Women Clergy records

Clergywomen in The United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies have a rich history, dating from John Wesley’s mid-18th century pronouncement of women’s call to preach as “extraordinary.”

In 1847, the United Brethren Church commended the first woman to preach, approving licensing and ordaining women, and granting conference membership in 1889.

The Methodist Protestant Church ordained its first woman deacon in 1866, and its first elder in 1875, although Anna Howard Shaw, ordained an elder in 1880, is perhaps the most well-known.

In 1920 the Methodist Episcopal Church granted women the right to preach, and, in 1924, decided to ordain women as local deacons and local elders.

Full clergy rights for women were approved by the 1956 General Conference of the Methodist Church.



FIRSTS IN INDIANA:

The first woman ordained within the boundaries of what is now the Indiana Conference of the United Methodist Church was Helenor Alter Davisson in 1866. She was the first Methodist woman in the country to be ordained. There would not be another in Indiana until Mabelle M. Shaffer in 1926.

In 1893, Nettie Valentine was ordained with full clergy rights by the White River Conference, United Brethren in Christ.

In 1969, Sandra F. Hoke was the first woman ordained an elder by the United Methodist South Indiana Conference. In 1977, Emojean M. Brindel was the first woman so ordained by the United Methodist North Indiana Conference.

In 1987, Ida E. Easley was the first African American woman ordained an elder by the South Indiana Conference. Vanessa Allen Brown was granted full clergy rights by the South Indiana Conference in 1982, but she was a transfer from the AME Zion Church. In 1995, Michelle A. Cobb was the first African American ordained an elder by the North Indiana Conference.

In 1988, Yvonne C. Oropeza was the first Hispanic woman ordained an elder by the South Indiana Conference. In 1997, Juanita Ramos was the first Hispanic woman so ordained by the North Indiana Conference.

In 1996, In Suk Hong Peebles was the first Asian American woman ordained an elder by the South Indiana Conference