Women to Pray at General Conference

[The Fourth Nephite]

Women will pray at General Conference next month. Geez, what's next? All these rapid changes are making my head spin.

[Mrs. Funk]

Women will pray at General Conference next month. Geez, what's next? All these rapid changes are making my head spin.

They will pray wearing pants! Pants, I tell you!

[Jeff Lebowski]

PFS confirms the rumors:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56026380-78/women-general-conference-lds.html.csp

[Green Monstah]

I think the Church is prepping us for female priesthood in the next tenyears. I could be wrong, but here's my rationale:

1. Reducing the missionary age of females to 19 resulted in (predictably) a huge increase in female missionary participation. The Houston mission is set to bring in dozens of sisters in the next two months (I can't remember how many, but I was surprised). A friend of mine in the Veracruz mission said that after August, 40% of his mission will be female. There are lots of reasons the church did this (stagnant missionary growth, stagnant convert baptisms, etc.), but the Church doesn't make these type of decisions without thinking through the consequences (at least, I don't think they do).

2. Assuming my friend's 40% number is right, it seems inconceivable that sisters won't be inserted into the mission leadership structure in some significant way. In addition, in the reality show the District, I believe that a pair of sisters were called to be APs. I don't think it's an accident that this happened, and that there were cameras rolling to document the event. I realize that sisters have had leadership positions in missions before (my aunt was "district leader" of an all female district in Chile in the 1960s; my own mission designated one sister per transfer period to attend Zone Leader Conferences, etc.), but it is overwhelmingly and traditionally an all-male gig.

3. The Church is clearly re-examining how it responds to women. Although I tend to believe that no females praying in GC was simply an oversight and not an intentional bar to women praying on doctrinal grounds, the fact that in less than six months a movement was started and a positive response was given shows that the Church is increasingly responsive to gender equality in Church.

There are many alternative ways to interpret the above, but when taken as a whole, it at least seems plausible that the Church is preparing the membership for increased female participation in structures that were previously male-only. Why would they do this? Perhaps it's simply appeasement, or... perhaps they're prepping the members for a 1978-style announcement in the next ten years.

[Shaka]

I posted this in the other thread. I'll post it here too. Same author as the D&C blog.

http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/women-praying-in-general-conference-and-grassroots-efforts/

[Moliere]

I think the Church is prepping us for female priesthood in the next tenyears. I could be wrong, but here's my rationale:

1. Reducing the missionary age of females to 19 resulted in (predictably) a huge increase in female missionary participation. The Houston mission is set to bring in dozens of sisters in the next two months (I can't remember how many, but I was surprised). A friend of mine in the Veracruz mission said that after August, 40% of his mission will be female. There are lots of reasons the church did this (stagnant missionary growth, stagnant convert baptisms, etc.), but the Church doesn't make these type of decisions without thinking through the consequences (at least, I don't think they do).

2. Assuming my friend's 40% number is right, it seems inconceivable that sisters won't be inserted into the mission leadership structure in some significant way. In addition, in the reality show the District, I believe that a pair of sisters were called to be APs. I don't think it's an accident that this happened, and that there were cameras rolling to document the event. I realize that sisters have had leadership positions in missions before (my aunt was "district leader" of an all female district in Chile in the 1960s; my own mission designated one sister per transfer period to attend Zone Leader Conferences, etc.), but it is overwhelmingly and traditionally an all-male gig.

3. The Church is clearly re-examining how it responds to women. Although I tend to believe that no females praying in GC was simply an oversight and not an intentional bar to women praying on doctrinal grounds, the fact that in less than six months a movement was started and a positive response was given shows that the Church is increasingly responsive to gender equality in Church.

There are many alternative ways to interpret the above, but when taken as a whole, it at least seems plausible that the Church is preparing the membership for increased female participation in structures that were previously male-only. Why would they do this? Perhaps it's simply appeasement, or... perhaps they're prepping the members for a 1978-style announcement in the next ten years.

I wonder when it happens (women given the PH) is they will be assimilated into the existing PH structure or if they will have their own. I guess I'm wondering if the RS will become more like a bishopric for the women or if the existing bishopric will have a designated female counselor(s). Will the YW classes change into quorums or will them simply be integrated with the existing APH structure? There's already precedence for deaconesses in the New Testament and it would be cool to have the YW pass the sacrament.

[CardiacCoug]

I wonder when it happens (women given the PH) is they will be assimilated into the existing PH structure or if they will have their own. I guess I'm wondering if the RS will become more like a bishopric for the women or if the existing bishopric will have a designated female counselor(s). Will the YW classes change into quorums or will them simply be integrated with the existing APH structure? There's already precedence for deaconesses in the New Testament and it would be cool to have the YW pass the sacrament.

Yeah I wonder if with the difficulty men and women have working together in the Church if a parallel structure would work: a male Bishopric and a female Bishopric that alternated months taking care of Sacrament Meeting (for example) would be interesting.

[Moliere]

Yeah I wonder if with the difficulty men and women have working together in the Church if a parallel structure would work: a male Bishopric and a female Bishopric that alternated months taking care of Sacrament Meeting (for example) would be interesting.

I think I'd prefer an integrated approach as opposed to a parallel one. That might make it easier to get to 2 hour church since SS and PH would basically be with the same people. It would also be fun to sit through a RS/EQ lesson with MJ.

[Green Monstah]

I wonder when it happens (women given the PH) is they will be assimilated into the existing PH structure or if they will have their own. I guess I'm wondering if the RS will become more like a bishopric for the women or if the existing bishopric will have a designated female counselor(s). Will the YW classes change into quorums or will them simply be integrated with the existing APH structure? There's already precedence for deaconesses in the New Testament and it would be cool to have the YW pass the sacrament.

I had the same thought. I am willing to bet that it's begins as separate organizations, but in a century or so, they two will eventually merge.

[Green Monstah]

Yeah I wonder if with the difficulty men and women have working together in the Church if a parallel structure would work: a male Bishopric and a female Bishopric that alternated months taking care of Sacrament Meeting (for example) would be interesting.

If it were to happen, I think the female priesthood would be subject to the bishopric (at least initially, see post above).

[Danimal]

I wonder when it happens (women given the PH) is they will be assimilated into the existing PH structure or if they will have their own. I guess I'm wondering if the RS will become more like a bishopric for the women or if the existing bishopric will have a designated female counselor(s). Will the YW classes change into quorums or will them simply be integrated with the existing APH structure? There's already precedence for deaconesses in the New Testament and it would be cool to have the YW pass the sacrament.

I haven't been to church in a few years so maybe I'm just out of touch but despite these recent positive developments, women getting the priesthood seems like a pipe dream to me. It would be a great change but not one I could see happening in my lifetime.

[Mrs. Funk]

I haven't been to church in a few years so maybe I'm just out of touch but despite these recent positive developments, women getting the priesthood seems like a pipe dream to me. It would be a great change but not one I could see happening in my lifetime.

Yeah, it's taken 158 years to get women praying in general conference. Change in the church is glacial. I hope women receive the priesthood in my lifetime, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Green Monstah]

I haven't been to church in a few years so maybe I'm just out of touch but despite these recent positive developments, women getting the priesthood seems like a pipe dream to me. It would be a great change but not one I could see happening in my lifetime.

It's a fair point. I have two rebuttals (that are fairly predictable).

In less than a generation, plural marriage went from being essential to salvation to being nominally outlawed, but still practiced to being completely tabboo.

In less than a generation, men of African decent went from being, premortal fence-sitters and the seed of Cain to completely equal footing in the Church (doctrinally, if not culturally).

I suspect that women holding the priesthood will be equally surprising when it happens (and I do believe it's a when and not if). Why? Because as the world shifts toward gender equality, the Church will realize it has to in order to preserve membership and tihing funds.

[bluegoose]

While I'm thrilled that this is happening, how sad is it that we are making a big deal about it. Seriously, We are celebrating the fact that women finally have the chance to pray out loud in general conference. Even though the calendars may say it is 2013, this bit of news reminds me that we are still somewhere closer to 1955.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I haven't been to church in a few years so maybe I'm just out of touch but despite these recent positive developments, women getting the priesthood seems like a pipe dream to me. It would be a great change but not one I could see happening in my lifetime.

No wonder you don't go to church anymore. No faith!