richard’s comments on the glass ceiling worry me too… any wisdom on the subject welcome.
one event that got me thinking about this was when mark pierson was over last year teaching about alternative worship. but it wasn’t billed as that – it was billed as art and spirituality and it drew more women than men.. whereas i figured that if it had been billed alternative worship that probably wouldn’t have been the case.
well is the issue about attraction, or about leadership, or both?
the works I’ve been part of have been on the leading edge of alt worship and more in mainline churches starting new service directions. in those cases the billing has been on artisitic and experential forms of worship and there has been no issue attracting women. however, my limited experience of alt worship lef me with the impression of services very dependent upon technology and I can imagine that being less attractive.
that said the issue of women in leadership in new directions of worship is interesting and leaves me wondering if this may be a relic of the fact that many in alt worship have come from youth ministry backgrounds and have some sort of baggage that needs to be critiqued.
…”one event that got me thinking about this was when mark pierson was over last year teaching about alternative worship. but it wasn’t billed as that – it was billed as art and spirituality and it drew more women than men.. whereas i figured that if it had been billed alternative worship that probably wouldn’t have been the case”…
Certainly some of the women there came because of a perceived link with the arts and spirituality, but as for me – I would have gone to that Mark Pierson conference whatever it was billed as! I am lucky enough to have worked with the amazing Simon Smith at UpLate in Thame, who was himself inspired by Mark Pierson, so I knew why I was going – to get to the heart of the vision.
And one of the key elements of alternative worship, for me at least, is the FREEDOM it offers individuals to be CREATIVE in the context of your CHRISTIAN faith.
I would suggest that if you are a creative Christian, looking for a way of expressing your faith in a way that makes sense to the world around you, then you will find your home and inspiration in alternative worship, whether you are male or female.