Single Women in Ministry

Pretend you are the owner a huge vineyard. It is harvest season and your vines are loaded. You are desperate for harvesters because if you don't get the grapes in they will begin to rot. At this point would you think twice about hiring a single woman to help with the harvest? I think not. I don't think any wise vineyard owner would turn away a perfectly capable harvester. That sounds more like something the tradition-ridden manager would do.

The Lord mentions the size of the harvest and limited number of workers multiple time in the Bible (Luke 10:2, Matthew 9:37). Because of his concern for the lost I don't think he would turn away any willing worker.

"Tradition-ridden manager" a.k.a "The Church." Christendom as a whole has made it very difficult for single women to be in ministry. I know that many denominations now certify women but that is just the beginning of fixing the problem.

I was at a minister retreat just a few weeks ago. I was very excited to go and was hoping to gain important information about reaching the lost. Lets just say that did not happen. They split the ministers (the men) the minister's wives up and sent them to separate break out meetings. Now lets looks at this.... I am a minister but I am not a man and I am a woman but I am not a minister's wife. So you tell me were do I fit? And that is the rub single women in ministry don't fit. They are the exception to the "Pastors and their Wives Rule."

What do you think can be done to fix this problem? Is it simply a matter of awareness? Are you a single woman in ministry? What experiences have you had good or bad?