Not too long ago, I had a request from a blog poster to explain a bit more about NNPCW. First of all, what is it, and second, why would I recommend that people join? Thank you to Shelley from Sacramento Presbytery for asking something that I should have explained on the blog a long time ago.

As you can see on the sidebar to this page, the National Network of Presbyterian College Women consists of “young women in college, connected by a belief in God, seeking to understand what it means to claim a Christian faith that empowers women.” To put that in lay terms, we provide opportunities for young women to look at their faith journey through the unique lens of their experience as women.

Young women, you see, have a different set of challenges and opportunities than those of men or those of older women. Young women today have doors opened to them that their mothers never imagined, from playing competitive sports to attending college with an objective other than an “Mrs” degree. Yet they still struggle to overcome prejudices regarding their abilities, particularly the silent assumptions about women’s roles in society that still prevent them from being equally treated in public life. NNPCW provides young women with a safe space to talk about and think about their unique place in the church and society, while searching for a deeper understanding of God and of Scripture in light of that experience.

Are we a feminist organization? Insomuch as we affirm simply that “our understanding of feminism grows out of our Christian belief that all people are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ in the image of God and thus should be respected and heard equally.” Despite the images of feminists as bra-burners and man-haters, it really isn’t all that radical a statement from a Christian perspective.

Perhaps what is most appealing about this definition, and what drew me when I first read it, is its seamless integration of Christian morality with feminist ethics. All too often the larger culture pits the two against one another—feminists hate Christians as the patriarchal oppressors, Christians hate feminists as godless “femi-Nazis”. But NNPCW’s understanding of feminism points out that if, as Christians, we believe that God created and values all people equally, we need to give each other the same love and value that Christ gave us through his death and resurrection. And if, as Christians, we’re working to tear down the walls that divide us from one another, then we are ultimately working toward feminist goals as well.

So why would I recommend that others join the Network? Partly because of the leadership opportunities it provides within the Presbyterian Church. Our members attend the General Assembly and smaller church conferences throughout the year, deepening their commitment to church in general and the Presbyterian Church (USA) in particular. It teaches them how a national church body works, and how they can become part of the process of decision-making at the national level. By serving on a national church committee (CoCo), young women gain a voice in the church.

More importantly, though, the Network can provide young women with a spiritual community unlike any they have ever experienced in the church. I’ve seen women stand up at the Leadership Event in tears, telling the group how they had felt entirely alone in their spiritual journey until they met us. Many of our members over the years have said that they would not be in the church today if it were not for the ministry of NNPCW. NNPCW provides a space for women to share, to struggle, to laugh, and to learn as they discern who God calls them to be. It is a ministry that can’t be measured in mere quantities.

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” --Ephesians 2:13-14

Kelsey