Equally Called: Women in Ministry and The Work Of The UTC Women’s Department
United Theological College Zimbabwe
Office of The Strategic Communication for the United Theological College
(PICTURED: Student Pastor Lilian Chirikwawo, 4th Year Pastor-In-Training currently practising at the Mbare Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa - UPCSA)
Women have made significant contributions to the Church's ministry throughout its history. Their involvement in this field, however, has never been without criticism. Most church bodies are currently debating the role of women in their ministry. For many, the issues of faithful biblical interpretation are central to these discussions.
On the basis of the New Testament, perhaps a few words regarding the concept of ministry itself should be said. Today, we frequently conflate our own church traditions about ordination with the biblical concept of ministry. The New Testament has few references to ordination. It clearly depicts, however, the fact that the early church had a varied and faithful ministry because all of God's people were "gifted" by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of building one another up (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; 14:1-19; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 4:7-16; 1 Peter 4:8-11).
Anyone who was called and endowed by God and affirmed by the body of Christ, the Church, might undertake ministry (which means service). Some were designated as leaders, while others were given specific tasks to accomplish, but the disparities among ministries were not of the same kind. Certain sorts of affirmation were eventually joined with certain functions of ministry to produce our contemporary notion of ordination.
Modern debates regarding women's ordination frequently overlook the critical and fundamental difficulties of the holistic idea of Church service expressed in the New Testament. Of course, no one should be ordained or granted ministry responsibilities within the Church based on gender or for the sake of making a "point." On the other hand, the Church has emphasised that no one who has been called and gifted by God should be denied any role of ministry or leadership in the Church because of their gender.
Since 1954, the United Theological Seminary has welcomed women into all of its programmes, believing that women are equally called to ministry. Over the past 69 years, the institution has assisted in the preparation of hundreds of women for their callings. The college's deepest conviction is that the full evidence of Scripture, as well as an understanding of balance and consistency in interpretation, require us to rethink some of our traditions and reaffirm with clarity and conviction the biblical basis for women's full participation in church ministries.
The underlying biblical doctrine of a "new creation in Christ" in which there is "neither male nor female" is a powerful statement of the gospel's, the Church's, and all of its ministries' dedication to equality. Jesus’ inclusion of women among his disciples and witnesses, the coming of the Holy Spirit on both sons and daughters and Paul’s inclusion of women in his circles of coworkers in the ministry all support the full and equal participation of both women and men in all the ministries of the gospel.
In the same vein, the college, under its Women’s Department program, offers training to Pastors’ spouses whose husbands will be training for ministerial studies within the campus, equipping them to serve with professionalism, grace, and truth. After three years of training, the ladies also graduate with a certificate, along with their spouses.
The college has qualified personnel, including Ordained Ministers of Religion, who train these women in the following areas:
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Our Commitment
The United Theological College welcomes women equally into all its programs, and the seminary is committed to making its resources fully available to women as they pursue the professions and ministries to which the Lord has called them. All who teach and study in UTC’s programs are expected to honour this commitment: under no condition may the authority of the classroom be used to challenge the calling of any student on the basis of gender.
The United Theological College sees a strong biblical basis for the equal partnership of women and men in ministry and leadership
The women who teach and study at United Theological College bring wise, creative leadership to their areas of expertise
From churches to mission fields to boardrooms, women go out from the United Theological College to impact a diversity of contexts
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