Pastors' Wives Move Beyond The Front Pew

'First Ladies' of Black Churches Take On More Leadership Roles

PIKESVILLE, Md. -- At Restoring Life International Church, pastor June Robinson wears several hats -- and not the big fancy ones you might expect for a pastor's wife.

Standing in the pulpit with her husband, senior pastor Kenneth Robinson, she encourages the congregation to join them on a mission trip to her native Guyana to help them see "how blessed you are in America."

Later, she sits with an open Bible on her lap while her husband takes the pulpit. After the service, she meets with female members in the 600-seat sanctuary to discuss a church retreat and a women's health conference she'll be hosting. She's also the church's financial director.

In black churches across the country, the pastor's wife has often been recognized as significant. In the past decade or so, these wives have taken on new congregational roles, including that of co-pastor. No longer confined to the front pew, they have a range of leadership roles inside and outside their churches. Some, such as Robinson, have taken on the ordained post, sitting even farther up front in the sanctuary.

"The role is changing -- no longer sitting in the front row with a big hat, but getting involved," Robinson, a "30-something," said in an interview after a recent service. "We do have a position of influence and a voice, and I believe God expects us to use our position and our voice to influence the next generation."

Robinson shared that sentiment with other pastors' wives this year at an annual First Ladies Summit in Washington. The term "first ladies" historically has referred to their positions as the prominent wives of church pastors. Now, some who use that title -- including more than half those attending the summit -- also are called co-pastor.

Experts point to social, cultural and theological reasons for the evolving roles and title changes of black pastors' wives.

Some relate the changes to the professionalization of the black middle class, which is seen in some African American megachurches. Wives of pastors in those churches often hold top administrative jobs, write their own books and keep their own calendars of speaking engagements.

The Rev. Shelley Henderson, organizer of the First Ladies Summit, points to the overall empowerment of women, as reflected by the election of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and by New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's run for the White House.

"I think it has more to do with limits . . . being taken off women in general," Henderson said.

Robinson's husband points to the theological emphasis in some charismatic circles, where the focus is more on the Bible and Jesus and less on males and females, rich and poor.

"That message liberated women and liberated couples," Kenneth Robinson said of the Word of Faith movement, to which he and his wife belong. They are affiliated with movement leader Creflo A. Dollar.