Midwives of a Movement: A Story of Challenging Baptist Patriarchy

Midwives of a Movement features interviews with eleven women who were active in the early days of the women’s movement within the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1970’s and 1980’s, archival material from these years, and commentary from Baptist Women in Ministry Executive Director, Meredith Stone, and Baptist Historian and Baylor University professor, Mandy McMichael.
The feature documentary film begins with a prologue of reflections on the beginnings of the women’s movement within the Southern Baptist Convention through the 1978 SBC Consultation on Women in Church Related Vocations in Nashville, Tennessee. Following these reflections, the women interviewed tell of how they came to feel called to ministry within the Southern Baptist Convention, the opposition they faced, and what they needed as they began seek opportunities to live out their calling.
The chronological aspect of the film picks back up in 1983 as women began organizing to form an organization which would serve their needs and advocate within the SBC. They reflect on the successes of their movement and organization in 1983, but also describe the backlash against them that occurred within the SBC in 1984. Despite the opposition, however, the movement only grew.
Like any movement, there were ups and downs as well as areas of conflict on which the women offer retrospective insight which resounds with the continued story of advocating for women in ministry. The film ends as each of them reflect on what their involvement in this movement means to them today and their hopes for the future.
Baptist Women in Ministry's work has expanded beyond the Southern Baptist Convention and predominantly white Baptist congregations over the last few decades. You can find more information about the organization's work, leadership, and commitments at: bwim.info/