Dear Brethren:
Many years ago the Lord's prophet said that there ought to be twenty women where now there is one serving in the gospel ministry (Evangelism, pp. 471, 472). She was equally emphatic that these women ought to be paid from the sacred tithe money. "This question is not for men to settle," she wrote. "The Lord has settled it."—Ibid., p. 492.
In her delineation of this work she outlined what we today would call a job description, stressing the work of personal ministry in the home, the giving of Bible studies, for which many women are uniquely qualified. She also noted that there were some men who would do well to enter this specialized ministry (see Evangelism, pp. 464-473).
For many years these professional women ministers were referred to as Bible workers. In the heyday of long-term evangelism, Bible workers were considered a vital part of the team, and no successful evangelist wanted to be without one.
Gradually a change came. The image of this exciting and challenging profession began to suffer. Thinking that a different name might inject new life, the General Conference in 1942 changed the name from "Bible worker" to "Bible instructor." Unfortunately the change in name did not seem to stick. Even now, after nearly forty years, many still refer to us as Bible workers.
During the decades of the fifties and sixties the Seventh-day Adventist Church was growing rapidly, and the ministerial working force in the North American Division increased by about 37 percent (from 2,645 licensed and ordained ministers in 1950 to 3,618 in 1970). But during the same period the number of women in the church's professional ministry, whether called Bible workers or Bible instructors, declined about 22 percent (from 174 in 1950 to 135 in 1970).
Now here we are in 1979. A whole new generation is on the scene. New attitudes toward male and female roles, altered mores, and a changing society have swept us into a very different world than we knew even a few years ago. Yet the status of the Bible instructor has changed but little. We are still hearing the same reasons for not hiring women that were heard in Ellen White's day. While we spend money for all types of worthy programs for the finishing of God's work, we still "do not have funds" for hiring the effective personal workers known as Bible instructors. Be cause of this situation some of our most promising young people have not entered this important work, although many were initially attracted to it.
Thinking that yet another change in name might somehow revitalize this deplorable situation, the Autumn Council in 1977 voted to "set up a program for Seminary-trained women, formerly called 'Bible instructors,' to serve local congregations as 'associates in pastoral care.'"—See "An Interview with Neal Wilson," Lake Union Herald, Dec. 5, 1978. We hope it will not take another forty years (should time last) to make the transition to a new title!
However, dear brethren, our great concern is not what you call us. Call us what you please—but please call us! The nature of this profession must not change. It is of the utmost importance that the work of soul winning and personal evangelism so carefully outlined by Ellen White remain the blueprint for women and men engaged in this specialized ministry. We need to take seriously the counsel that women in the ministry, doing the work of God, are to be paid from the tithe money as verily as are their ministerial brethren. Our response to these matters must not be based on the standards of the world nor on pressures of society in the area of women's rights. Rather our response must be based on what is best for God's work and on what is right.
We appeal to you, our leaders. Call us what you please—Bible workers, Bible instructors, or associates in pastoral care! But please, don't forget to call us to the work we believe God has called us to do!
