Like Jonah in the Bible, Hyveth Williams was reluctant to answer God’s call to ministry. She used to denounce women’s ordination and proclaim that females must not be pastors — because she was trying to convince herself that God was not calling her. This background helps her to be understanding and forgiving of those who oppose women in ministry. We are fortunate, however, that she finally answered God’s call. Listen to her brief but powerful testimony.

Dr. Williams served as a senior pastor for 20 years, most recently as senior pastor of the Loma Linda Campus Hill Church, before accepting a call in 2009 to join the faculty of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, where she trains pastors in Christian Ministry and Homiletics.

Would you be concerned, maybe shocked, to hear that a woman would be your new pastor? When that happened in 2008 in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, many members were skeptical of the idea. They did not want Tara VinCross to come to their district. But they felt differently when they met her. What made the difference? Continue reading

The General Conference Biblical Research Institute has noted that opponent of women’s ordination are claiming that “it opens the way to the acceptance of a homosexual lifestyle by the Adventist Church.” But the GC BRI explains: “The two issues are not related to each other and should be kept separate.” The BRI stays: While the Bible clearly forbids homosexual activity, it does not … forbid ordination of women. The BRI further explains that the “wrong reasons used by some should not prevent us to do the right thing for right reasons.” Continue reading