St. Mark has called three women to
serve as pastors; Pastor Nancy Feniuk-Nelson, Pastor Carolyn Fredrikson, and
myself. St. Mark had an interim female pastor for a time, Pastor Francis Olson.
Of the three women who were called to serve at St. Mark, only two have served
under the title of senior pastor; Pastor Carolyn Fredrikson and myself. I served under the associate pastor title for
three years before the call to serve as senior pastor, where Pastor Chad and I
are co-pastors.
The reason I wanted to talk about the
experience of the women who have served at St. Mark is because I have
experienced some uncomfortable comments from folks. And comments that made me
feel like I was less of a pastor, because I am a woman. No matter the gender of the pastor, the
ordination rite and the promises made during ordination are the same. Every pastor is charged to pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. We are
charged to tend the flock of God and to be servants of Christ and stewards of
God’s mysteries. I take the promises I
made and the charges I received during my ordination very seriously.
I am grateful that St. Mark is a
church that values women in ministry. St. Mark is not perfect, but they are
willing to listen, learn, and grow. I know it is difficult to face the hard
truths of the past and present, but this is how we grow and improve. I am confident that St. Mark can be an example
of how to intentionally be equitable, no matter the gender of the pastor.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Katrina
Steingraeber
