December 20, 2006

Rosalynn Carter ordained as deacon by Plains church

By John Pierce
 

PLAINS, Ga. — Former First Lady Rosalynn Smith Carter was ordained as a deacon Dec. 10 by Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga. Though raised a Methodist, Mrs. Carter, 79, has been active in Baptist congregations since her marriage to former President Jimmy Carter, a longtime Baptist deacon, more than 60 years ago.

“It was a wonderful experience,” said Mrs. Carter of the Sunday evening ordination service. “I’m just kind of overwhelmed about being elected a deacon at the church.”

Mrs. Carter said being a deacon will open new opportunities for leadership and in caring for the church families assigned to her.

“I’m looking forward to being more involved in the affairs of the church, the decision making,” said Mrs. Carter. “We have a great church and a wonderful ministry.”

Mrs. Carter has long been involved in behind-the-scenes ministries such as working with children and delivering meals to families in need, said Maranatha pastor Jeff Summers.

“She is very shy and doesn’t like the spotlight,” said Summers, “but people have seen her leadership and compassion.”

The Carters are well known for their involvement in the small, rural congregation that welcomes thousands of worldwide visitors each year to attend the Sunday school class taught by President Carter.

Maranatha is among a growing number of Baptist churches to include women as deacons — a laity role noted for its service to the congregation. Mrs. Carter is the second woman elected as a deacon at Maranatha. The first was Sue Askerzada in 2003.

In December 2005, Jessica Summers, a graduate of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology who assists her husband with the church’s ministries, became the first woman ordained to ministry by the church.

The issue of women in church leadership continues to be debated in many Baptist congregations and organizations. Most churches aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention do not ordain women as ministers or deacons.

The SBC revised its Baptist Faith and Message doctrinal statement in 2000 to include stated opposition to women as pastors. Some related agencies and associations have expanded that restriction to apply to women in other leadership roles such as female chaplains and, in one case, to a church’s associate pastor.

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and American Baptist Churches, USA, are more affirming of women in church leadership. However, Baptist polity, particularly the concept of local church autonomy, gives each congregation the freedom to call out and ordain its ministers and deacons without interference from any other church body.

“I’m encouraged,” said Mrs. Carter of the growing inclusion of women in all aspects of church leadership. “In our church, it has slowly evolved.”
Since her election as a deacon, Mrs. Carter said she has been searching the Bible to learn more about being a servant of the church. Women like Phoebe, she noted, were called to places of service in the early church.

“It’s obvious that women were always included,” said Mrs. Carter. “Jesus, I think, set an example for having women in leadership roles.” As for her own term as a deacon, she added: “I’m looking forward to it.”

(John Pierce is executive editor of Baptists Today, an autonomous, national news journal based in Macon, Ga.)