Presiding Like a Woman: Feminist Gesture For Christian Assembly

by Nicola Slee

What does it mean to preside like a woman at the Eucharist? Do women do it differently, or should they? How do lay women and men experience women's priestly ministry? This is an accessible, broadly popular book, pushing the boundaries in new and unusual ways, and making a serious contribution to feminist and liturgical debate. Alistair Barrett; Andrea Bieler; June Boyce- Tillman M.B.E.; Veronica Brady; Barbara Darling; Susan Durber; Alison Green; Mary Grey; Gillian Hill; Ann Loades C.B.E.; Dorothy McRae-McMahon A.M.; Rachel Mann; Anita Monro; Julia Pitman; David Plüss; Natalie K Watson; Val Webb.

178 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2010

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book is a take-off and counter to the 1950s and 60s teaching that suggested that women who wanted to be clergypersons needed to dress certain ways (yes, dresses and heels, except if the nearby male was shorter than oneself, no glasses in case you might remind men of harsh school teachers, etc.) and lower their vocal range. Here, "like a woman" is broadly defined and the authors present a wide variety of perspectives and experiences. With its roots in the Church of England tradition but applicable to women in leadership anywhere in the church, it offers options for everything from leading as ordained persons (its primary focus) to teaching or to receiving as a layperson. A great read for those who think about gender and church leadership.

As a person whose ministry was in the classroom, I particularly appreciated Slee's chapter on "Presiding in the classroom: a holy work" [sic for capitalization] as she discusses presiding as: commitment to liberative praxis, creation of safe and creative space, an embodied holding and work of form-giving, and costly, transformative work.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in the run up to my own ordination into the priesthood, and I'm so glad I did. The variety and diversity of the chapters, some focussing on personal experiences, some looking more at theology, some using poetry and all various combinations of the above, made for a very interesting read. I have been left with a lot to think about in terms of my own ministry and particularly what I think about presiding and how I may wish to embody the role. Would definitely recommend to anyone on the path to ordination, already ordained, or who wishes to explore more deeply aspects of the Eucharist from a feminist perspective.

My only negative would be that I avoided reading the book for a while because of the small print, which, for me, at least, conveyed a sense that this would be quite a heavy going, academically dense book. I hope it doesn't put others off as it is very readable and a great resource.