11/03/2024
Women from across the Church of England are calling for a church that reflects the diversity of God as we celebrate 30 years since women were first ordained to the priesthood.
In a series of videos to mark the occasion, women from across the Church talk about their wish to see a Church that represents the diversity of God.
Speaking about her vision for the future of the Church, the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally said: “we will see a leadership that properly represents the diversity of God”.
The importance of diversity was reflected in the writer and theologian Chine McDonald’s video on how the visibility of women in positions of power had changed.
“I also love that women today, black women today, represent the face of the Church of England globally” she says.
“I’m proud to think about a church of the future in which these women are leading from the front, as well as the back, as well as invisibly.”
The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek speaks of her hope for the Anglican Communion that “women will be able to be who they’ve been called to be.
“So, I hope within that we will see more women in positions of leadership, more lay women in positions of leadership,” she says.
The Rev Alice Smith, a Deacon from the Diocese of Chelmsford, speaks about the importance of others encouraging her vocations - firstly her youth workers and later those who encouraged her to explore becoming a Deacon saying this enabled her to be “free to minister with the fullness of who I am and have always been, where my dual vocations merge.”
She finishes by saying she was “looking back with huge thankfulness for the examples and opportunities given to us over the last 30 years.”
The Rev Aggy Palairet, from the Diocese of Coventry, speaks about the diversity of callings within the church.
“It’s not just ordained ministry its lay ministry, all of us has a part to play in God’s plan.”
These videos and more can be found on the Church of England's Instagram page.