Welcome to our newest gender equity (GE) communications initiative—the GE blog. This space will be populated monthly by a variety of writers sharing the heart and work of gender equity in the territory. I am delighted to be the territorial gender equity officer who works with a passionate group of committee members overseeing the actions and approved recommendations from the 2020 Gender Equity Task Force report (see Gender Equity - Salvation Army Canada). Our advocacy for gender equity is shaped by the biblical teaching of shared leadership between women and men, supported by The Salvation Army’s theology of fair treatment for all persons. Our goal is demonstrating the heart of God (see Genesis 1:28-29) in the original intent for women and men to flourish in mission and stewardship of the world God created. Along with the original picture of God’s will, gender equity was underscored and demonstrated in the redemptive hope of Jesus’ life and ministry, particularly in his treatment of women.

 The gender equity committee is partnering with front-line officers and department heads to ensure the manifestation of gender equity becomes increasingly normative in our daily missional operations and leadership roles. One of my favourite grammatical phrases is “both/and.”  I seldom see things as “either/or” because, to me, few things are so great or poor they can’t be improved. In terms of gender equity, I am indebted to The Salvation Army for being a Christian denomination who has historically welcomed women leaders into their pulpits and ministry operations. I currently work with others on gender equity because we still need to “close the gap” in the places where equity remains a glass ceiling. Together, we will make a difference as we work towards restoring the places where we have missed the mark.

Why do we persist in the work of gender equity? Not everyone’s lived experience is equitable. While we celebrate the great progress of development and leadership opportunities for women and men, women leaders still have more barriers to overcome than men. Contextual realities require ongoing teaching and pushback as inequity emerges. Patriarchy in church leadership remains a majority. There are ways we all need to contribute to ensuring there is continuous improvement in the demonstration of gender equity.

Please stay tuned for future blogs addressing emerging gender equity themes and challenges, such as:

• Gender equity and diverse cultures—leading by example to influence and help others.
• Living out our Salvation Army theology in daily mission and leadership.
• Women leaders thriving—an example of those who do it well and why.
• How we can reframe the way we look at the world to include a gender equity lens.
• How we can measure the certainty of “all voices heard and engaged.”

If you have a gender equity topic burning in your heart, write to us at gender.equity@salvationarmy.ca and we will consider a potential blog post to address the matter.