Of course, we’ve all known it was happening and far too many of us have experienced the harassment and abuse in our Pentecostal churches and institutions. We’ve heard the stories about leaders and pastors who did or didn’t get caught. And we’ve rarely, if ever, seen any repercussions, criminal or ecclesial.

The lid began coming off last Fall: #metoo. We we heard numerous, painful stories from seemingly all walks of life: Hollywood, Washington DC, news outlets, corporations, Olympic athletics.

We Pentecostal women waited for the response of our leaders. It seemed to me to be low-hanging fruit; I mean, how hard is it to name the sin of rape?

But….crickets.

For me, it was reading the New York Times obituary of Recy Taylor in late December, and hearing Oprah’s recalling of Recy’s story of gang rape gone unpunished that jarred me into action.

I’m a lifelong Pentecostal. I’m a Pentecostal historian. Why was I just now hearing this story of my Pentecostal sister?

We know the answer. There is a culture of silence in the church.

#PentecostalSistersToo

So, the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) sisterhood decided it was time we called for a response.

*Click to see full size. Used with permission.

On Friday, March 9, 2018, following the plenary session, at 9:10 pm, 101 SPS members and conference attendees, female and male, gathered at the Cross Chapel at Pentecostal Theological Seminary to discuss how Pentecostal scholars should address the #metoo moment.

Not surprisingly, one by one, women rose to share their stories of being abused in their homes, in their churches, and in Pentecostal educational institutions. Other women ministers shared painful stories of discrimination in the church.

Cheryl Bridges Johns and I carefully facilitated the time of lament but also of constructive engagement as the group brainstormed and strategized about needed responses and resources.

“ Women rose to share their stories of being abused in their homes, churches, and Pentecostal educational institutions.

Going Forward

The consensus was that a formal statement, that includes a call for repentance, is needed, written by Pentecostal scholars, in consultation with Pentecostal leadership. This statement will be signed by SPS members and distributed to the larger Pentecostal scholarly and ecclesial community, especially its leadership. Other plans include publications and presentations at future meetings.

The meeting closed with a powerful time of prayer in the Spirit, led by Pastor Sandra Kay Williams of the North Cleveland Church of God. Had it not been after 11 pm, I’m relatively sure many of us would have continued in a real Pentecostal time of tarrying. In fact, I’ve been told that a number of young students did just that until well after midnight.

Impact

My phone pinged with messages and texts well into the morning as women and men thanked me for helping to facilitate the conversation. The next day, I was particularly struck by the men who expressed how much the meeting impacted them.

SPS President, Dale Coulter, closed the SPS business meeting with reflection about how, as a father of daughters, he was impacted by what was shared by those brave women who gathered on Friday night.

I believe I hear the Spirit saying that the listening and the prophetic speaking have just begun.

“ I believe I hear the Spirit saying that the listening and the prophetic speaking have just begun. —KIMBERLY ALEXANDER

Kimberly Ervin Alexander, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Church History at Regent University’s School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, VA. She is the co-author of What Women Want: Pentecostal Women Ministers Speak for Themselves and author of Pentecostal Healing: Models of Theology and Practice. She has more than 25 years of experience in parish ministry.

You might also be interested in these posts:

• Highlights from the Society for Pentecostal Studies 2018 Annual Meeting
• How Some Pentecostals Misrepresent Their Global Size
• Shouldn’t Faith Always Result in Healing?

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