Australian and international Christians are set to gather in Brisbane for the 40th anniversary of the national Movement for the Ordination of Women at a conference in November.

Conference committee chair and Rector of St Mark’s, The Gap Ann Edwards said that this conference will bring together women and men who value women’s leadership in the Church and who recognise that there is still much to be done to support them in their roles, whether lay or ordained.

“In many ways, women like me, who lead parishes today, stand on the shoulders of those whose prophetic voices and determination paved the way for women to be accepted and valued in leadership roles in the Church,” The Rev’d Dr Edwards said.

“Founding members, such as Dr Gwenneth Roberts, remember the days when Synod members thought women were best employed fetching the tea and biscuits.

“We’ve come a long way, but there’s always more work to be done.

“We are so pleased that this year three women have been consecrated as bishops in the Anglican Church in Australia.

“Nevertheless, there remain three dioceses in which women cannot be ordained and serve as priests or bishops, and in many cases are not permitted to preach or teach unless supervised by a man.”

The “Lead Like a Woman!” conference will be held from Thursday 28 to Saturday 30 November.

Subsequent conference sessions will be held at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Ascot.

“Lead Like a Woman!” speakers and panellists offer Anglican and ecumenical insights into gender equality and bullying and violence against women in the Church.

President of the Movement for the Ordination of Women (MOW) Elaine Lindsay said that the conference will be particularly helpful for those who feel unsupported, isolated or ignored.

“We particularly encourage younger women and men — the next generation of leaders — to learn from the history of MOW and to support its ongoing work.

“Conservative forces are relentless in pushing to restrict the full participation of women in the Church and we are already seeing in some dioceses how easily the progress we have made over 40 years can be undermined,” Dr Lindsay said.

“Our speakers are outstanding people like Marg Mowczko, Tracy McEwan, Miryam Clough and Colleen O’Reilly.

“We encourage everyone who believes that the ministry of women is a Gospel imperative to join us for some or all of this very special conference.”

Speakers and panellists will also address the cultural, theological and organisational barriers women face as they seek to move into senior Church leadership positions.

In coming together, participants will witness their commitment to furthering the ministry of women and their willingness to call out violence and oppression, while hearing a diversity of voices and celebrating all that MOW has achieved.

The conference will commence with a dinner and eucharist at St John’s Cathedral on the Thursday evening.

Bishop Sarah Plowman will preside at the eucharist and The Rev’d Aunty Di Langham will preach.

For more information or to register for the conference, visit the Lead Like a Woman! conference website.

Editor’s note: Please register for the “Lead Like a Woman!” conference by 5pm Friday 15 November. For registration options, please visit the conference website. Attendance at the Thursday 28 November opening dinner and Eucharist is free of charge; however, registrations are essential for catering purposes.