The ordination of women in American Presbyterianism did not emerge overnight but through a long sequence of small decisions — in churches and eventually courts — that gradually reshaped the Church’s understanding of officers, ordination, their function, and authority. In my previous article, I traced the slow descent of the Northern Presbyterian Church, from its 1878 declaration that ordination is limited to men, to its 1956 decision permitting women to be ordained to all offices in the Church. Over those seventy-eight years, the Church’s polity gradually shifted through small, incremental steps: changes in practice, the creation of new man-made functional roles, and the blurring of Biblical boundaries. As I noted then, this pattern of decline can be observed across several denominations.

The story of the Southern Presbyterian Church (PCUS) follows a similar but distinct path. Although the PCUS did not appear to be on the same trajectory as its Northern counterpart, it ultimately arrived at a similar destination. In 1956, the Northern Church opened ordination to women as pastors; only seven years later, the Southern Church would vote to ordain both men and women to all offices. How did the PCUS descend to this point? History has much to teach us, not only to warn us of the slippery slope but also to remind us of the faithfulness of those concerned Presbyterians who, seeing the same decline, established the Presbyterian Church in America as a continuing witness of the PCUS.

In preparing this study, I relied on several historical accounts that document this progression. I have chosen particularly to use “The Ordination of Women and the Function of the Bible” by Mary Faith Carson and James J. H. Price. These authors present the developments positively, as milestones of progress, which makes their account more useful. It is one thing to infer correlation and causation in hindsight; it is another to hear advocates themselves identify the decisive moments that led to women’s ordination in the PCUS.

Finally, we must understand that the end of this slope, the formal vote to ordain women, is merely the visible culmination of earlier compromises. By the time a denomination changes its polity, the groundwork has long been laid in local practice, committee reports, and theological literature. The slope may vary in angle and pace, but its destination is the same. Total depravity is like gravity; it is always at work, even in Christ’s visible church on earth. We would do well to learn from our Presbyterian forefathers and abandon the arrogance that assumes, “It could never happen to us.” Read more»

Thomas Rickard | “Slow Like Molasses” | December 2, 2025

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