Spiritual Leadership: Women make their Mark
in Dallas Churches

By Cheryl Smith, The Dallas Weekly

DALLAS, TX (NNPA) — Being a female preacher is not an easy calling. Just ask any one of the many women who have stepped into the male-dominated role as leader of a church.

There are women who for years have labored in the trenches, serving as spiritual advisors, while being ostracized by their male counterparts.

Earnestine C. Reems, Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Ava Muhammad are just a few of the thousands of women who are leaders in the religious community. And the list goes on and on. They are trailblazers who remained focused and steadfast in the midst of enormous obstacles.

Several years ago when Rev. Jesse Jackson came to town and convened a meeting of area ministers, the women were barely represented. Was the absence of the dozens of women ministers and evangelists in this area an oversight or did the women respectfully decline participation?

Admittedly there are churches where women are still not allowed in the pulpit. But more and more women are making their way out of the choir stands and up from the piano benches to the pulpit and boardroom. Some male pastors and even women will quote scripture when explaining why women should not be in the pulpit.

Some religions are not exclusionary. Then too, where there are not opportunities in churches, women are building their own ministries and congregations. Many with support from their husbands. And some even minister side-by-side, husband and wife teams. The Dallas Weekly, in a series on the church, is looking at women who received their “calling” and continue to make significant strides, in spite of opposition.

Interestingly, while long considered an issue for male ministers, many of these women are enjoying success in bringing men into their congregations.

For decades men were the predominant leadership in the Nation of Islam. But with noted lecturer, attorney and spiritual advisor Ava Muhammad in the forefront, the fallacies of a declaration that women were subservient was challenged.

She is the national spokesperson for the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. In a history-making move, Minister Farrakhan named “Sister Ava” the first woman to head a mosque. He has referred to her as “one of the most profound teachers of Islam in North America.”

Sister Ava received her juris doctorate from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the New York Bar. The Islamic publication, New Trends, named her one of the five most important Muslim women of the 20th Century.

Earnestine C. Reems, who is proud of the support she receives from men and women, was featured in the November issue of Ebony magazine as one of the top 15 African-American women preachers in the country. The subject of a Dallas Weekly cover story earlier this year, Reems has several ministries and travels constantly spreading her uplifting message and encouraging others.

Here are but a few more women ministers in the Dallas area:

Pastor Clara M. Reed

Reed is an elder in the United Methodist Church and member of the North Texas Conference. Throughout her Christian journey, which began as a member of the Pentecostal church, Reed has served the church in numerous capacities, including pastoring, directing community outreach ministries and serving as minister to children and youth. Reed is a frequent facilitator for Disciple Bible Study.

Reed is currently pastor for All Nations United Methodist Church in Plano, a multi-ethnic congregation which is unified by its commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

Reed is active in the broader community through affiliation with civic and volunteer organizations. Organizations have included the Perkins Doctor of Ministry Committee, Perkins School of Theology Mentor Pastor Program, the Plano Ministerial Alliance and the board for Plano Habitat for Humanity. She has been the recipient of several honors and awards, including the Texas Business Trailblazer Award (1993) and the Award of Distinction (1997). •

Pastor Susan Stephens

Called into the ministry in May 1998, Susan Stephens preached her first public sermon at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas on Oct. 14, 1998. On Dec. 31, 1998, Pastor Frederick D. Haynes III licensed her to preach the Good News. Stephens was ordained on Jan. 17, 2000, at Friendship-West Baptist Church.

On Aug. 2, 1999, she was appointed Pastor of Outreach Ministries at the Friendship-West Baptist Church. The ministries under her realm of responsibilities include prison, transportation, Soul Stirrers, Benevolence, Operation Transformation, On a Mission and Social Action. Stephens also serves as Preventive Adolescent Pregnancy Mentor for Girl’s Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas.

Stephens is a mentor in the community, serving as the director of the national award-winning Dallas Dazzlers Dance Team, as well as the Talitha Koum Mission. The Dazzlers seeks to provide cultural development through the art of dance. Talitha Koum Mission is responsible for equipping young ladies between ages 10 and 18 to “rise above” the obstacles and trials of life to the promise of success that God has given them (Jeremiah 29:11).

Stephens was the first African-American female preacher to receive the NAACP Juanita Craft Award in the field of religion. She can also be heard on KRNB 105.7 for prayer each Sunday morning.

Her favorite scripture is Psalm 34: “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Renee Hornbuckle

Renee Hornbuckle is a gifted motivational speaker. Her ministry is dedicated to training others, especially women in practical life skills and character building so that they can live enriched lives. Through Biblical instruction and personal experience, she is able and qualified to communicate the principles of successful living with conviction.

The founder of Women of Influence Inc., a ministry committed to the personal development of women worldwide, Hornbuckle is also a wife, mother, pastor, administrator, author and entrepreneur. She understands the demands and pressures of the 21st-century woman. Consequently, she challenges and inspires women to maximize their potential and realize their God-appointed destiny. By equipping women through her ministry, Hornbuckle causes ordinary women to transform into women of influence, distinction and worth.

She hosts the annual Women of Influence Personal Development Conference and is the author of “If It Pleases the King,” “Destined For Greatness,” a developmental program aimed at teaching entrepreneurial, education, moral and social skills to young people, and “Forty Golden Nuggets That Will Lead You Into the Promised Land,” co-authored with her husband.

Hornbuckle assists her husband, Terry Hornbuckle, at Agape Christian Fellowship. •

Cathy W. Moffitt

Elder Cathy W. Moffitt has a passion for ministry. She loves God and she loves God’s people. She became a licensed minister in 1997 at The Potter’s House. In June 1999, she was ordained an Elder at The Potter’s House under Bishop T. D. Jakes.

In 1997, she was one of 12 team leaders for more than 9,000 women members in the WoMan to Woman Ministries directed by First Lady Serita Jakes. She worked as a mentor for the 1997/98-debutante program and created a workshop titled, “I Am Who God Says I Am,” as part of the curriculum.

From 1998 to 2002, Moffitt was program director and founder of the Christian Women’s Leadership Development Program. More than 200 young Christian women have completed the program over the past five years. She received the prestigious Year 2000 Girl’s Inc. “She Knows Where She Is Going Award” and the 2002 Women of Influence Award from Agape Christian Fellowship Church for her contributions to this program. Cathy is also president and founder of Heartfelt International Ministries.

Sheron C. Patterson

Sheron C. Patterson is America’s “Love Doctor.” Her love clinic ministry spans the United States via her weekly syndicated radio broadcast that is heard in 40 cities, her monthly relationship column in Gospel Today magazine, and her appearances in Jet and Christianity Today magazines and on Black Entertainment Television. Patterson’s latest book, “The Love Clinic: How To Heal Relationships In A Christian Spirit,” is an Essence magazine best seller. Patterson is the senior pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church, located in the heart of downtown Dallas. •