Pioneers

Women Pastors in Mbandaka

Sunday afternoons and evenings are sacred for many pastors, this one included.  After a busy morning leading worship and “tending the flock,” rest is much needed and much deserved.  The Sunday we were in Mbandaka, a group of pastors were kind enough to take their own Sabbath time to meet with us.  Later in the week we would meet with a large group of the pastors of the Mbandaka Post, but this evening we were meeting with just 4 pastors.  They were 4 of the 5 women pastoring churches in Mbandaka.  As a woman in ministry in the United States, I was particularly interested in this group of extraordinary women.

We sat and talked with these women and cooed at Noella, the baby one of the women brought with her, I felt as though I was in the midst of sisters.  Our conversation quickly turned to ministry. What was most remarkable about these women was how much their experiences mirrored the experiences of women in ministry outside of Congo.

Each woman talked about the challenge of being appointed to a church that was not altogether welcoming. They talked about struggling to claim their authority within a church not used to women in leadership. They live in a culture that is just beginning to accept women in careers outside of the home, a culture that is just beginning to allow women to get an education. As I pondered their strength, I thought about the women who came before me in ministry. I gave thanks for their faithfulness to their call and willingness to be pioneers. I am grateful that I do not have to endure many of these struggles because so many women before me paved the way. In my formative years, the associate minister at my church was a woman. I watched her lead worship, preside at the table, teach the Bible, and preach from the pulpit. I never for a moment doubted that I could be a pastor.  Yet I am also grateful for the strong women I call colleagues today.  Women with whom I can share my frustrations and my successes in ministry.  As I listened to these women of the Mbandaka district talk about the support they draw from one another, the ones who truly understand what they are up against, I felt even more gratitude for the witness of mentors and colleagues in my life. 

Welcome at Besenge Parish in Mbandaka

Together we shared our experiences of joy and struggle in ministry. Maybe it should not have surprised me to hear them speak about many of my own joys and struggles in ministry. We talked about balance between career and our home and family. We talked about long, strange hours spent with parishioners and preparing for worship.

But we also shared stories of the honor of a calling to serve God.  The delight of building relationships rooted in Christ, of building God’s kingdom on earth.

Cheryl preaches at Mbandaka III

I was humbled by these women. But more than anything I walked away knowing that while we live on different continents and we function in different cultures, we are all serving the same God, we are spreading the same gospel of grace and unity.  As we sat in the waning light of a busy Sabbath day, I realized that we are living the unity of Jesus Christ. What we have in common in Christ is far more powerful that the worldly experiences that divide us. Each time I put on my robe and stole, each time I step into the pulpit or into a classroom, I will draw strength from these women and I will pray for my sisters in Christ in robes, pulpits and classrooms in Mbandaka and at home.

Reflection by Cheryl Russell on the June 8 conversation with women pastors in Mbandaka.