Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1938-2004 (Creation)
Level of description
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
Publication note
Notes area
Note
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
- Social problems » Discrimination
- Social problems » Discrimination » Gender discrimination
- Religious activities » Religious reform
- Organizations
- Organizations » Associations
- Organizations » Associations » Womens organizations
- Employment
- Religious activities
- Employment » Womens employment
- Religious activities » Religious practice
- Religious institutions
- Religious institutions » Church
- Social problems
- Religious groups » Clergy
- Religious groups
- Sex distribution » Sex » Women
- Sex distribution » Sex
- Sex distribution
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
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