Christianity has changed how women are valued in some of Chiapas, Mexico’s indigenous communities. Of all the things Dr. Omar Nicolas told a group of us Saturday evening, March 2, that idea stood out. I wanted to know more.
In what ways did regard for women change?
Women in Chiapas
Nicolas is the administrator of Hospital Mexico Americana in Guadalajara, Mexico; pastor of Tercera Iglesia Bautista there; and a church planter in central and southern Mexico. I know about him because my church—First Baptist Church of Plano—has partnered with him in mission and ministry for many years.
He told us about the ongoing church planting and pastor training in and around San Cristóbal, Chiapas. The location is important, because it is an economic center for indigenous communities living in the surrounding mountains. The Christian community is growing rapidly there.
Women are of little value in some of these indigenous communities. But when the men become Christians, that changes.
I asked Don Sewell—former missionary to Mexico, more recently director of Baylor Scott & White Health’s Faith in Action Initiatives and Nicolas’ translator—for examples of what it looks like for women to be valued in those communities.
“Women believers can hold important roles in church leadership, even in these areas where their new posture of high value for women clashes with the predominant culture,” Sewell stated.
They can attend and graduate from seminary and are held in high esteem in the churches they serve, he added. In addition, “they become church planting missionaries, a role of great importance in Mexican Baptist life.”
Before Christ, these women are regarded as objects and serve as little more than beasts of burden. After Christ, they are regarded as fellow image-bearers and co-laborers in God’s kingdom.
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Women here
“Women are valued” is an ambiguous statement. For one, what constitutes value? For another, valued as compared to what? Don’s response to my question about women in Chiapas helps clarify just what difference Jesus is making in the indigenous communities there.
But what about here? What difference is Jesus making in how we value women here?
I asked a number of women via social media and direct communication, “What communicates to you that you are valued as a woman?”
Their responses were swift and expressed consistent themes. The following is written in their voice, if not in their words.
Respected
We want to be respected. You communicate your respect for us when you treat us with equal dignity; when you don’t treat us as objects for your fulfilment; when you take us seriously; when you take our knowledge and expertise at face value; and when you don’t question our experiences, opinions or livelihood.
We feel respected in the church when you assign ministry roles by calling or expertise, not by gender—such as women can serve on hospitality, but not on tech teams.
Listened to, heard
We want to be listened to and heard. We feel listened to when you give us eye contact, face us with your shoulders squared, listen to us without interrupting us or responding immediately, and when you encourage conversation with brief verbal prompts.
We also feel heard when you don’t dismiss our ideas and when you follow up with what we’ve said.
Seen
We want to be seen. We feel seen when you pitch in without being told or without us having to ask you repeatedly; when you care about or respect the things we are passionate about; and when you see us as human beings rather than define us as someone’s mother, daughter or otherwise.
Believed
We want to be believed, just like you do. We feel believed when our relationship with God and our spiritual experiences are valued, including when we say we are called by God to do something.
When we report abuse or point out unethical behavior, and you don’t believe us, we do not feel valued. When we have to prove our experience, we feel disbelieved. We want you to regard our words with as much weight as you regard your own.
Celebrated
Like you, we want to be celebrated. We feel celebrated when you encourage and empower us, when you celebrate and affirm our gifts and calling, and when who we are is more important than what we do. In the church, we feel celebrated when you highlight our contributions to Christianity.
We also feel valued when feminine characteristics are celebrated instead of put down. When men and boys are criticized for being sensitive or nurturing for example, you devalue them and us.
Trusted
We want to be trusted. We feel trusted when you ask for our opinions about, well, anything and when you engage us in conversation about our response; when you trust us to carry out tasks; when you trust our instincts; and when you trust our expertise without analyzing everything we do.
It may seem like a small thing to you, but asking us to lead in prayer communicates you trust, value and respect us.
Welcomed
We want to be welcomed. We don’t want to be shut out any more than you do. We feel welcomed when we have a seat at the table where decisions are made and are taken seriously there; when you treat us as collaborators and partners; and when we don’t have to dilute or dim ourselves to make you feel bigger or better.
Valuing women as Jesus did
There’s a truth echoing behind these women’s words: We don’t always act like we value them. If we doubt that, we only need to hold up our actions to their descriptions and compare the differences.
Saturday evening, we celebrated the growth of the church in Chiapas. One expression of that growth is the 180-degree change in how some communities value women there. Seeing what God’s Spirit is doing there should cause us to reflect on what God’s Spirit is doing here.
What does God’s Spirit have to say about the value of women, not just there, but here also?
There’s nothing in what the women said in response to my question that runs counter to Jesus. In fact, there’s something else echoing in their words—a call for us to hold women in as high regard as he did.
Do we hear the women around us? Do we see them? Do we believe them? Do we value them? How will they know?
NOTE: It should be noted that the women who responded to my question contributed half the word count of this editorial and more than half of its substance. Though the byline carries my name, this editorial is the work of more than a dozen women.
Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed are those solely of the author.
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