Gender Inclusive and Egalitarian Churches of Christ

A Directory of

Gender Inclusive and Egalitarian Churches

in the Church of Christ Heritage

This directory is published in an effort to help Christians who want to be a part of a gender inclusive

Church of Christ locate a chuurch in drivable distance of their home.

return to the main page of Where the Spirit Leads

If your church is listed and there have been changes made, please let me know so I can update your listing

The churches listed below have all become more inclusive to participation by women in the worship, leadership, ministries, and teaching. Each congregation has decided through much study how inclusive they would like to be. Some congregations are inclusive only in the worship and teaching ministries while others have removed all barriers to women being able to use the gifts they have received from God. Some of the churches listed are churches with a strong Church of Christ tradition, who associate with Churches of Christ, but do not have Church of Christ in their name.

The guidelines developed for listing these churches are as follows. If the answer to one or more questions is YES, then I will happily include congregation in my directory.

a) Are women welcome to use their gifts in leading public worship (leading prayer, giving communion talks, leading singing, and/or reading scripture, announcements, serving communion, etc. )?

b) Are women welcome to use their gifts in proclamation by preaching from the pulpit?

c) Are women welcome to use their gifts and knowledge in biblical instruction, to teach all age groups regardless of gender in bible classes?

d) Are women welcome to serve in leadership positions such as pulpit minister, worship leader, deacon, and elder (*not including positions such as children’s minister or women’s minister)?

e) Does the church publish a clear statement of purpose to be an egalitarian church or gender inclusive church on their website?

*We prefer not to list churches where the only position for a woman is the children’s or women’s minister. Even though this often represents a small step forward, many churches that presently have these staff positions do not allow women to serve or participate in any other part of worship, teaching, or leadership, and thus cannot be characterized as gender inclusive, equal, or just.

I have tried to accurately describe the gender inclusiveness of each church listed with the information I have been provided. The information may or may not be completely accurate and will be updated should better information become available. If you are a member of any of the listed congregations and feel the description is not accurate, please contact me. If you are a member of a gender inclusive Church of Christ as described above and wish to have your congregation listed, please contact me so that I may list your congregation. If you know of a gender inclusive Church of Christ that does not have a web site, I will list it with contact information on my page once I confirmed the accuracy of the information. Be sure to state in the subject line of your email "Gender Inclusive Church of Christ" and include a brief description of the congregation. The goal of this list is to collect as many links to gender inclusive Churches of Christ as possible so that Christians who consider gender equality and inclusion in the church important can find churches where the Galations 3:26-28 approach to worship, work in the church, teaching, and leadership is important. This directory is a free service for as long as I can afford to pay for the server. It is entirely privately funded.

admin@wherethespiritleads.org

italicized sentences with quotations marks are taken directly from the church's website or excerpted from an email

Marked with an @ indicates this congregation welcomes women preachers into their pulpit

The the most recent church addition to this directory was made on March 08, 2021: Central Church of Christ, Amarillo, TX

United States

Arkansas

Cornerstone Church of Christ, Fayetteville, AR

From their web site: "Women used in the church as Jesus utilized women, not be a ONE-gender church" ....... "Recently, our church appointed our first female deacon" ....."After more than a year of work and study, one of the goals stated in the vision for our church was, “We will involve both genders at the level of participation that we see in the New Testament.” ......Our eldership

decided to follow what we believe to be the original goal of the first century church, a much more egalitarian view.

CrossWalk Family of God, Little Rock, AR

Cory Jones, minister

Received from Andy Pickle, Youth and Family Minister:  We are a church that is certainly inclusive under the A (leading public worship on our worship team which includes reading scripture and praying) and C (teaching others in a class or Bible study). In a few circumstances women have spoken from the pulpit.

Reproduced from their website: We’re a progressive church – with roots in Churches of Christ – that worships in a traditional a cappella style. We’re a small-yet-diverse group of people who cover the full spectrum of socio-economic, religious, political, and cultural backgrounds. The CrossWalk Family is made up of doctors, bankers, retail workers, teachers, homeless, engineers, ex-cons, coaches, stay-at-home parents, social workers, hair dressers, therapists, old, young, black, white, liberal, conservative, moderate, athletes, mathletes, book worms, gamers, and none-of-the-abovers. We love Jesus. We love each other. And we love our city.

Downtown Church of Christ, Searcy, AR

Reported by the Harding University Bison: "CHURCH CONCLUDES MONTHS-LONG STUDY ABOUT WOMEN’S ROLES, ANNOUNCES CHANGES MOVING FORWARD"

Arizona

Ambassadors For Christ, Tucson, AZ

Jesse Warren, Campus Minister

We are a small group of people who love God and love college students. We seek to bring God's light onto the University of Arizona campus. We would love to have you join us!!
Check out our page, come visit our worship service on Sundays @ 4 or meet up with one of our campus ministers for coffee and bible study. We are fully egalitarian and serve based of gifting, not gender. Facebook

T empe church of Christ in Tempe , AZ

Received via email: "We visited the Tempe church of Christ in Tempe , AZ and a woman prayed before the congregation, and women helped serve communion".

California

@ Camarillo Church of Christ, Camarillo, CA

Alan Beard, senior minister

From an email received from Alan Beard: "I can verify that Camarillo Church of Christ meets the A, B, and C qualifications."

@ Conejo Valley Church of Christ, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Andy Wall, Preaching Minister

Email from a member:

"Thanks for your work listing gender-inclusive churches. I would encourage you to add the Conejo Valley C of C to your list (Thousand Oaks, Ca). Conditions A, B, and C apply."

@ Culver Palms Church of Christ, Los Angeles, CA.

Mark Manassee, senior minister



From their website: "God calls men and women to use their gifts in all aspects of the church's life." On July 09, 2013, the Culver Palms leadership made the following announcement:

“As a result of our ongoing study of scripture, we discern God’s call on the Culver Palms church to fully use the gifts of men and women to share God’s word through preaching in order to build up the body of Christ here and for the good of God’s kingdom…"
The Culver Palms Leadership”

Eastside Church of Christ, Antioch, CA

        Bobby Valentine, Minister



        This is a gender inclusive church where women share in the worship leadership with the men.

College Church of Christ, Fresno, CA

Jason Locke, Senior Minister

"Our worship minister, Sandra Henderson, has served our church in that capacity for about 20 years. We have women participating in, leading in worship services and teaching in every way except preaching or serving as an elder."

Metropolitian Church of Christ, Carson, CA

Fate Hagood, Minister

received for Fate by Private Message: "We have women at all levels of leadership except elder and the minister."

Palo Alto Church of Christ, Palo Alto, CA

Scott Falkowski, Minister

From their website: "We have a number of men and women who serve the church in specific leadership roles." Women serve as deacons, and in other positions.

Pasadena Church of Christ , Pasadena, CA

From their website: "We are a more progressive Church of Christ that is gender inclusive. We try to live out our Christian walks without the legalism and fundamentalism that has given so many Churches of Christ a bad name. We want a second chance to live out our calling in a fresh way that is enlivened by God's Holy Spirit...diligently trying to follow Him."

Sonoma Avenue Church of Christ, Santa Rosa, CA

Brice Smith, preaching minister

One of our non-traditional practices for a Church of Christ is the participation of women in our worship services. Women regularly participate in worship, reading scripture, sharing testimonies, offering prayers, and serving communion. Our Worship Ministers is a woman and we have begun to include instruments into our times of praise. It is important to note that we hold that the spiritual leadership of the congregation is the responsibility of godly men (shepherds) and that our leadership model is the Great Shepherd who came to serve and not be served; who taught and practiced spiritual leadership that was and is very different from how the world perceives leadership..

Turnpike Road Church of Christ, Santa Barbara, CA

From their web site: On any given Sunday you will see various women and men who are not the “official” minister serving, leading and facilitating the service in different ways.

University Church of Christ, Malibu, CA

Rich Little, preaching minister

From their web site: Leadership in worship is not limited to those formally recognized as ministers and elders. You will see Christian men and women from various walks of life taking active roles such as reading Scripture, serving communion, and participating in prayers. We are concerned to include all members in our worship in ways that are biblical, orderly and meaningful.

Colorado

Littleton Church of Christ Centennial, CO

Collin Packer, lead minister

From their web site: "ReNew Worship
Our 10:30 am worship service is a place where you can listen, sing, and engage in worship. The worship team is on-stage during the songs, video is used throughout the service, and both men and women are involved in various parts of the service. The ReNew service runs approximately 75 minutes."

Connecticut

@ Stamford Church of Christ Stamford, CT.

Dale Pauls, Senior Pulpit Minister; Naomi Walters, minister in residence.

"is a multi-racial, gender-inclusive Church of Christ. We honor as our spiritual heritage those attempts that began in America early in the 19th century to restore the life and spirit of Christianity as envisioned by Jesus and his apostles." Another early leader in the full equality and inclusion of women in all areas of church service, ministry, and leadership

Georgia

@ Campus View Church of Christ Athens, GA

Jerry Neill, preaching minister

I received the following through email:

Campus View treasures the gifting of the Spirit to serve and encourage each other in all its gatherings, and all opportunities are open to Spirit-inspired persons, regardless of gender.   1 Peter 4:10-11. =

@ North Atlanta Church of Christ, Atlanta, GA

Don McLaughlin - Minister

Reported by the son of a member that the elders announced on 11/24/2019 that women were now included in all areas od leading worship, teaching, and service except for the eldership.

Elders Statement

@ Northlake Church of Christ, Tucker, GA

Ike Reeser , Senior Minister

"Because we believe that every person has gifts to serve the church and the world, we welcome both men and women to participate in all ministries and in our worship assemblies. If you would like to learn more"

@ Southern Crescent Church, Tyrone, GA

Keith Clark

"As to our organization, we believe that Christ is the only head of the church and that every member is under His authority and also in submission to one another. We understand every member to be a minister of Christ- called to minister and serve in His name. We recognize that there are different gifts and functions within the body of Christ, but do not believe there is any hierarchy in which one member or ministry is more important than another; we believe that every member of our church family is accountable to Christ and to one another. We believe the Bible teaches that our local church family is to be organized as a flock under the loving and watchful care of shepherds (also called elders, bishops, presbyters) and the ministry of the church is to be entrusted to spiritual men and women who serve as ministry leaders."

Illinois

@ The Lakeview Church of Christ, Chicago, Il

Sean Wicks, Minister Cambry Pardee

From an email from Sean Wicks: The Lakeview Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois transitioned to being a fully gender-inclusive church in 2010. Since the transition, Lakeview has a 5-person leadership team consisting of 2 women and three men; women regularly participate/have access to all elements of our worship service, including leading worship, giving our welcome address, delivering communion thoughts, praying, reading scripture, making announcements, and preaching a sermon. We are trying to be a gift-oriented church, concentrating on putting to work the gifts of each person in our community.

Indiana

T urning Point Church Franklin, Indiana

Guy Langston, senior minister

(Formerly Franklin Church of Christ)   From an email from a member/ex-elder: "Women- Serve as Deacons and Ministry Leaders. Oversee communion, Serve communion, Open the service, close the service, Lead the congregation in prayed, Teach in mixed groups, are ministry Leaders. On two occasions have given the Sunday morning lesson (Sermon if you wish), are on the worship team, play instruments, sing solos, duets, etc."

Kansas

Overland Park Church of Christ, Overland Park, Kansas (On Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/opcofc/ )

Received by email on Sunday Aug. 04, 2019: "I was visiting the KC area this weekend and visited the OVerland Park Church of Christ for worship today. they had women that led prayers, did the welcome, gave an exhortation, served communion and their worship leader was a female. I’m not a member there but being aware of your directory (which I use for when I am traveling) I thought you might want to add them or reach out to them to see if they would like to be added."

Louisiana

Airline Drive Church of Christ in Bossier City, LA          Facebook

Received by email: "I am a long time member, and we have recently (past couple of years) added women Bible teachers to our weekly class schedules. Women and men each teach classes that include both males and females of all ages, baptized or not.'

South Baton Rough Church of Christ, Baton Rouge, LA

Reported by a member that the elder announced that women were now included in leading worship and teaching and all positins of service except for preaching and elderhship.

Massachusetts

@ Brookline Church of Christ, Brookline, MA

Senior minister: Candace Nicholds

"When worshipping at Brookline you will notice that women participate in public worship more than you may be used to in most Churches of Christ.............Brookline seeks to use the gifts God has given us without regard to gender because we have found two distinct imperatives that compel us to do so. The first imperative is clear in the doctrine of creation. God created humankind as equals-"male and female he created them"."

Pittsfield Church of Christ, Pittsfield, MA

Russell Moody II and Charles Young, ministers

"Our assemblies are intentionally relaxed. Our leadership seeks to utilize the giftedness of all our members. This means that men, women and children may be participating in our worship under the oversight of our elders. We understand the passages in both I Timothy and I Corinthians (often cited to limit women's participation) to be a corrective of chaotic circumstances. When "decency and order" and "edification" are the norm, everyone is encouraged to participate."

May 4, 2022: Posted by Russell Moody: Pittsfield Church of Christ is located in the beautiful Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Our church is friendly, relaxed, diverse in social and ethnic backgrounds and is gender inclusive. The Pittsfield Church of Christ is seeking a minister who can team up with us to grow in God's Word, to trust in the power of prayer, and to find ways to reach out to our community. The candidate should be formally educated, be relatable, have the ability to empower others, have a vision and have an understanding of the New England culture. Any qualified individual is welcome to apply.   pittsfieldcofc.job@gmail.com

Re storation Community Church, Kingston, MA

Received via Email from Eric Greer: "Restoration Community Church is a church in the tradition of the American Restoration Movement. We not only believe in the the priesthood of all believers; we practice it. Our gathering is fully egalitarian as is our leadership team".

Michigan

Arbor Bridge Church, Ann Arbor, MI    (formerly Ann Arbor Church of Christ Neighborhood Church)

Darryl Canty, minister

From email from Darryl Canty: "At our church we believe that women can do anything except be an elder."

Rochester Church of Christ, Rochester Hills, MI.

Adam Hill, Minister of the Word

Rochester Church is committed to nurturing and empowering every disciple to most faithfully utilize their gifts in service to Christ, Christ’s Kingdom, the church, and the world. To this end, women regularly use their gifts in our worship assemblies by reading scripture, leading prayer, giving communion talks, leading singing as a part of the praise team and in solos, and participating in dramas. Within our adult Bible classes, women serve as part of our teaching teams, and regularly teach adult Bible classes of both genders. In addition, women are regularly invited to co-preach alongside the Minister of the Word. While women do serve as Ministry Leaders and Pastoral Care Ministers (we do not have “Deacons” as an office currently, although, were it added, women would certainly be included in that office), as of now (Sept, 2013) women are not given the role of Shepherd (elder) or Minister of the Word. While not fully egalitarian at this point, we are committed to justice and inclusion and growth as we live out the gifting and blessing of God together.

Trenton Church of Christ, Trenton, MI.

Charlton Taylor, Senior Minister

From an email from Charlton Taylor: "women serve communion, give announcements, sing on a standing praise team, read scripture, participate in drama, teach, serve as ministry leader and we also have women serving on our Vision Team, one of our primary leadership teams.

Troy Church of Christ, Troy, MI.

From their web site: "After many years of studying and prayerfully reflecting on women’s roles in our public gatherings, our church family concluded that part of being true to Scripture was to include women in various capacities while embracing unity and peace. The result is that both men and women share in the responsibilities of serving during our assembly through Communion, Bible Reading, Prayer and Testimony."

Mississippi

Meadowbrook Church of Christ, Jackson, MS

Brian Cunningham, Senior Minister

From their web site: "After much prayer, study & conversation as one body, the elders have concluded that the Bible teaches that God created us all men and women equally, in status, giftedness, and opportunity for ministry and that the church is best served when men and women share responsibilities and serve together as complementary partners. The elders affirm that in our public gatherings as a family, women, and men may participate and serve together for the good of the body and with the leading of the Spirit in all of the functions and roles of a servant except for elder and preaching minister."

Missouri

East Sunshine Church of Christ, Springfield, MO

Deron Smith, preaching minister

Quoted from an email from Deron Smith: "At this time, East Sunshine's leadership has determined that elders and the preaching minister will be roles for males, while all other ministries and leadership positions include both men and women. This perspective comes from an understanding that God gave men a responsibility to answer to Him for the church family. There is a diversity of perspective in our leadership and congregation, but we have landed on this decision as the best for us right now. At East Sunshine, men and women pray; read Scripture; share reflections and pray at the communion table; serve communion; participate in praise team, dramas, testimonies, and announcements, etc. We have women ministers, ministry leaders (our term for deacons), and Bible class teachers/facilitators, and women have participated in the same kind of teams/committees that men have been a part of. Our goal is to base service, not so much on gender, but on giftedness, passion, abilities, personality, and experiences, within the leadership's understanding of male responsibility before God. We believe that strong male leadership will nurture an environment in which female leadership and giftedness thrives, not be suppressed."

McKnight Crossings Church of Christ, St. Louis, MO

Jeff Kryder preaching minister

From their web site: "A Traditional worship meets in the auditorium. This a cappella worship is rich in the church of Christ heritage. A Contemporary worship meets in the gym. This relaxed worship style is led by both men and women, with instrumental music accompanying our congregational praise. Our aim is that both worship experiences are uplifting, relevant, Christ-centered, and God-honoring. Try one this week and come back the next week to try the other!" (admin note: The Mid-county CofC, a previous listing in St. Louis, has merged with the McKnight Road CofC to form McKnight Crossings.)

Minnesota

Woodbury Church of Christ, Woodbury, Minnesota

Via email: "Based on your directory criteria, this congregation meets qualification C. Here are the noteworthy changes:

- Women will be asked to lead and co-lead bible classes

- Women will be asked to lead prayer outside the Sunday Worship time

- Women may facilitate small groups

- Women may baptize individuals at times

- In Sunday Worship, women will publicly make announcements, confess sin, make prayer requests, sing solos, pass communion trays, and co-lead singing."

New Jersey

Monmouth Church of Christ, Tinton Falls, NJ

From an email from Ashok Bruno, Elder, Monmouth Church of Christ:   "We allow women to serve as deacons, welcome the congregation, read scripture, and make announcements." The following link is to a MS Word 97 document on their web site regarding the role of women at Monmouth http://www.monmouthchurch.org/Reference/Misc/Role%20of%20Women.doc. I have converted the document to html for those who do not have access to MS Word 97: Role of Women

New Mexico

Cuba Avenue Church of Christ Alamogordo, NM

Al Maxey, Minister

Received from Al Maxey: "Women now participate in the serving of the Lord's Supper."

@ Los Alamos Church of Christ, Los Alamos, NM

Tim Stidham Pulpit Minister

"Service in worship is not limited to those formally recognized as ministers or elders. We believe in the priesthood of all believers. You will see Christian men and women from various walks of life taking active roles such as reading Scripture, preparing us for communion, and participating in prayers. We want to include all members in our worship in ways that are, biblical, orderly and meaningful."

@ Montgomery Church of Christ, Albuquerque, NM

Jason Burnett

Received from a member: "We only recently enacted a policy to allow women to SERVE communion, deliver messages for the bread and fruit of the vine and the offering message. Today, for the first time, one of our former elders' wives BAPTIZED a woman with whom she has been studying. The elders are now ALWAYS accompanied by their wives...in encouraging people to come forward at the end of services, in attending training programs for elders, etc....... We have an excellent Praise Team and Worship Leader, our services are wonderful. We also have a female Children's minister and had a female Administrative minister......"

South Main Church, Roswell, NM Robert Moore, teaching pastor    Phone: 575-622-4426 , Roswell, NM ... (no web site)

Received by email: "We began including women in public roles about 5 years ago. We were formerly known as the South Main Church of Christ. We don't have any particular statement on our website about women, as this is somewhat of an "old" issue for us - a statement is no longer necessary."

New York

@ Manhattan Church of Christ New York, NY

Dr. Thomas Robinson Senior Minister   Amy Bost Henegar

"A community of people on a spiritual journey together. We are striving to grow in devotion to God and in service to people." Not fully gender inclusive at leadership level at this time but was one of the leaders in including females in most areas of church service, ministry, worship, and teaching. They have gender equality and inclusive teaching material on their resources page.

@ West Islip Church of Christ, West Islip, New York

David Fritz

"is dedicated to serving the community and spreading the ministry of Jesus. We praise God joyfully and reflectively in worship services designed to let everyone participate—men and women, young and old." This congregation is an early leader in the gender equality and gender inclusive movement. It had the first husband and wife preaching team in the churches of Christ. West Islip is fully inclusive at all levels of church involvement and leadership.

North Carolina

@ Cole Mill Road Church of Christ Durham, NC

Ben Fike, pulpit minister

Preaching, Lead singing, prayers, communion meditations, and welcome in worship service along with serving communion

Teach classes of all ages with participants of any gender

Serve as Youth and Families Minister

Serve on our Ministry Coordinating Committee (replacement for deacons) to lead various ministries of our church

Female Ministry leaders listed on website along with rest of MCC members

@ Courtyard Church of Christ Fayetteville, NC



            Point of Contact: Tiffany Dahlman, Leadership Team member and courtyardcoc@gmail.com



             I received the following in an email from Tiffany on March 08, 2016: "We are a fully egalitarian Church of Christ where all people are encouraged

          to use whatever gift they have been given regardless of gender."

          From their web site: Buried Talents by Jay Guin

Providence Road Church of Christ, Charlotte, NC

Providence Road has two unique services. The early service is a traditional service. The late service is a contemporary service which includes female participation in the service as noted by an online video on their web site explaining their services.

Oklahoma

@ Dayspring Church of Christ , Edmond, OK

    This information was received via email from Linda King, Adult Education:



"Dayspring Church of Christ is a small (100 members) congregation in Edmond, Oklahoma. We are located next to the University of Central Oklahoma and not far from Oklahoma Christian University.

    Dayspring is unique in that we are a volunteer congregation. We have never had a paid minister. Instead, each week a different member/family/group volunteers to plan the Sunday morning communion service. In addition, because of our proximity to OC, we are blessed to be able to call on OC Bible professors to teach fine classes for us year after year.

    Partly as a consequence of our volunteer ethic and our flattened hierarchy, Dayspring Church has always been gender-inclusive throughout its 34-year existence. We have had female deacons and full participation in public worship for over 20 years. For the last 4 years, we have also had female shepherds (elders). There is no more gender distinction in our congregation than there is a distinction between tall and short, young and old, rich and poor. I don’t mean to sound glib about this: we studied the issue extensively over the course of two years in the early 1990s. We conducted a series of all-church meetings one summer to examine, assess, and discuss the hermeneutical lens(es) through which we read scripture as well as the traditions and personal/ professional/ cultural contexts that influenced our views. For these meetings we had ground rules and facilitators and plenty of time for people to listen to one another. Over it all, we had prayer. Although we did not reach immediate unanimity, there was a strong consensus. Our elders at the time decided that their ‘rule’ for the Dayspring congregation would be that there would be no rule: each person would be encouraged to fully use his or her gifts in service to the Lord and the community, considering what was best for one another and for our Christian witness. Instantly, the addition of women’s voices of wisdom, counsel, leadership, and prayer to the life and work of the church confirmed to us that the Spirit of God had directed our steps, and the matter of gender became an utter non-issue in the congregation.

    Our leadership is clearly set forth on our website at www.dayspringchurch.info. I offer the above brief history to explain why we don’t articulate a “gender-inclusive” policy on our website. We long to remain Christ-centered rather than issue-oriented, so we have consciously not trumpeted our “progressive” stance or our stance on any issue that might tend to dominate or distort our identity as anything other than followers of the Way. On the other hand, we don’t hide or dissemble, and many Bible faculty at OC, ACU, and Lipscomb universities have either visited us or taught entire series of lessons for us. They frequently remark as they leave, “This is wonderful. If only . . . .” Some eventually entrust themselves to us, and we are thankful that they now feel safe enough in their university positions that they can join themselves to our little congregation wholeheartedly, not covertly or casually.

    Having enjoyed the blessings of gender inclusion for all these years, we are happy to share our experiences—both successes and missteps—with anyone interested. Although we make it a policy not to enter into doctrinal debates or discussions via e-mail, we welcome all who would like to visit. In addition, you may include Dayspring on your list of churches of Christ that are fully inclusive.     In Christian love and humility, Linda A. King

@ The Journey Church, Tulsa, OK

Greg Taylor, preacher

"

Springs Church of Christ, Edmond, OK

Email from Caitlin Brown, Youth Minister: "They meet criteria a, b, c, and d. Their only youth minister is a female, and so is the executive minister. Women preach in front of the whole congregation, lead communion homilies, teach co-ed classes, and lead worship and prayers. I was the worship intern for over a year and had the opportunity to plan and lead worship. I'm happy to call this place home while I look for a youth ministry job myself." (thesprings.cc)

OHIO

Alum Creek Church of Christ, Lewis Center, OH

Adam Metz, minister

Received via email: "Women regularly lead public prayers, pass communion, provide the welcome and announcements, serve as deacons (though we don't have official titles), and participate in many ways. We have a praise team with men and women, and have both men and women lead solos, dramatic readings, and share testimonies. We are a small church and try to utilize whatever gifts each member provides."

Oregon

@ Agape Church of Christ, Portland, Or

Ron Clark, preaching minister.

By email from Ron Clark: "is fully gender inclusive church that is focused on outreach and empowering people, especially women, to do ministry."

@ East County Church of Christ, Gresham, Or

Lewis Robinson, minister

Received by email from a member: "East County Church of Christ, in Gresham, Oregon, is gender inclusive and may be added to your list, with A, B, and C applying. Women sometimes lead prayer, give communion talks, serve communion, sing on praise teams, teach mixed auditorium classes, do guest preaching, and serve as ministry servants (deacons)."

@ PUMP Church of Christ Portland Oregon Cheryl Russell

@ Westside Church of Christ, Hillsboro, Or

Aaron Metcalf, minister   Jen Christy

Verified by email: "Westside Church of Christ in Hillsboro, Oregon is gender-inclusive in worship, teaching and most leadership (we don't have women serving in the role of elder at this time). Women do lead worship, pray and read scripture publicly, lead the L.S., teach adult bible classes and help lead Westside's overall ministry efforts."

Pennsylvania

@ Kainos Church of Christ, Exerter Township, Reading, PA

Chip Hartzell, minister

Received the following from a member: "I think it's even more remarkable how natural it is, and that there are no male voices saying in essence that they are "allowing" women to enjoy an extended role in the assembly. I am not saying at all that it's an equal participation, but that our differences deepen our worship. Everything is done with the utmost consideration, love and respect for each other. There is no one making anyone feel like we are more, and you are less. More like, we all our different and we are all useful in different ways."

Tennessee

@ All Saints Church of Christ, Nashville, TN

The following is supplied by email from Claire Frederick, a member and one of their volunteer preachers:

"A new egalitarian church plant in Nashville called "All Saints Church of Christ" (established Oct. 2, 2016). Church planters include Claire Davidson Frederick, John Mark and Jennifer Hicks, and Jerry and Kim Reed. We meet at 4:00 p.m. each Sunday in the sanctuary of Vine Street Christian Church (4101 Harding Pike, Nashville, TN 37205). Our services are liturgical, and we follow the Revised Common Lectionary and church calendar. Home to a large number of M.Div. students and theology professors, we rotate male and female preachers, communion officiants, and worship leaders each week. Our worship is a blend of acapella and instrumental (depending on who is leading), and we get to experience both male and female members offering prayers and reading Scripture. We have no official elders or deacons at this point and instead are practicing liturgy without hierarchy. Our goal is that everyone may serve according to his or her giftedness and that the "priesthood of ALL believers" would be both a theology and a lived practice. Each week, 100% of our contribution goes to a different faith-based charity, as we have no paid staff and no overhead costs."

4th Avenue Church of Christ, Franklin, TN.

Patrick Mead, senior minister.

Quoted from their website:    Every congregation of the Church of Christ is independent and you will find a variety of worship styles and organizational models among them. Fourth Avenue Church has two distinctives: our worship is mixed — acapella and instrumental — and women play a larger role in the life and work of our congregation than they do in some others. The link below will take you to our statement on Women in Worship and Ministry.
Fourth Avenue and Women in Worship and Ministry

GraceBridge church of Christ, Chattanooga, TN

Travis A. Sharp, senior minister

Via email: "Women are full participants in our Sunday Gatherings, leading worship, sharing communion meditations, reading scripture, and preaching. While our full time staff at the moment is all male, we hope to change that at some point in the future. Women do lead in other areas as Deacons, and on our Administrative Team"

Maury Hill Church, Columbia, TN.

Russ Adcox, senior minister

Published on their website: Our belief is that women can participate in any activity of the assembly and serve in any capacity of the church with the exception of serving as an elder or senior minister.

Otter Creek Church of Christ, Brentwood, TN

Mike Runcie, Executive Minister; Josh Graves, Preaching & Teaching Minister

Otter Creek Church invites men and women to serve, based on giftedness, in ministry, worship gatherings (communion, prayers, music, readings, testimony), deacon/deaconess oversight leadership, all forms of adult education and spiritual formation. We are still wrestling with what it means to be a community based on giftedness through baptism.

@Reformation Church, Nashville, TN

Russell Pointer, founding minister

received by email: My name is Russell Pointer, and I am the founding minister of Reformation Church Nashville, a Church of Christ starting in Nashville, TN. We are an egalitarian Church of Christ that allows women to freely minister in any capacity.

Stones River Church of Christ Murfreesboro, TN,

Tony Woodall, Pulpit Minister

Stones River has women serving as Worship Minister, Youth Minister, and
Children's Minster. Information obtained from their web site.

Sycamore View Church of Christ, Memphis, TN

Josh Ross, Preaching Minister

Received by email: "We believe that to not move forward regarding both males and females fully participating in our worship settings, is not in keeping with the practice and spirit of the New Testament record, nor is it in keeping with the calling of the Holy Spirit. We see this as an exciting and powerful moment for Sycamore View, and pray for God to open new doors of opportunities for us to be a restoring church family here in Memphis." For more information regarding Sycamore View's Gender role study, please click HERE

.

Woodmont Hills Church, Nashville, TN

Jeff Brown, preaching minister

received by email: "Woodmont Hills church announced a policy change today that should merit its inclusion on your list. They now allow women to serve in all roles other than elder, pulpit minister, worship leader. They can be other types of ministers, serve as deacons, lead prayers, read scripture, speak and give devotional messages, serve communion, serve on praise team, teach adult bible classes."

TEXAS

Altamesa Church of Christ, Fort Worth, TX

email from Caitlin Brown: "They meet criteria a, c, and d at least. I grew up there for 20 years, and I still visit when I'm in town. There, they have had a female youth minister (who at one point was the only YM, so she was in charge of the whole youth group. She's a huge reason I went into youth ministry myself), and now she's the Connections Minister. My parents (both mom and dad) are elders, and my mom has been involved in leading worship for years. Women lead communion homilies, prayers, and co-ed classes. I credit this church for much of my theology about women's roles in the church."

(admin: My daughter and her husband attend worship at Altamesa)

@ Bastrop Church of Christ, Bastrop, TX   on Facebook: Bastrop Church of Christ

        Andrew Hicks, Minister

"We are an open-door, open-arms church that doesn’t expect you to have everything together but welcomes people as they are. We focus on building relationships through loving Jesus and loving people by serving our community. We are a fun-loving, Christ-centered church ready to make a difference in your life."

@ Bering Drive Church of Christ Houston, TX.

Dr. Jeff Christian, Preacher

Cynthia Ownby, Spiritual Life Minister

Possibly the oldest fully gender inclusive church in Texas with "a mission to bring people into a relationship with God, in a community of Jesus' disciples, seeking Biblical, nondenominational Christianity, and serving others in the compassion and power of the Holy Spirit." This congregation has women presently serving in eldership, ministry, and worship leadership.

Broadway Church of Christ, Lubbock, TX

Karl Ihfe Preaching Minister

Women lead in all parts of worship except preaching and the eldership. Confirmed by family members who are part of his congregation.

Central Church of Christ, Amarillo, TX

Received from Allan Stanglin, Senior Minister: "Please include Central Church of Christ in Amarillo, Texas in your directory. We answer yes to questions a, e, and c. Our answer to question b is yes on special occasions. Our answer to question d is yes if you consider "ministry leader" as deacon. We made these moves official at Central February 24, 2019."

Cinco Ranch Church of Christ,

Bo Pugh, Lead Minister

Received by email from Bo Pugh: "Women serve in every area of Cinco with the exception of shepherds and lead/senior minister."

Clear Lake Church of Christ Houston, TX

Byron Fike, preaching minister

Received via email: "We have women fully participating in the assemblies including leading worship, exhorting the church, serving communion, operating AV, translating into ASL and Spanish, etc. Portions of the assembly including songs, prayers, and scripture readings, and announcements from the podium are in English and in Spanish."

East Side Church of Christ, Snyder, TX

Received by email from a visitor to East Side: "Similar to Glenwood Church of Christ in Tyler"

Glenwood Church of Christ, Tyler, TX

https://glenwoodchurch.com/resources/women-in-the-church

@ Highland Church of Christ Abilene, TX

Shane Hughes, preaching minister

04/16/2021: This congregation has decided to become fully inclusive by selecting women to serve in the eldership

02/19/2023: Highland Church of Christ ordained six women to the eldership

Highland Oaks Church of Christ Dallas, TX

Pat Bills, Minister

The following link is to the elders' published statement on gender equality in the church http://www.hocc.org/eldersstatement/

@ The Church at 1548 Heights Houston, TX

Dr. Matt Soper, preaching minister

This is a fully egalitarian church.

@ Mercy Street Church of Christ   Abilene, TX.

Stan Baldwin, minister

The Mercy Street Church of Christ is a new church planting that is a multi-racial, multi-cultural, gender-inclusive Church of Christ. Read about this Church of Christ in an article published by the ReporterNews.com, an online news site for Abilene, Texas.

@ Minter Lane Church of Christ   Abilene, TX.

Albert Acosta, pulpit minister

Reported by Ken Cukrowski on 12/10/2019: "I'm happy to report that on Sunday, December 8th, Minter Lane (Abilene,TX) appointed four new elders: two women and two men."

North Davis Church of Christ, Arlington, TX

Jeff Hubbard, preaching minister

Received from Bret Morris, Worship and Communication Minister: "We can answer yes to A, C, and E."

Elder announcement from their website

@ Oak Ridge Church of Christ Willow Park, TX

I found out about this congregation through a female friend who preached for them not long ago. Their inclusive nature was verified by a member email.

Preston Road Church of Christ, Dallas, TX

Wade Hodges, lead minister

Received in an email from Wade Hodges: "women pass communion and read scripture on Sunday mornings. Also make announcement. Women teach co-ed classes on Sunday mornings on some occasions."

Robinson Church of Christ, Robinson, TX

Shane Alexander, Preaching Minister

received by email from Shane: Women lead in worship as needed and gifted, teach in adult bible classes, serve as deacons.

Southern Hills Church of Christ, Abilene, TX

From their web site:   https://www.sohillschurch.org/aboutus/expanding-the-roles-of-women/ "As a church family, we have always fully affirmed that women and men possess equal worth in Jesus Christ. Now, as one body, your shepherds bless and empower both men and women who have the desire and giftedness to participate in roles of service in our worship gatherings and in the life of our church. Our collective understanding of scripture leads us to affirm that the roles of elder and preaching minister will continue to be filled only by men. Aside from these two roles, various roles of service in our worship gatherings that were previously filled only by men will now be filled at times by men, at times by women, and at times by both men and women together."

personal note from Admin: My twin daughters attended Southern Hills when they were students at ACU (2002-2007). At that time, SHCoC was very traditional in their views of what women could and could not do but my wife and I always felt

warmly welcomed there. The elders announcement September 30, 2018 is something that brightens my day!

@ Southwest Central Church of Christ, Houston, TX.

update: "On Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, This congregation ordained their first female shepherd" (received by email on Aug. 08, 2019)

From their website:

    "Another tradition we have here at SWC is the participation of women in our worship services in prayer, reading or serving the Lord’s Supper. After years of study, we have come to see God leading us to this practice as a way of declaring that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28)."

Email received on June, 2016

    "Since we have chosen not to hire a minister for the traditional preaching role, we all share in the sounds of our assemblies. In our gathered time together, we have both gifted women and gifted men from the congregation who preach regularly, as well as pray, read Scripture, offer testimony, serve the bread and cup, and lead singing."

@ Spirit of Unity, a Church of Christ Family, Irving TX (Formerly Plymouth Park Church of Christ)

John Ketchersid, Minister

An ecumenical, gender-inclusive, kingdom-centered body of Christians serving the city of Irving, TX. This congregation is fully gender inclusive at all levels of service, ministry, and leadership. Located at 211 W. Third St. Irving, TX 75060 (Chapel of First United Methodist Irving) -- Sunday morning worship is at 10:30 am. -- Glorifying God, Loving Our Neighbors, In Jesus Christ! You are always welcome to join us!

On Facebook at Spirit of Unity

Sunset Ridge Church of Christ, San Antonio, TX.

John Harp, Senior Minister

From their website: "We are a gift-inclusive church, meaning leadership in worship is not limited to men or those formally recognized as ministers or elders. You will see both men and women taking an active role using their gifts such as leading singing, reading Scripture, presiding over and serving communion, and participating in prayers. We strive to include all members in our worship in ways that we believe are biblical, orderly and meaningful."

@ Tahoka Church of Christ, Tahoka, TX. ( On FaceBook )

Preaching: Brandon Fredenburg and Shannon Rains

by email: "Women have been included in the worship by serving communion, making announcements, and reading Scripture." and a conversation with three members on 04/28/2012: "Two women will be installed as deacons on Sunday, May 6, 2012" (update 07-2017: personal observation: Women now teach and preach).

The Branch Church (formerly Farmers Branch Church of Christ), Farmers Branch, TX      Chris Siedman, Lead Minister

Received via email: "The Branch (formerly Farmers Branch Church of Christ), where my wife and I are members, should be on your list."

The Hills Church ( formerly Richland Hills Church of Christ): North Richland Hills, TX.

Rick Atchely Minister

The following information is supplied by a member:   "we have women leading prayers in worship, also on occasion, little girls leading prayers in worship and reading Scripture in worship, also women leading worship. We are working toward getting women to serve communion and to usher"

West Fort Worth Campus       Southlake Campus

@ The Vine Church, a church of Christ fellowship, Temple, TX

from a member email: "We have women ministry leaders, women teach mixed adult classes, women have made announcements, women sing solos and sing on our praise team, voice prayers in small groups, lead prayer on Wednesday nights, and make Wednesday night devotional talks. We sing both accapella and instrumental, but more instrumental. We have long been considered the more progressive and non-traditional church of Christ in our area."

University Avenue Church of Christ, Austin, TX

Eddie Sharp, Minister

From their website: "Thank you for your interest in University Avenue Church of Christ. In our worship services, women are asked to sing, read Scripture, offer prayers, make announcements, and help with the Lord’s Supper."

@ Vandalia Church of Christ, Lubbock, TX

This congregation is fully inclusive with women serving in all positions of leadership and ministry.

@ Venture Community Church, Denton, TX

Karen Lawson

Virginia

@ Roanoke Church of Christ, Roanoke, VA

Keith Wagner, minister

Received from member Mike Brown: "Roanoke became gender inclusive in the early 90s after a period of study and discernment."

From their website: "With firm conviction that the scriptures teach the redeeming act of Christ on the cross has broken down all barriers between humankind, and after many years of prayer and study, we of the Roanoke Church of Christ now recognize the contributing gifts and talents of all the redeemed, regardless of gender. This, along with the other ministries of this church, has given us the greatest sense of mission and purpose we have ever known. If you are a newcomer, we welcome you and invite you to join us in the grace and freedom of Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Springfield Church of Christ, Springfield, VA

From their website: Everyone is invited to participate in our worship services. On any given Sunday, we may have men, women, the young and the old singing, reading scripture, serving communion and leading prayer. For some in our tradition, this is unusual. You are invited to read our thoughts on this here

Washington

@ Federal Way Church of Christ, Federal Way, WA

Ben Ries, preaching minister

by email from Ben Ries: "If you were to come on a Sunday morning you will find both male and female voices present in our worship. Women will often lead our welcome/call to worship, read scripture, pray, pass communion trays, lead our practice of dwelling (a kind of lectio divina) and share testimony. Women also teach adult bible classes, sometimes by themselves, sometimes in partnership with others. We also have a women ministry leaders (aka deaconesses) and a woman youth minister who leads our 7th-12th grade ministry."

Wisconsin

Mandrake Road Church of Christ, Madison, WI

Roy Ratcliff, minister & elder



by email from Roy Ratcliff: "we use women in the worship to help lead worship by leading prayer and Bible reading, we use women to teach adult Bible classes, and we have a woman deacon."

Canada

Ontario

@ Followers of Christ, Brantford, Ontario

Rick Gamble, minister

from an email from Rick:

"Women participate in every aspect of our worship, including leading communion and preaching, and Susan is our worship leader. It's truly remarkable what God can do and how he can bless his people when you unshackle more than 50 per cent of his people to attain their full potential. Unlike most churches from our heritage, we also involve women in congregational leadership. Our leaders are identified through an extensive Spiritual Gifts investigation we do every three years or so, and gender is not used to exclude anyone."

Followers of Christ is a Restoration Movement church with roots in the Churches of Christ. Also, Rick publishes an email titled Cross Current, which is a true, historical story with a Christian application.

Stoney Creek Church of Christ Ontario

From an email a member: "women serve by being worship leaders, leading prayers, and serving communion...women teach at all levels, including adult classes...one woman on our Servant Leaders team"

British Columbia

Shelbourne Street Church of Christ, Victoria

Daniel Patstone, associate minister

    Women serve as deacons and are identified on their web site.