More than 90 ordained and lay women from across the three-tikanga church have gathered at St John’s College for this year’s Women in Ministry Hui.

The theme of the hui is Church, Women and Leading, and over the next three days those 90 women will equip and encourage each other to fix a problem that came under the spotlight at this year’s General Synod – the still dismal numbers of women in leadership roles in the church.

In 2008 General Synod adopted a standing resolution (SR05) that encouraged the church to reach for the Millenium Development Goal of equal representation of women and men in decision-making roles within the church.

Yet at May’s General Synod, Carole Hughes, who is both Convenor of the Centre for Anglican Women’s Studies (CAWS) and Archdeacon of the Auckland Central region, tabled a CAWS survey showing that of the 28 General Synod committees, boards and commissions, all but one was chaired by a man.

And that exception, in fact, was the Women’s Studies Centre Council.

Only men in the mirror...

There’s not much doubt that General Synod was shocked when the mirror was held up to itself in this way.

It immediately added a clause to SR05 making equal representation of women in liturgical leadership and leadership of official gatherings a goal, and since May the General Synod Standing Committee has pointedly reminded all its bodies of their responsibilities where gender equity is concerned.  

Carole Hughes says the hui that kicked off this morning will show that CAWS was not just about finger-pointing to the rest of the church on that issue.

Its goals included giving ordained and lay women confidence that they can contribute effectively as leaders.

Forget the outside 'experts'...

And that’s why, says Carole, that CAWS has deliberately chosen not to wheel ‘experts’ in from offshore, or outside the church, to lead any of the hui sessions.

Instead, women from across the three tikanga (and not just CAWS councillors, either) will be doing that.

“We have the skills,” says Carole, “the wisdom and the knowledge to share with each other.”

There’s a real emphasis on building relationships, too, says Carole.

“If we know each other well, if we’ve got shared experiences – when we gather in other places within the church we already have those connections in place.”

Carole hopes, too, that the women present at the hui will feel equipped and inspired to run similar women’s empowerment gathering in their own places.

Another highlight of the hui will be the launch, tomorrow evening, of a Centre for Women’s Studies book called: Leaders like Lydia.

The hui will wrap up at 3pm on Wednesday.