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Covering the Body: Requiring a Deaconess Uniform

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While the Free Methodist Deaconess Order was geninunely supported by most delegates at the 1907 Free Methodist General Conference, there was one point of contention– should the Free Methodist deaconess have a required uniform? Some Free Methodists worried a uniform would be perceived by the public as a pro-Catholic endorsement and seen as too similar to the habit worn by nuns. [i] Yet, supporters of a uniform argued that by requiring deaconesses to wear a specific outfit or certain colors, the public would be able to easily distinguish their mission and affiliation. Free Methodist Discussion on the Uniform Before the 1907 General … Continue reading Covering the Body: Requiring a Deaconess Uniform

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Clara Wetherald A Methodist, Free Methodist and Finally A Congregationalist

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Clara Wetherald noted in her testimony at the 1890 Free Methodist General Conference that when she was younger, she thought the only way a woman could preach was if she married a minister. So, that’s precisely what she did when, at seventeen, she married John Wetherald, an ordained elder in the Methodist Protestant Church.   Methodist Protestant Church Years Between 1866 and 1874, Clara and John Wetherald worked within the Michigan Methodist Protestant Church. John was an ordained elder during their time in the denomination. Clara and John were appointed to churches, with Clara having separate appointments from John. Clara first … Continue reading Clara Wetherald A Methodist, Free Methodist and Finally A Congregationalist

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Free Methodist Women in the South Part II

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Continuing the series of Free Methodist women’s ministry reports from the south. We will move from the 1890s into the early 1900s. (See Part 1 for the 1890s.) February 2, 1904, Summerville, Georgia We are here in our work. We have no other motive in view than to glorify God and see souls saved. We met some sweetly save pilgrims in Grayson, who opened their doors and gave us a hearty welcome. I praise the Lord this evening for salvation. My mind runs back as I write, to the time and place where I first found the Lord precious to … Continue reading Free Methodist Women in the South Part II

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Free Methodist Women in the South Part I

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During the 1890s and early 1900s numerous women wrote to The Free Methodist to share reports about their local congregations or the evangelistic crusades they were leading. Over the next few posts, I’ll be republishing ministry reports from women who lived and ministered in the southern states.  Their stories are remarkable, and they should be allowed to tell their stories in their own words without my summary. See Free Methodist Women of the South Part II for more stories of these amazing pioneers! February 7, 1894, Hazelhurst, Mississippi Husband and myself are in meetings most of the time. It means … Continue reading Free Methodist Women in the South Part I

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Walter Sellew’s Why Not? Is it Really a Defense of Women’s Ministry?

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Cementing Women’s Ministry Roles From 1911-1974 Free Methodist women who entered ministry had three approved tracks: evangelist, deaconess, or deacon. While these ministry paths opened numerous doors at the local level, decisions at the denominational level still primarily excluded women, as they could only be elected as lay delegates to general conferences. The result was that decisions affecting the entire denomination were still decided mainly by men. Since men could be selected as both lay and ministerial delegates to general conferences, it was almost guaranteed that more men would secure delegate spots and maintain the majority vote for denominational decisions. Leaders such … Continue reading Walter Sellew’s Why Not? Is it Really a Defense of Women’s Ministry?

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The History of the Free Methodist Deaconess Order

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One of the most under-researched areas of Free Methodist women’s history is the Free Methodist Deaconess Order. I have not been able to confirm an end date for the order. Still, it was approved by the 1907 General Conference. It was in place well into the late twentieth century (if anyone knows when the order ended I would love to hear from you). Motivation for Establishing the Order Established to counter what was seen as a rising Catholic threat, the Free Methodist Church and other Protestant denominations began deaconess orders in the mid to late nineteenth century to provide a … Continue reading The History of the Free Methodist Deaconess Order

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The Shifting Rhetorical Narrative of Gender: 1894-1911 Part One

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I’ve written a lot on this blog about the 1890 and 1894 Free Methodist General Conference debates on women’s ordination. (I even have transcripts here if you would like to read the debates). However, the discussion did not end in 1894. Despite the 1894 General Conference choosing not to ordain women as elders or even deacons, more women, not less, became evangelists over the next decade. In 1894 there were 48 licensed women evangelists in the Free Methodist Church, and by 1904 there were 307. However, the number of women evangelists appointed to a circuit did not significantly increase. In … Continue reading The Shifting Rhetorical Narrative of Gender: 1894-1911 Part One

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Ada Hall: One of the First Female Deacons

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The 1911 Free Methodist General Conference took steps to finally allow women some form of ordination. Now, women could become ordained deacons at the annual conference level, but with the cavet that “this ordination of women shall not be considered a step towards ordination as an elder.”1 I’ll write about all five women at some point, but Ada Hall is by far my favorite. I feel a kindered spirit in her writing and passion for what she believed important enough to fight for. Prior to being ordained a deacon, Hall had been appointed to circuits in the Minnesota and Northern … Continue reading Ada Hall: One of the First Female Deacons

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Blanche and Christopher Stamp: Superstar Free Methodist Evangelists

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A few more pieces about the Stamp family have come into place this week. Christopher Stamp was an early convert to Free Methodism. About ten years after the denomination was founded (1860), he heard Free Methodists preach in Seattle. A teenager at the time, he was greatly influenced by two Free Methodists, Rev. Peter Griggs and Hiram Pease, who were preaching in the Northwest United States. According to his 1930 obituary in The Free Methodist, he first converted to Free Methodism, and then a few days later, during the same revival, experienced sanctification. Because Seattle didn’t have an established Free … Continue reading Blanche and Christopher Stamp: Superstar Free Methodist Evangelists