For the last five years Fred had been running the family business he and his twin sister inherited from their father. Frankly, the business was doing okay but, no matter what Fred tried, it seemed to be stalled and he wasn’t able to move the store to the next level.
His co-owner twin sister Betty helped in the story every day, assisting Fred in whatever he asked. Because their father had made them co-owners, Betty shared equally in the profits but not in the responsibility for running things. It wasn’t that she didn’t have ideas—she did! Lots of them! But anytime she’d try to share an idea diplomatically with her brother, he waved her off and typically made a comment like, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it. I think dad wanted me to take responsibility for the store so you wouldn’t have to worry. Just leave it to me. I’ll do fine.”
Fred didn’t seem to mind all the ways Betty helped at the store—he couldn’t have made it without her—but none of them had to do with making plans or decisions that effected the actual operation of the business. Actually, Betty’s double major in college was business administration and marketing but Fred was so adamant that it was his job to lead and her job to be supportive that Betty’s training and the creative ideas she brought up didn’t seem to matter at all.
Several times Betty tried to get her brother to share some of the control, but every time he rebuffed her—not in an angry or bullying way, but it did seem to be related to Fred’s view of masculinity and his belief that women shouldn’t have to carry the burdens of being in charge . . . except that he gladly deferred to his wife Janice the responsibility for keeping the home base running smoothly so he didn’t have to get involved in mundane things like meals, cleaning, etc.
One day Betty worked up the courage to ask her brother, “Why do you think dad wanted you to run the business without including me in any of the most important decisions? What did he ever say to indicate that?”
Fred thought for a what seemed like a long time. “Well Betty,” he replied, “I know dad was very specific that the business belonged to both of us 50/50 and he talked a lot about his desire for it to be a full partnership.”
“Yes,” Betty responded, “I remember those things very well.”
“But,” Fred continued, “there were two times when he made statements that seemed clearly to imply that I was supposed to take charge. I realize that one could debate what he meant and that those statements could even appear to contradict what he said about a ‘partnership,’ but based on my understanding of those statements, I feel absolutely sure that he wanted me to be the CEO. But don’t forget, all the profits are divided right down the middle – 50/50, and that will never change.”
Betty wanted to say more, especially about how their father’s two statements might be understood in a very different way, but she knew that Fred was pretty closed-minded about it and she might as well swallow and accept it for now . . . even though she knew she had some ideas that could really help the business.
Three weeks later, Fred had a totally unexpected heart attack—a big one! It was touch and go for three days and the ICU doctors were up-front that Fred might not make it. But then Fred rallied and the doctors were much more optimistic about the prognosis. When he was finally released from the hospital after a month, the doctors had a very serious talk with him and Janice. “Fred,” Dr. Savario was very serious as he spoke, “You almost died. If you follow my directions I believe you will eventually be at least back to 90%, but for now I’m ordering you to another month of bed rest at home, and then taking it really easy for at least a couple more months after that.”
“That’s impossible,” Fred objected. “Our business is probably already suffering from my absence. I’ve got to get back to work as soon as possible . . . no later than a week.”
“Well,” Dr. Savario said, “I can’t forceyou to follow my directions, but so you understand how serious I am, I believe that if you go back to work too soon, you will die. I don’t know how to say it any more plainly than that.”
Janice, Fred’s wife, responded with tears forming at the corners of her big hazel eyes: “Honey, you’ve got to listen to the doctor. I want you to live. I don’t care what happens to the business. Besides, who do you think has been running the business while you were in the hospital? Betty’s been doing it all, and she’s doing just fine.”
Actually “just fine” was an understatement. In the three weeks Betty had been operating the store by herself, she introduced a new line of products for women, had a big storewide sale, launched an advertising campaign, and met with all the employees to motivate them to step up the customer service. It was only three weeks, but profits were up 32% with no sign of tapering off.
Betty and Janice had talked on the phone every day so Janice could assure her husband that all was well. But now, with the surge of business, they began to be a little afraid that Fred might be intimidated by Betty’s success, and might feel like he had to get back to work to prove his value . . . or perhaps to protect his turf as the CEO?
If you’ve read this far, just in case you haven’t guessed, this is an imaginary story I dreamed up to make a point. Until relatively recent in world history, it’s been pretty well accepted around the world that men are supposed to be leaders and women are best suited for a supporting role. The 2018 list of Fortune 500 companies includes only 24 led by women (less than 5%). In churches, only one of eleven pastors are women (less than 10%). Through the years many Christians have defended this arrangement by arguing that God designed men and women that way. Men, they assert, are supposed to lead and women should follow.
Among professing Christians, male leadership is commonly asserted to be consistent with God’s creation design for men and women. Many people would be surprised to learn that this arrangement is mostly based on just two paragraphs from the Bible – paragraphs which many argue have been misleadingly translated into English by all-male, patriarchy-supporting male translators, and that the interpretation of those two passages is hotly debated among people who believe the Bible. Other Bible passages used to support the male-over-female arrangement are even more controversial. Many believe that the patriarchy-supporting interpretations are easily demonstrated to be inaccurate if not deceptive, and that the Scriptures, rightly interpreted, emphasize the full and complete partnership of women with men.
What if the church, like Fred and Betty’s business, is limping along, when it could be thriving if 50% of its members were not excluded from full partnership in the leadership of the church? What if the Bible, correctly interpreted, fully empowers women to serve alongside men in every way?
What if all the Bettys in the church were suddenly empowered to use their God-given abilities as full partners with men? Could it be that the church, like Fred and Betty’s business, would thrive in new ways because the God-designed feminine perspective and abilities were unleashed?
After nearly 50 years of preaching and teaching to thousands of people that men should lead the church and women should support their leadership, a series of events moved me to take a serious look at this topic in the Scriptures with an open mind. My recently published book describes my journey to discover what the Bible actually says about gender roles and the shocking and transformational things I learned. To learn more about “Should Women Be Pastors and Leaders in Church?” check out my website at pastorbillrudd.com. The book is available in all formats from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Westbow Press, and signed book copies from me.
