It has been somewhat of a mystery to many people as to why the Seventh-day Adventist church, which had as one of its primary pioneer figures, the ministry of the woman Ellen G. White, should not be training, utilizing, and ordaining women as pastors on equal basis with their male counterparts. We present material on the issues surrounding women in ministry in the light of the Biblical witness and the practices of both the early Christian church and of the SDA church throughout the years of its history.  Click on the titles below to access the material.

  Called by God, (published 1980), by Dr. Josephine Benton.

At the time of writing, Dr. Benton was a professor of communication at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland. Prior to that, Dr. Benton served as associate pastor of Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1973 to 1979, and as pastor of the Rockville, Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1979 to 1982. Called by God brings together the stories of some of the women who have served the Seventh-day Adventist Church in ministerial capacities over more than a century.  Now out of print, we have the full text for your on-line reading.

Women in Ministry: Biblical and Historical Perspectives. Special Committee, SDA Theological Seminary, Nancy Vyhmeister, editor. Andrews University Press, Berrien Springs, Michigan, 1998.

Women in Ministry, produced by the SDA Theological Seminary Special Committee, discusses not only questions of ordaining women to ministry, but also general aspects of ministry and ordination, exploring not only scripture, but church teaching and practice, especially that of  its own Seventh-day Adventist denomination.  

While we do not have the complete book available for on-line reading, we do have the full Table of Contents and contributor profiles so you can see the range of topics and meet the authors, other introductory and review material, and even some whole chapters, including those by Jerry Moon, Raoul Dederen, and Richard Davidson.  We also have links to on-line order information for your convenience in obtaining a copy of the complete book 

The Welcome Table: Setting a Place for Ordained Women. edited by Patricia A. Habada and Rebecca Frost Brillhart, TEAM Press, Langley Park, Maryland, 1995

We have three of the 14 essays that comprise this out-of-print book for your on-line reading. 

• Bert Haloviak: Chapter 1: A Place at the Table: Women and the Early Years
• Kit Watts: Chapter 2 Moving Away From the Table: A Survey of Historical Factors Affecting Women Leaders
• Kit Watts: Appendix 5 An Outline of the History of Seventh-day Adventists and the Ordination of Women

Articles: 

• Bert Haloviak:  The Internal Revenue Service and the Redefinition of Adventist Ministry
• Fritz Guy: The Moral Imperative To Ordain Women In Ministry
• Annick Brennen: Sub-Ordination or Ordination of Women?
• Annick Brennen: Ordination of Women—Authority and Practicality

Adventist Today Articles on Biblical Interpretation and Women's Ordination: 

A series of three papers published in the Jan/Feb 1996 issue of Adventist Today..

• Introduction
• Ivan Blazen: Women, Culture and Christ
• David Larson: The Wesleyan Quadrilateral
• Leon Mashchak: God says what He means and He means what He says.

Women in Ministry in North America

• Subcommittee of the La Sierra University Church Board. Why Should the La Sierra University Church Ordain Women for Gospel Ministry?
• Steve Daily: La Sierra Church Brings Closure to Debate, Celebrates Special Ordination
• News report. Loma Linda Victoria Church Ordains Woman Pastor
• James Walters and Ervin Taylor: California Churches Move Ahead on Ordination Conference’s Members Still Divided
• Emily Tillotson: College Church Pursues Equality in Ministry
• Georgia Hodgkin: NAD Commission Encourages, Affirms, and Advances Women
• Adventist Today articles:
• Survey. Women on the Ministerial Track
• Raymond Cottrell: First Women’s Resource Center Opens at La Sierra
• Colleen Moore Tinker: AAW and TEAM Face Change
• Adventist Today News: Southeastern California Conference Supports Women in Ministry with Ordination Initiative

Women and the Church: Resource List  A list of papers available from TEAM (Time for Equality in Adventist Ministry), P.O. Box 7816, Langley Park, MD 20787, 301-445-3340.