/Minister of Music, Calvary Community Church, Hampton, VA

Founder/Executive Director, Women of Worth & Worship, LLC

Author, Wisdom for Women of Worth & Worship:

Lessons for a Life of Virtue, Value & Victory

(Available Online and in Bookstores)

What are the implications of being a female pastor in the 21^st century? To be quite honest, both the best and the worst prevail at the same time.  Incredible joys juxtaposed by the incredulous jeers of others who even in this day and time assert that women are to be silent in the church and prohibit them from preaching or teaching behind the sacred desk.  This causes both delight and despair in the minds and hearts of women who only desire to heed and obey God’s call upon their lives.  Such is my dilemma as a co-pastor who happens to be female.

I have been involved in full-time ministry since the age of twelve.  It was then that I received the gift of playing the piano after being prayed for and having my hands anointed with oil by my former pastor (who ended up being my father-in-law years later).  I loved the Lord with all my heart and promised Him then that I would always use my gifts for Him. I accompanied and directed four choirs, organized a worship team and taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School during my teen years.  Little did I know that God was preparing me at a young age for greater works as a future pastor’s wife, co-founder of a Christian school and Bible College, an ordained minister, and the first female pastor in our church’s history.  Those who are “the first” in anything also serve as trailblazers who are called to greatness at the expense of great suffering and sacrifice.

Many pastor’s wives and female pastors have expressed to me how they too have experienced both ends of the spectrum – finding fulfillment in their God-given gift of teaching or preaching but yet being ostracized by those who take Paul’s statement made to a few women who were causing dissension in the city of Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:34) as a doctrinal license to silence women of the past, present and future, thereby forbidding them to serve in any spiritual leadership role.  The horrendous mistake of taking this scripture out of context to suppress the gifts of women has caused many to become angry, antagonized, bewildered and bitter, perhaps rightfully and certainly regrettably so.  No woman or man for that matter can truly minister effectively with integrity if such heart issues are not yielded to and healed by God.

I have been to several churches where I was only allowed to speak from a podium placed on the floor because women were not allowed in the pulpit.  I have also attended churches with my husband to support him as the guest preacher, and although both of us are ordained and have celebrated 23 years of pastoral ministry, he was ushered to the pulpit to sit with other licensed and ordained men while I was escorted to the pew to sit where I (allegedly) belonged – with the women.  I cannot say that experiencing such dichotomy and dissonance has not taken its toll upon me, for I would be disingenuous in expressing the truth of my journey.  However, I have learned over the years to sing, teach and preach wherever God allows, and the platform whether on the floor or in the pulpit, has taken a back seat to God’s Spirit working through me as the prophet Joel proclaimed.  I no longer focus on the double standards that exist throughout Christendom, but rather upon God who created, called, equipped and empowered me to proclaim the good news of the Gospel to a lost and dying world consisting of men, women, boys and girls who need a Savior.

What is it like to be a female pastor in the 21^st century?  It is both a blessing and a burden at times, but it is truly rewarding as I embody and expect the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29 and Galatians 3:28-29 in my own life as well as in the lives of others.  Hence, I encourage everyone to embrace God’s Word in its entirety and to dismantle discrimination and doctrinal dogmas by celebrating the call of God upon the lives of His servants, irrespective of gender (and that, my brothers and sisters, is a daily choice).