In 1900, Nannie Helen Burroughs, an African-American educator, religious leader, and civil rights activist delivered a speech entitled “How the Sisters are Hindered from Helping” to the National Baptist Convention, catalyzing the creation of the Black Baptist Women’s Convention. The indictment of her speech pointed to the hypocrisy of black male ministers of the day. While their anti-racist “social teaching of human equality distinguished black churches from their white counterparts…it masked the sexism that black churches shared with the dominant white society,” proving that from Reconstruction to now, the pervasive influence of patriarchal norms has often constrained the full participation and leadership potential of Black women within the Black Church (Higginbotham, 1993, p. 145).
The time is now for us to confront a dark layer of our church’s history and current reality. The legacy of colonialism, which has shaped our broader society, has also profoundly influenced our sacred spaces. We must recognize that patriarchy within Black church spaces operates in similarly insidious ways.
In contemporary times, Black men within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) are navigating a complex reality that mirrors historical tensions within the denomination. While the SBC has made efforts to address its past complicity in racial injustice, a new challenge has emerged concerning the role of women, including Black women, in leadership positions. Recently, it was reported that “as many as 4,000 Black churches with women pastors could be kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention,” which restricts the office of pastor to males (Kellner, 2023).
The patriarchal structures in our churches are not merely physical manifestations in leadership roles or decision-making processes. They are deeply embedded in our mental frameworks and embodied experiences. These structures have, over time, imposed assessments of value on individuals, particularly women, that do not align with the divine worth we profess to see in all of God’s children.
We must critically examine how we conceive and transfer knowledge within our faith communities. What voices do we deem credible and valid? Whose experiences shape our understanding of scripture, of God’s will, and our mission as the Church? Too often, these sources of knowledge have been filtered through a white, male patriarchal lens, then repeated by black men limiting our collective wisdom and spiritual growth.
Perhaps most challenging to confront is the “malevolent paternalism” that has characterized many of our church relationships (Krishan p. 96). Solutions and directives have often been offered in the name of, and ostensibly for the good of women in our congregations. Yet, these very women have not been recognized as “full and legitimate participants in producing these solutions” (Krishan p. 96). This pattern echoes colonial relations and it is incumbent upon us as a collective to unsettle this cycle.
As we engage in this Eve-olution process of reclaiming Eve’s assignment, we must be vigilant. It’s easy to assume that our efforts towards “systems transformation and reimagination” will naturally lead to emancipation and liberation. However, without a critical understanding of our history, the power dynamics at play, and those who have been deliberately unseen or exploited within our walls, we risk perpetuating or even expanding harm on the marginalized members of our congregations, particularly women.
“Unsettling” the patriarchal foundations of our churches goes beyond tokenistic inclusion of women in leadership or occasional acknowledgment of women’s contributions. Instead, we must fundamentally de-center the patriarchal mindset that has long dominated our spaces. We need to move beyond simplistic solutions and actively center justice and equity in all aspects of our church life.
And beyond participation and inclusion this process demands collective visioning that amplifies all voices, especially those long silenced. We must cultivate a new kind of “futures literacy” within our congregations – one that allows us to imagine and work towards a truly equitable future for our churches (Krishan p. 97).
As we continue this journey, let us approach the unknown with humility, courage, and love for God’s way of doing things above our own.
As a collective, we honor the faith and resilience of the Black women who came before us while also naming ways in which patriarchal structures in Black church spaces have limited our full expression of God’s vision for God’s human leadership. This work is not about demonization, but about shared liberation – freeing ourselves and God from doctrinal constraints that have bound Black men and women for far too long.
May we have the grace to recognize the subtle ways patriarchy has shaped our understanding of gender and community, the will to challenge these ingrained patterns, and the prophetic imagination to understand and practice oneness in a manner that reflects God’s just Ekklesia.
