Women at the Altar in the Church of England

EPOCH
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Vedran Obućina | Centre for Interreligious Dialogue

In the early morning of 12 March 1994, in Bristol Cathedral, Angela Berners-Wilson knelt before the altar. It was a gesture of simple humility, familiar to millions of priests. But when the bishop placed his hands on her head and spoke the words of ordination, the air in the church grew thicker – history was being made before the assembled. For the first time in the 460 years of the Church of England, a woman had become a priest with rights and duties equal to a male priest. Applause, tears, prayers of gratitude; but also bitter protests outside the cathedral. For some, it was God’s moment of justice. For others, a dangerous break with tradition.

Elderly person with short white hair wearing glasses and a white clerical robe looking down thoughtfully, as if at prayer. — A woman in clerical robes. The path of woman to the altar was seen as a dangerous break with tradition. (Pixabay).

Although 1994 is often cited as the beginning of a new era for female rights in the Anglican Church, the first changes occurred much earlier. Beginning in the early twentieth century, women like Maude Royden openly advocated for the right to preach and spiritual leadership. During World War I, when many men were on the battlefield, women took on numerous church ministries but without the possibility of ordination. The greatest precedent was set during World War II in Asia. Due to a shortage of priests in Japanese occupied Hong Kong, Florence Li Tim-Oi was ordained as the first female priest in the entire Anglican Communion in 1944. Once the war was over, her own Church asked her to stop performing priestly functions. She was neither punished nor recognised. The evidence was clear: women could, but must not, be priests. It was only posthumously that Florence Li Tim-Oi was fully recognised and celebrated as a pioneer.

The debate over why women were not allowed to approach the altar was not just a question of tradition, but was deeply rooted in theological interpretations. Opponents of women's ministry argued that Christ chose only male apostles. The priest, in this tradition, symbolises Christ as a man within a divinely established church hierarchy that excludes women from the priestly order. On the other hand, advocates of women's presence in church services argued that the apostles were products of their historical and social contexts and that exclusive male ministry was not a durable norm for the Church. They emphasised that the image of God in man is not limited by gender, and that the history of the Church shows how the ministries and their meanings have undergone constant change and adaptation.

An ornately decorated stone commemoration plaque inside a church. The text reads: 'To the glory of God' in gilt gold letters. In white text underneath, the plaque explains that 32 women were the first to be ordained priests by the Bishop of Bristol on 12 March 1994 — Ordination of women plaque, 2022, Bristol Cathedral. (Wikimedia Commons).

Going beyond theological discussions, battles for women's rights in the Church were also fought in the streets and in church corridors. During the 1960s and 1970s, as British society underwent multiple waves of the women’s rights revolution, the Church of England faced the challenge of reconciling its traditions with the demands of the modern age. During this period, the Movement for the Ordination of Women (MOW) emerged. It worked from within the Church through education, lobbying, and building alliances. MOW's rhetoric was deeply theological: ‘The call comes from God, not from the synod’. Here, the synod refers to a formal gathering or a council where the clergy (and sometimes laity) discuss matters of utmost importance for the church. While the state enacted equality laws, the Church engaged in internal debates over an issue that was becoming increasingly clear to many: that women must be allowed to exercise the ministry to which they felt a calling. This organisation broadly shared similar goals with other contemporary feminist movements in the struggle for equality and justice, particularly women’s access to leadership and decision-making positions. Its members argued that denying women’s ordination was a moral and theological injustice. However, while many other feminist movements of the time turned against religious institutions, women leaders within the Church of England and MOW, such as Elsie Baker, Monica Furlong, and Margaret Pawley, used the language of the Church to dismantle patriarchal hierarchy. They can be seen as forerunners of Christian feminist theology. MOW fought to bridge something perceived as largely incompatible: feminism and Christianity.

MOW was engaged not only in theological discussions but also in visible activism, public demonstrations, and strategic campaigns, such as the silent prayer vigil at the Church House in Westminster in 1978. Led by Baker, Furlong, and Pawley, these women staged a silent protest during the General Synod when women's ordination was being discussed. MOW organised symbolic actions in cathedrals and parishes, shared pamphlets, and led processions where they emphasised inequality and injustice. MOW was also active in theological and historical argumentations. Monica Furlong published the book Women Priests: Yes or No? in 1975, in which she offered a deep Biblical and moral analysis of the issue at hand. Margaret Pawley described the movement in her book The Watch on the Wall: A History of the Movement for the Ordination of Women.

On 11 November 1992, a vote was held in the General Synod that deeply divided the Church of England, and the whole of Britain. The outcome of the vote remained uncertain and tense until the very last moment. Bishops were bitterly divided. Local parishes were questioning their own positions. Communities were at odds with themselves. The media coverage of the event as a political thriller further heightened the tension. The final result of the vote showed a narrow majority: 544 votes ‘for’ versus 414 ‘against’. This majority opened the door to the ordination of women, but it caused strong divisions. Many male priests expressed their anger and dissatisfaction by withdrawing from the Church. In contrast, others founded alternative structures that are still active today, such as the bishops who serve parishes that do not accept female clergy. Examples of this include the Bishop of Beverley (Province of York) and the Bishop of Richborough (Province of Canterbury).

A year and a half after the vote, in the spring of 1994, women across the country began to be officially ordained as priests. Each cathedral had its moments of celebration, but also witnessed painful protests by opponents of these changes. For the women who became priests at this time, it was a long-awaited recognition of their roles after years of being underestimated. While opponents continued to argue that the Church had betrayed itself by ordaining women to the clergy, advocates believed that the Church had finally become what it had always been meant to be: a community open to all who felt its calling, regardless of gender.

Person with short hair, wearing glasses, a jacket, and a purple clerical shirt, smiles against a gray background — The Right Reverend Libby Lane, the Bishop of Derby, the first female bishop in the Church of England. (Wikimedia Commons).

Even after women were allowed to become priests as early as 1994, the path to higher positions in the church hierarchy, such as the episcopate (the order or system of bishops) or bishopric (the office or territory of one bishop), remained closed for almost two decades. It was not until 2014 that Libby Lane became the first female bishop in the Church of England. A year later, in 2015, Rachel Treweek became the first woman to enter the House of Lords as Bishop of Gloucester. This marked the entry of women into the most potent and influential ecclesiastical and social spheres. In the traditional hierarchy of the Church, being a priest meant serving the community, proclaiming, acting sacramentally, and pastorally supporting the faithful. A bishop, however, is not only a servant but also a leader and an authority who oversees and directs an entire area and its ministries. It is this dimension of power and control over the Church that has remained the deepest and most difficult trench of the conflict over women's ordination. Treweek's entry into the episcopate required the breaking down of more deeply rooted prejudices about gender roles, authority, and tradition. These events show us how power structures remain a key challenge in achieving full equality for women in the Church. The election of Dame Sarah Mullally this year as the Archbishop of Canterbury is a step towards overcoming this challenge. She will be the first woman to hold this position, after having been the first female bishop of London.

A smiling person wearing glasses and clerical attire with a purple and white collar, set against a plain grey background — Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. (Wikimedia Commons).

Looking beyond the Church of England, the Anglican church extends worldwide, encompassing congregations in 165 countries. In some of these countries, women have been appointed to service in the church hierarchy much more quickly and with less resistance. For example, in the United States, women have been able to become priests since 1976, and Barbara Harris became the first female bishop in The Episcopal Church in 1989, marking a revolutionary moment. In New Zealand, Penny Jamieson was consecrated as the Bishop of Dunedin in 1990, and Canada saw Victoria Matthews consecrated as Suffragan Bishop of Toronto in 1994. In 2012, South Africa appointed Ellinah Wamukoya, the first female bishop on the African continent. However, in many parts of the Anglican Communion, especially in the global South, the situation is much more complex. Here, theological conservatism is intertwined with the legacy of colonial history and social attitudes that strongly resist change. These obstacles create deep divisions within the Anglican community: can the community remain united if it cannot agree on who has the right to say the words ‘Body of Christ’?

Today, women make up around a third of the clergy in the Church of England. Issues of gender inequality remain deeply rooted in many aspects of church life. Female priests are more likely to lead smaller and less powerful parishes. Their progression to higher church offices is significantly limited. Furthermore, there is still the possibility of rejecting a female priest solely based on her gender. The jobs in the Church that women do are often poorly paid, and less valued. Intersectional issues are increasingly visible. Minority women, Black women, and LGBTQ+ people face multiple layers of discrimination and resistance. This makes them even more vulnerable and marginalized within church structures. For this reason, 1994 cannot be seen as the end of the road, but as another stage on a long and uncertain journey towards equality. The struggle is not only for women’s access to the altar, but also for equality in all the aspects that the altar symbolises: the right to vote, to hold authority, and to shape the future of the Church. The progress that has been made is not universal or final, and resistance and divisions remain deep and often invisible. Yet, despite all the challenges, having women at the altar symbolises a new reality within the Anglican church that demands justice and inclusion.