(RNS) Minister moms split between pulpit and toilet training

Despite the growing acceptance of a woman in the pulpit, congregants often worry about how the church will deal with her absence when her baby is born. When Cornwell took eight weeks of maternity leave, she arranged for others to fill in on Sunday mornings.

“You always have this issue if the young woman you hire ”¦ gets pregnant, then who’s going to take care of their church?” said Adair Lummis, a sociologist at Hartford Seminary who has studied women clergy.

The Rev. Tonya Vickery of Cullowhee Baptist Church in Cullowhee, N.C., said she and her co-pastor husband split parenting and pastoral duties between them, with each of them baptizing one of their two daughters.

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Posted in * Christian Life / Church Life, * Culture-Watch, * Religion News & Commentary, Children, Marriage & Family, Ministry of the Ordained, Other Churches, Parish Ministry, Religion & Culture, Women

8 comments on “(RNS) Minister moms split between pulpit and toilet training

  1. evan miller says:

    Female Baptist minister?

  2. Charles says:

    Sure. Lots of them. Just not Southern Baptist Convention. Think American Baptists, or Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

  3. evan miller says:

    Charles,
    Thanks. In my neck of the woods, “Baptist” means Southern Baptist.

  4. Creedal Episcopalian says:

    They are Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. A member of the
    [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Baptist_Covenant#Participating_organizations_and_media]”New Baptist Covenant”[/url]
    [blockquote] Former United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton proposed the establishment of a broadly inclusive alternative Baptist movement to counter the public image of Baptists as being predominantly tied to conservative political and cultural perspectives.[/blockquote]

    An unabashedly political response to the emergence of conservative Christian political power in the United States.
    Baptists can associate with whoever they want. Even in the South 😉

  5. Larry Morse says:

    Well, I favor toilet training the women first before they are launched in a pulpit. But then, I’m not a baptist. L

  6. Kubla says:

    Indeed. Think how long sermons could be if the minister were wearing a diaper and didn’t have to worry about taking a potty break!

  7. kmh1 says:

    I understand in the Church of England Post-Ordination Training (POT) for new clergy is called “potty training”!

  8. Lutheran-MS says:

    Women are not called to be pastors or priest.