This imagined dialogue about engaging youth in the church’s work includes active and inactive young adults of St. Barnabas Lutheran Church. The comments are based on the 2005 report, “Why Young People Leave WELS.”

Riley (recently confirmed youth): I brought a friend along to church recently. Afterward, she said, “I’m curious. Your pastor is a man. The church council members that were installed during the service were all men. Do women play any role at all in your church?” I struggled trying to find a good way to answer her.

Jacki (inactive member, in her 20s): Maybe answering is difficult because we do downgrade women. I think a lot of women feel like second-class citizens in this church.

Mrs. Schnitt (ladies association president): I don’t see it that way. I’ve always been very involved in church activities.

Abby (college student, attends when home on weekends): But the scope of activities and ministries for women seems quite limited.

Mr. Newsome (church council member): Well, there are certain limits established by Scripture.

Gina (active teen member): I wouldn’t want to go against the Bible. To put women in the role of pastors would go too far. But women can offer a lot to the church—above and beyond cooking, cleaning, and raising children.

Tim (active teen): We’ve never said women can only cook, clean, and raise kids.

Jacki: It may seem that way, though, if the main things women are seen doing at church is preparing potlucks and staffing the nursery.

Erin (college student, training to be a Lutheran school teacher): Having women involved in nurturing children isn’t a bad thing! They do vital work teaching the next generation God’s truth.

Abby: I just think that at a time in history when we’ve seen women running for president and vice president of the country, we need to get beyond simply saying, “Women, you need to submit to men.”

Rev. James (St. Barnabas’ pastor): Our society sees submitting to another person as something weak or undesirable, but in Christ we aren’t ashamed to give ourselves in service to one another.

Steven (college student, attends occasionally): So what exactly does the Bible say about what women can and can’t do?

Mrs. Bonita (Sunday school teacher): The wife of noble character described in Proverbs sounds like she does just about everything—from managing her household to conducting business and buying property.