This morning, the Church of England announced that Sarah Mullally will be the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to lead the Church of England. She's not new to leadership--she's been the bishop of London. But this situation will bring new challenges--she's in charge of a much larger church body of Anglicans, many of whom do not believe in having women in leadership positions.
I'm also intrigued by her previous training as a cancer nurse. She's 63 years old, and now I'd like to know more about her call story--research for another day.
Tomorrow, my own denomination, the ELCA (the more progressive Lutheran expression in the U.S.) also heads into a new phase. It's the day that Yehiel Curry, our newly elected bishop, is installed in Minneapolis. He is black and male, married with children, born in 1972, so relatively young. The top 3 leadership positions are now held by non-white believers.
Having new leadership may lead to changes, both for the ELCA and the Church of England. Of course, it may not. I am under no illusions about how long it can take to shift these institutions.
But I have studied enough church history to know that these shifts can happen quickly. I could talk about the power of the Holy Spirit not being bound by humans, but I also know that humans themselves can make institutions shift quickly.
In these days that can be so dark, I'll take hope wherever I can find it.
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