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?