Women Bloggers and 'Real' Church Ministry
A couple weeks ago, the website ChurchRelevance.com published its biennial list of the top 200 church blogs. Founded by ministry consultant Kent Shaffer in 2006, Church Relevance is about "understanding culture and responding to hurts and needs with the gospel, sacrificial love, and selfless ministering." This top-200 list, then, examines the websites that are most influencing the church, based on a number of readership metrics. What followed its publication was a rush of people asking the same question over and over again:
Where are all the women?
Of the top 100 blogs selected, three are written by women. Several other blogs have "various" authors that count women among them. This website does not appear anywhere on the list, even though it consistently outpaces brother site CT Liveblog (now Gleanings) in pageviews and unique visitors. Other notable female bloggers, including Sarah Bessey, Ann Voskamp, Jen Hatmaker, and Micha Boyett, to name but a few, are absent as well.
First things first: Any time someone makes a fuss about not being included on a list they thought they should be included in, it will smack of sour grapes. And to insist that this is not, in fact, sour grapes only makes us sound like the lady who doth protest too much. I assure you, however, that the following is a real attempt to understand why this list overlooks so many influential female bloggers and a lament over this sad state of affairs.
What I don't want to do here is launch some kind of offensive against Shaffer or other list-composers. He has been very clear about how certain blogs make the list and others don't, and addressed the question of why so few blogs on the list were written by women. He has also admitted that his list is "subjective and consequently flawed."
What I want to say is this: If you are composing a list of influential Christian bloggers and only 20 percent of the people on your list are women, something is wrong either with the list, or with the world it seeks to represent.
In response to a similarly male-heavy list published in April 2012, Bessey wrote a post with the top 50 "Church and Faith Lady-Bloggers," which included Her.meneutics and some of the other women I expected to see on Shaffer's list. It serves as a great reminder of the sheer number of Christian women who bring their experience and gifts to the great table of the Internet, often with little recognition. What recognition does come to them is often harder-won than the attention given their male counterparts.
Auditing America's Political Integrity
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youthleadergina
I appreciate Christian female bloggers who include the every day. Because adoption, marriage, parenting, sex, taking care of a family, etc...are ALL ministry topics. Because if we don't hand all those areas of life over to Jesus, than whatever "ministry" we accomplish in the church arena is pointless. I can write eloquently about theology (I don't) but if it does not apply practically to day to day life, than what's the point? I can go to the library for "deep theological works." I read blogs for practical day to day ideas and inspiration.
Greg
This is a topic that's near to my heart... Cheers! Exactly where are your contact details though?
Ann
Rahab - hope for change, accountability and yes so those who hear perhaps can also start to think for themselves and seek Jesus more deeply not just accepting every "thought" given just because it came from a "christian group/person". To read the bible and scripture themselves.
Kimber Cheung
so many influential female bloggers and a lament over this sad state of affairs.
Prem
To be fair, I have often wondered why websites such as her.men... don't cover subjects such as general leadership (not just women leadership), cultural issues which are not specific to women, employment issues etc. I have come to this blog many times but what I find are subjects such as adoption, child birth, women's issues etc and very little of the type of subject religion today, christianity today, crosswalk etc cover.
G HUBBARD
women face tough questions our free TALK WITH THE LORD program inspires daily talks catch they neeed your help with first questions g hubbard po box 2232 ponte vedra fl 32004 http://talkwiththelord.blogspot.com/
Rahab
Ann, said: "I often think that if this site is a representation of Christianity in America - you can keep your shallow faith... I want something more. And therefore certainly do not come here what so ever to grow in my personal Christian walk with Jesus or to 'be taught and fed'." I hear you, Ann, but I'm curious why you do come here then? I suspect it has some of the stunning appeal of a train wreck. Plus the compelling sense that in a wreck of this magnitude there may be survivors needing help. While I don't always agree with you, I really appreciate your straight-up attitude and your courage in continuing to share it. Steve, I'm not clear why Christianswomen or men either onewould be "working for the day" when they were "fully appreciated for their contribution to the church." Or to anything else for that matter. What is it about being appreciated for our contributions that has anything to do with Christianity? I can see working to assure that we ourselves are as close to the heart of God as it's possible to be, in everything we do. But how would that resemble seeking appreciation from others?
Steve W
For what it's worth, I am a male "institutional church leader" who reads Her.meneutics regularly. I find the ministry this and other female-written blogs offer to be both challenging and enlightening, especially as I seek to understand the unique perspective of women in the realms of Christian faith. Keep up the good work ladies, and continue working for the day when women are fully appreciated for their contribution to the church.
Freeda Cohn
I once heard a fellow judge's opinion that women judges were better at family law than men judges. She said it had to do with plumbing. I guess this type of marginalization cuts both ways.
Aline C
"True religion is taking care of orphans and widows."
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