Fonds GB 106 5SMW - Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church

Identity area

Reference code

GB 106 5SMW

Title

Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church

Date(s)

  • 1938-2004 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

4 A boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

The Society was founded in 1929 as The Society for the Ministry of Women (Interdenominational) to campaign for the admission of women to all official ministry in the Church upon equal terms with men. Agnes Maude Royden (1876-1965) was a founder and first President. Men and women from different denominations, and therefore with different doctrinal perspectives on the ordination of women, were welcome as members. It changed its name to the Society for the Equal Ministry of Men and Women in the Church (Interdenominational) in 1942 and again in 1957 to The Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church (Interdenominational). In Nov 1992 the General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow women to be ordained as priests. With more churches ordaining women, the Society decided to work together for the ministry of the whole people of God and to foster initiatives and exchange experiences in the area of women's ministry - lay and ordained. From 2001, the main thrust of the campaign work concerned the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox and Oriental Churches, with emphasis on ecumenical networking and mutual support. From 1998, the Society sponsored the Ecumenical Coalition of Women Ministers, a small committee made up of two people each from Catholic Women's Ordination, Methodist Women's Forum, Women in Ministry Network of the United Reformed Church, and Women and the Church (WATCH) to enable liaison among these organised groups of women in ministry. Towards the end of the 20th century, interest in the Society declined. It was decided in 2003 to change its name to the Ecumenical Network for Women in Ministry and to move away from a membership organisation to the creation of a network through a mailing list with an annual event for sharing information. This was not successful and the Network was brought to an end in Jan 2005.

Repository

Archival history

Acc 2002/16 were housed by the Wesley and Methodist Studies Centre, Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University, from 1998 to 2002 (ref: 1998/29).

GB 106 5SMW 1938-2004 fonds 4 A boxes Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church

The Society was founded in 1929 as The Society for the Ministry of Women (Interdenominational) to campaign for the admission of women to all official ministry in the Church upon equal terms with men. Agnes Maude Royden (1876-1965) was a founder and first President. Men and women from different denominations, and therefore with different doctrinal perspectives on the ordination of women, were welcome as members. It changed its name to the Society for the Equal Ministry of Men and Women in the Church (Interdenominational) in 1942 and again in 1957 to The Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church (Interdenominational). In Nov 1992 the General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow women to be ordained as priests. With more churches ordaining women, the Society decided to work together for the ministry of the whole people of God and to foster initiatives and exchange experiences in the area of women's ministry - lay and ordained. From 2001, the main thrust of the campaign work concerned the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox and Oriental Churches, with emphasis on ecumenical networking and mutual support. From 1998, the Society sponsored the Ecumenical Coalition of Women Ministers, a small committee made up of two people each from Catholic Women's Ordination, Methodist Women's Forum, Women in Ministry Network of the United Reformed Church, and Women and the Church (WATCH) to enable liaison among these organised groups of women in ministry. Towards the end of the 20th century, interest in the Society declined. It was decided in 2003 to change its name to the Ecumenical Network for Women in Ministry and to move away from a membership organisation to the creation of a network through a mailing list with an annual event for sharing information. This was not successful and the Network was brought to an end in Jan 2005.

Acc 2002/16 were housed by the Wesley and Methodist Studies Centre, Westminster Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University, from 1998 to 2002 (ref: 1998/29).

The Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church deposited the archive with the Library in Apr 2002, Feb 2005 and Apr 2006.

The archive consists of:

  • Administrative papers (1964-2004)

  • minutes of Annual General Meetings and related papers (1977-2004)

  • minutes of Executive Committee meetings (1938-2000)

  • Financial papers (1982-2004)

  • Papers relating to the Ecumenical Network of Women's Ministries (2003-2004)

  • Publications (1966-2004)

The archive has been arranged into 6 series:

5SMW/01 - Administrative papers

5SMW/02 - Annual General Meetings

5SMW/03 - Executive Committee Minutes

5SMW/04 - Financial papers

5SMW/05 - Papers relating to the Ecumenical Network of Women's Ministries

5SMW/06 - Publications.

This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

English

The Women's Library Catalogue

The Women's Library also hold the Records of the Anglican Group for the Ordination of Women to the Historic Ministry of the Church, (5AGO); the Records of the Movement for the Ordination of Women (6MOW); the papers of Everild Feeny (7EMF); the papers of Ursula Roberts Women (7URO); and the papers of Victoria Lidiard (7VLI).

Finding aid created by export from CALM v7.2.14 Archives Hub EAD2002. Edited for AIM25 by Sarah Drewery.

In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

28/01/2008 Discrimination Gender discrimination Religious reform Organizations Associations Womens organizations Employment Religious activities Womens employment Religious practice Ordination Ordination of women Religious institutions Church Social problems Clergy Religious groups Women Royden , Agnes Maude , 1876-1956 , writer, preacher and feminist x Shaw , Agnes Maude Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church Sex Sex distribution

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church deposited the archive with the Library in Apr 2002, Feb 2005 and Apr 2006.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The archive consists of:

  • Administrative papers (1964-2004)

  • minutes of Annual General Meetings and related papers (1977-2004)

  • minutes of Executive Committee meetings (1938-2000)

  • Financial papers (1982-2004)

  • Papers relating to the Ecumenical Network of Women's Ministries (2003-2004)

  • Publications (1966-2004)

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

The archive has been arranged into 6 series:

5SMW/01 - Administrative papers

5SMW/02 - Annual General Meetings

5SMW/03 - Executive Committee Minutes

5SMW/04 - Financial papers

5SMW/05 - Papers relating to the Ecumenical Network of Women's Ministries

5SMW/06 - Publications.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

Conditions governing reproduction

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

The Women's Library also hold the Records of the Anglican Group for the Ordination of Women to the Historic Ministry of the Church, (5AGO); the Records of the Movement for the Ordination of Women (6MOW); the papers of Everild Feeny (7EMF); the papers of Ursula Roberts Women (7URO); and the papers of Victoria Lidiard (7VLI).

Finding aids

The Women's Library Catalogue

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

Access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Women's Library

Rules and/or conventions used

In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area