I was raised in the Church of England and it saddens me considerably to see that it is poised to split apart, liberals who have dispensed with content and no longer believe the Nicene Creed on the one side, and conservatives upholding traditional Biblical truths on the other. It looks as though the liberals may have the upper hand with their pressure for the ordination both of women as Bishops, and of unrepentant practising homosexuals as clergy. They ignore Scripture to do so despite all their excuses to convince everyone otherwise.

Women’s traditional ministry may not be valued by those in power and authority, but I believe that it is highly valued by God and by those who actually benefit directly from it. What rewards are we seeking? Our God-given roles are different - men and women - and I am sorry that some women must seek the rewards they think are more valuable than perhaps the ones God would have for them for serving in a different way. What reward did Mother Teresa seek? I don’t think she sought any as her whole life was dedicated to simply loving and serving those who most needed her. I believe her reward in heaven will be huge, and rewards that God bequeaths are always worth far more than anything that the world might give. I heard that when Mother Teresa was asked what she thought about women’s ordination, she said waspishly, “women have other things to do”!

When I think of gender roles in the church, and the value of all kinds of ministry, I see that the difference between what is prominent and visible, and what is significant, needs to be considered. There is a tendency to look at things with worldly eyes and miss the difference.

Many think that if something is given a lot of visibility, it's the most important… but that simply is not true. Often it is the work behind the scenes that is actually the most important. For instance, how significant do you think it might be to help someone to find a seat for a church service?

In the early 20th century two teenage boys tried to come into a revival service, only it was packed out. So they turned around and decided to leave but one usher said, “Come on, guys. I'll find you a seat.” And that usher personally escorted them down to the center and set them in the middle and found them two seats. That night both of those boys accepted Christ and became Christians. One of them was Billy Graham who has led tens of millions of people to Christ.

We often have no idea how significant small acts of seemingly unimportant service really are. The significance of women’s roles is being missed when viewed with worldly eyes by those who prefer the prominence of men’s roles instead.