Women's Ministry
The Church requires a vast diversity of ministers in order to represent the fullness of God; lay and ordained, women and men, people from all ethnicities and all abilities. The Church of England Birmingham is committed to ensuring this diversity grows to match the diverse communities in which we serve. Women have been ordained priests in the Church of England since 1994 and it was only in 2014 when we saw our first woman bishop. We are delighted in Birmingham to receive the ministry of Bishop Anne of Aston. However, there is still much work to be done to ensure that women are more evenly represented in all areas of ministry within the Church. The Bishop's Adviser for Women's MinistryThe Bishop’s Adviser for Women’s Ministry in The Church of England Birmingham is The Revd Canon Becky Stephens. She represents the concerns and needs of ordained women in Birmingham as well as ensuring women are a part of the fullness of ministry within the Diocese. Becky’s role looks to promote the full inclusion of ordained women by:
Becky is also the Vicar of St Peter's, Maney in Sutton Coldfield. Becky can be contacted by email. Development of Ordained WomenIn Birmingham, we are passionate about the development of all our clergy; women and men, therefore, have equal access to training and development. However, we recognise that there are some areas of training which are particular to the needs of ordained women and therefore we aim to offer an annual training day. If you are an ordained woman in Birmingham and would like to attend a specific training event, please do contact Becky as it may be possible for you to receive a grant towards your training. Support for Ordained WomenThe Bishop's Adviser for the Pastoral Care of Clergy and their families is Catrin Thorp who is available to all clergy for confidential support and advice. You can contact Catrin by email. Please also contact Becky if you feel she could support you in your ministry. Maternity LeaveChurch of England Birmingham has adopted the national Family Friendly Policy (click on the link to read the policy). This policy aims to support clergy who need time to care for family, including guidance and information on maternity leave. Becky or the HR team will be more than happy to discuss this with you and support you. Becky can be contacted by email. What are the Five Guiding Principles?
Additional linksChurch of England Transformations Group Ministry development | The Church of England NADAWM Home | National Association of Diocesan Advisers in Women's Ministry (nadawm.org) WATCH WATCH - Women and the Church The Church of England Family Friendly Policy can be found here. |