{"id":15710,"date":"2026-02-27T15:46:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T20:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/mediacenter\/?p=8408"},"modified":"2026-03-05T09:55:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T14:55:44","slug":"womens-history-in-the-methodist-movement-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/media-center\/2026\/02\/womens-history-in-the-methodist-movement-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Methodist Women’s History Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In 1975, Gladys Ruth Williford and Helen Gray Crotwell (pictured above) were the first women to be ordained in the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

March is Women’s History Month, and The United Methodist Church has a rich history of women’s leadership. Borrow these books to learn about this history and teach it to others. We also have some DVDs on general women’s history to add to your watch list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women created a worship resource celebrating 70 years of full clergy rights for women in the church<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bishop Connie Shelton celebrates women’s contributions to the NC Conference in this video<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UMC.org offers a variety of resources for Women’s History Month<\/a>, including a timeline, current stories, and histories of women pioneers in Methodism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The General Commission on Religion and Race celebrates women of color in our Methodist lineage<\/a> with a great infographic and a litany of thanks for women of color leaders. They also offer ideas for worship, Sunday School, mission, outreach, and advocacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask the UMC highlighted the stories of groundbreaking Black women<\/a> in U.S. Methodist history, including Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Rev. Sallie Crenshaw, and Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of women in church leadership isn’t always pretty. View and share this video<\/a> of the sexism experienced by women clergy in the NC Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodist Women’s History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Southern Methodist Women and Social Justice: Interracial Activism in the Long Twentieth Century<\/a> edited by Janet Allured and M. Kathryn Armistead. This book tells the stories of nine southern Methodist women, who, inspired by their faith, advocated for progressive reform by fighting for racial equality, challenging white male supremacy, and addressing class oppression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pioneer Black Clergywomen: Stories of Black Clergywomen of the United Methodist Church 1974-2016<\/a> by Josephine Whitely-Fields. Black clergywomen are pioneers of the United Methodist Church who continue to significantly contribute to making disciples and spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their stories are inspiring illustrations of the Holy Spirit at work in ordinary people who said yes to ordained ministry. Black clergywomen have endured many individual, institutional, and systemic acts of racism, sexism, and ageism while being subjected to economic discrimination. Their continuance exemplifies their commitment to being the embodiment of Christ-love to all people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mothers in Israel: Methodist Beginnings Through the Eyes of Women<\/a> by Donna L. Fowler-Marchant. Eighteenth-century women like Susanna Annesley Wesley, Sarah Ryan, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, Frances Mortimer Pawson, Sarah Crosby, and many more were pivotal in the growth of the Methodist movement as class leaders, visitors to the sick, devotional writers, teachers, and even preachers. Discover the richness of their legacy of faithful witness through this exploration of their own theological writings and reflections and their message for the Church today. Rev. Dr. Fowler-Marchant is an elder in the NC Conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless: American Methodists and Women’s Rights<\/a> by Ashley Boggan Dreff. This book tells the story of American Methodist women\u2019s efforts to fight for women\u2019s rights, beginning with the Women\u2019s Christian Temperance Union and ending with the #MeToo movement. Each chapter documents particular Methodist women and provides the reader with a basic historic context of the time or situation at hand as it shows how Methodist women engaged and fought for women\u2019s equality or women\u2019s rights in American society and American Methodism. Dr. Boggan Dreff is the General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women Bishops of The United Methodist Church: Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit<\/a> by Sharon Zimmerman Rader and Margaret Ann Crain. Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader and Dr. Margaret Ann Crain interviewed the women bishops of The United Methodist Church, the first denomination to elect women to the episcopacy. Through the stories they collected, they learned what enabled these women to persevere, claim authority, define leadership in their own ways, and rise to the episcopacy. Retired NC Conference Bishop Hope Morgan Ward is included in this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She Offered Them Christ: The Legacy of Women Preachers in Early Methodism<\/a> by Paul W. Chilcote. This book collects the stories of Methodism’s early women preachers and fosters an understanding of John Wesley’s appreciation of and support for women in early Methodism. Women preachers in John Wesley’s day had his support, encouragement, and formal approval to travel and preach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirituality and Social Responsibility: Vocational Vision of Women in the United Methodist Tradition<\/a> edited by Rosemary Skinner Keller. Here is a collection of essays and primary source documents that tells the stories of pioneering ministries of United Methodist women–of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds–from the eighteenth century. Each essay traces the individual faith journeys and self-understanding of its subject. The stories also reveal the sexism and racism that confronted each woman overtly or covertly in church and society, as well as their own attitudes toward it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Journey is Our Home: A History of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women<\/a> by Carolyn Henninger Oehler. The History of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women of the United Methodist Church, following by decade from the beginnings in 1944, through the realization in the late seventies, and finally to assessing the situation in 1992. Includes lists of commission members since 1973.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten Best Books on the History of United Methodist Women<\/a> by United Methodist Women. This CD-ROM is a collection of ten outstanding books on the history, programs, outreach, and personalities of millions of United Methodist Women who have been involved in ministries with women and ministries with children and youth for more than a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional Books on Women in Methodism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Women Called to Ministry: A Six-Session Study for The United Methodist Church<\/a> by Delia Halverson, Kabamba Kiboko, Laceye Warner, and M. Lynn Scott. This six-session study explores our understanding of women’s roles in The United Methodist Church. Why are women ordained? Why are they included in all areas of leadership? How did we arrive at those understandings? Produced by the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women to mark the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination, the series is designed primarily for use by local congregations. Study guides, leader’s guides, and supplemental materials are available for free download<\/a> in PDF format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May She Have a Word with You? Women as Models of How to Live in the Poems of Charles Wesley with Commentary<\/a> by S. T. Kimbrough, Jr.; foreword by Laceye C. Warner. Entries in Charles Wesley’s MS Journal indicate an extremely positive relationship with women who are his coequals in mission and in the Methodist societies, and much of the work depended on them. Furthermore, Charles wrote numerous poems about women, often occasioned by death, which lift up individual women as models for the community at large and the church. Discover a literature that helps us to see the values which women had in the early Methodist movement and how those values were acknowledged, recorded, and fostered or encouraged by Charles Wesley, particularly in his poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead<\/a> by Emily Peck-McClain, Danyelle Trexler, Jen Tyler, J. Paige Boyer, and Shannon Sullivan. As female leaders, our journeys are littered with obstacles and pitfalls unique to our gender. But we do not need to walk through life alone; we need to support and encourage our fellow women as we forge ahead in our work to leave a positive mark on the world. This book is a collection of 100 inspiring devotionals written by the women who formed the grassroots movement of the same name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women’s Ministries: Inspire, Influence & Impact<\/a>. Help the women of your church experience freedom and connect with God through United Women in Faith, previously known as United Methodist Women (UMW). This Guideline is your roadmap to take action and make a difference in the women\u2019s ministry by empowering each other and making a lasting impact together. This is one of the twenty-six Guidelines for Leading Your Congregation 2025-2028<\/em> that cover church leadership areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Methodist Defense of Women in Ministry: A Documentary History<\/a> by Paul W. Chilcote. More than fifty documents from the history of Methodism chronicle the tortuous journey leading to biblical equality in this family of churches. At a time when the ministry of women is under serious attack in a number of quarters, yet again, we all have much to learn from the witness of Wesleyan Christians who argued for women’s ministry. This story illustrates how faithful women, when they knew they had the Lord’s approval, stood “like the beaten anvil to the stroke.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journey of Women Toward Ordination in the United Methodist Tradition: An Examination of the Efforts of Women to Become Ordained in the Methodist Tradition Since the Mid-nineteenth Century<\/a> by Carrie W. Parrish. A history of the ordination of United Methodist women with special attention to the North Carolina Conference. Includes a forward by Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, a report on the 50th anniversary of the ordination of clergywomen in the NC Conference, and lists of women bishops in the UMC, women ordained elder in the NC Conference, NC Conference clergywomen highlights, and the 2005 women clergy members of the NC Conference. Also includes statistics and “firsts” from 1956-2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biographies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Nevertheless, She Preached: Story of the Two Earliest Methodist Clergywomen in Virginia<\/a> by Margaret T. Kutz. The never-before-told story of Reverends Lillian Russell and Mildred Long, the two earliest clergywomen in Virginia Methodism, is based on years of research of primary sources. As you follow these women through fifty years of service to their God, you will laugh with them, cry with them, and feel their hurt, rage, faith, exhaustion, and strength. You will be inspired to nevertheless live your own destiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking Barriers: An African American Family & the Methodist Story<\/a> by Angella P. Current. On July 19, 1984, Leontine Current Kelly was elected bishop of The United Methodist Church, making her the first African-American woman to become a bishop within a major American religious denomination. This book recounts the story of her journey while also illustrating the experience of African Americans within United Methodism, and the important roles that faith, the church, and family played in molding the character and work of numerous individuals throughout the denomination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna Howard Shaw: The Work of Woman Suffrage<\/a> by Trisha Franzen. Acknowledged by her contemporaries as the most outstanding woman suffrage orator of her time, Anna Howard Shaw was also one of the first women to be ordained in the Methodist Church. Challenging traditional gender boundaries throughout her life, she put herself through college, worked as a doctor, and built a tightly-knit family with her secretary and longtime companion Lucy E. Anthony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol<\/a> by Nell Irvin Painter. Sojourner Truth was a freedom fighter for Blacks and for women. She was also, for a time, a Methodist. This biography explores her transformative life and its effect on those who encountered her, as well as the legacy that remains today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Wheel Within a Wheel: How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle with Some Reflections by the Way<\/a> by Frances E. Willard. Frances Willard, founder of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, fought for women’s suffrage and other social justice issues for workers and women. In 1888, she was one of five women elected as delegates to General Conference, but they were replaced by male reserves. She wrote this book after she took up bicycle-riding at the age of 53.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susanna Wesley: The Mother of John & Charles Wesley<\/a> by Arnold A. Dallimore. A biography of Susana Wesley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susanna Wesley: Mother of Methodism<\/a> by Mary Greetham. A short biography of the mother of John and Charles Wesley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DVDs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Women Speak of God<\/a> by Amy Oden. This eight-session course introduces us to the voices of six women who struggled with issues of identity, character, and calling and who were able to attest to God\u2019s living presence amidst their struggles. This course is for both women and men who want to grow in faith and see how God works in difficult times and places. It includes sessions on Perpetua, Juana In\u00e9s de la Cruz, Susanna Wesley, Georgia Harkness, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portrait of Susanna: The Story of Susanna Wesley<\/a> written and performed by Lynette Bennett Danskin. The mother of John and Charles Wesley, founders of Methodism, is profiled in this one-act play. Amidst the hardships of an impoverished early eighteenth-century English home, Susanna trained her sons in a style of Christian discipline and spirituality that would forever leave its mark on world Christianity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julian of Norwich<\/a>. This program looks at Julian of Norwich, recognized today as one of 14th century England’s most compelling mystics. A contemporary of Chaucer and survivor of the black plague, Julian received sixteen startling images of the crucified Christ that forever changed her life. Her descriptions of her visions in Revelations of Divine Love<\/a> have given birth to enduring images of God’s nurturing and familial love that continue to inspire seekers today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony<\/a> by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes. Together, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony fought for women everywhere, and their strong willpower and sheer determination still ripple through contemporary society. Ken Burns’s Emmy\u00ae Award-winning documentary recounts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of two pioneers striving to give birth to the women’s movement. A companion book<\/a> to this movie is also available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Woman, One Vote<\/a>. Birthed in a small Methodist Church in upstate New York, the women’s suffrage movement is documented in this PBS video. Witness the 70-year struggle for women’s suffrage. Discover why the crusaders faced entrenched opposition from men and women who feared the women’s vote would ignite a social revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Request These Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These resources can be borrowed<\/a> for free by anyone involved with a United Methodist Church in the North Carolina Conference. We will mail them to your home! All you need to do is fill out the Resource Request Form<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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