A joyful step forward as Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally becomes Archbishop of Canterbury

The Lord Bishop of London, the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally, will become the first woman to hold the office of Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the Anglican Communion. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The announcement that the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, will become the first woman to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury is not just a milestone for the Church of England but a historic moment for all Christians.

It speaks across denominational lines and gives hope to all who believe that God calls women as surely as God calls men to shepherd the people of Christ.

A shared history

Presbyterians and the Church of England share centuries of history. Our Reformed tradition was shaped in part by resistance to English bishops, yet we also learned from one another.

The Westminster Assembly, which gave us our Confession of Faith, debated forms of governance in dialogue with the English Church. The tension between presbytery and episcopacy, between shared discernment and hierarchical oversight, has always been part of our story.

When Canterbury speaks, Presbyterians listen, because our destinies in the Reformation were so closely tied together.

Women long shut out

For too long, women were shut out of church leadership despite the fact that women were apostles, deacons, teachers, and prophets in the earliest church.

Church fathers such as John Chrysostom recognized Phoebe and Junia, but over the centuries the voices of women were muted.

The ordination of Sarah Mullally to Canterbury corrects a long silence. It makes visible what was true from the beginning. God has never limited leadership to one gender.

Struggles in our own house

In the Presbyterian Church (USA), women were first ordained as ministers in 1956. Yet almost seventy years later there are still congregations in our denomination reluctant to call women pastors.

The stained glass ceiling is not gone. Some congregations continue to resist what the General Assembly has affirmed. For them, the step taken in England today still seems impossible.

The Roman Catholic struggle

We also think of our Roman Catholic siblings who continue to wrestle with this issue.

Many Catholic women feel a call to priesthood, but their Church still bars them. Strong debates continue. Some are dismissed as rebellious, others seen as hopeful.

This appointment in England may not change Vatican policy, but it shows in living example that a woman can hold the highest office of a tradition and carry its future.

Edgewater’s normal, and the danger of forgetting

At Edgewater Presbyterian Church, women pastors have been part of our normal life together. Pastor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Barbara Cathey led us for many years. Rev. Amy Pagliarella served faithfully as associate pastor. Rev. Kristin Hutson now carries forward that work with her own vision and care.

For us, seeing a woman in the pulpit is not unusual. It feels natural.

But we must not forget that this is only true because others fought hard battles before us. They endured rejection and pressed forward in their call until the Church finally listened.

Celebrating and continuing the work

Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury is a reason to celebrate. It is also a reminder.

The Church has too often been slow to recognize the gifts that God already gave. It has often chosen tradition over justice and hierarchy over Spirit.

Today, with this announcement, we see a step into a future that is more faithful to the God who made us male and female, who poured out the Spirit on all flesh, who raised up leaders without regard to gender, social standing, or human expectation.

We celebrate with the Church of England.

At the same time, we recommit ourselves to the work ahead. Inclusion is not yet complete. There are still closed pulpits and broken barriers.

Let us honor this moment by remembering the saints who made it possible, from Junia in the early church to Barbara Cathey, Amy Pagliarella, and Kristin Hutson in our own congregation.

The Church has taken a step forward. May we in every tradition walk with it.