Is the Stained Glass Ceiling for Women About to Lift?

Ethics Daily is reporting that a new survey by Baptist Women in Ministry indicates that CBF churches are more open to women pastors than previously believed. Here's a quote:

A second annual State of Women in Baptist Life, unveiled Thursday at the CBF General Assembly in Washington, found that 95 percent of CBF laypersons responding to the survey said they would be open to calling a woman to their church as pastor. One in five said they would prefer a woman, compared to 17 percent who would prefer a man.

Yet only about 6 percent of CBF churches are led by a woman.

"That disparity is the story, we think, of what's going on with the marginalization of women," Campbell-Reed said. "Not that pastor is the only important ministry role, but it's a barometer that gives us a measure of the full inclusion of women."

The responses seemed to confirm the widely held perception that progressive and moderate Baptists support women in ministry in theory, the study said, but women have advanced only marginally in the profession of ministry in Baptist life.

"The attitudes about women in ministry were overwhelmingly positive," said the other co-author, Pamela Durso. "The support is high, but the practical reality is low."