Breaking the Stained Glass Ceiling: Rev. Amber Cook’s Journey into Pastoral Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Ministry

By Aynsley Vermilya

“God wants to use you now, not just when you’re older.”

— Rev. Amber Cook

Early Formation

When it comes to norms, congregations are often ecosystems unto themselves. That can be particularly true when it comes to gender norms in ministry.

If a congregant only grows up hearing the Bible preached by a man, they might not realize women can preach, too. Someone else may grow up in another context, often hearing the voice of a woman from the pulpit, never knowing this practice is a widely debated issue within the Church.

Although The Wesleyan Church strongly affirms the leadership of women on a denominational level, this hasn’t always been a pressing issue for its local churches. Many congregations align with all Wesleyan distinctives except for this seemingly less consequential stance: its view on women in ministry. It’s no wonder, then, that women like Rev. Amber Cook grow up knowing Jesus and even living within a call to ministry for nearly a decade before truly believing it’s possible to accept it.

Rev. Amber Cook now serves as Visiting Professor of Practical Theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. Until recently, however, Cook served as Lead Pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Princeton, Indiana. Growing up in this congregation and returning to lead it over the last eight years, Amber’s life reflects a clear calling to serve the Church and make Jesus known.

A Call Confirmed

It all began at twelve years old when Amber was asked to pray.

During this time, God met her in a way she still refers to today as a moment that marked her. God invited her to be a missionary in her public school, sharing Jesus with kids who didn’t know Christ as she did. Amber took this call to heart, and she lived into it up until she graduated from high school. To Amber, it was simply what God had asked of her.

Prior to her first semester at Indiana Wesleyan University, Amber found herself once again in prayer. She was on her way to a summer camp she was serving at, asking God what her purpose truly was. At this very camp, God would affirm her call to continue telling others about him. During that week, she encouraged one of her campers by saying, “God wants to use you now, not just when you’re older.”

She heard the words she was saying to this young camper and realized they were also for her.

Embracing the Call

Amber began studying at Indiana Wesleyan University, and she found herself in classes with professors who empowered and encouraged her call to ministry in a way she had never experienced. She began to realize that it was possible – a woman preaching, pastoring, leading.

It was professors of the religion department, such as Reverend Doctors Dave Smith, Jim Lo, Steve Lennox, and the late Keith Drury, who would push Amber to pursue this calling. And it was here that Amber could no longer make excuses. She was called.

It would take a few years for Amber to be fully convinced of herself. But gradually, the “lesson notes” file was renamed to “sermon notes.” The desire to preach increased. She wanted to continue making Jesus known.

Amber would go on to seminary, live as a missionary in New Zealand, and return to her home church where she would become the lead pastor. Yet none of this happened without pushback and curious confusion from others around her. Pastors whom she dearly loved were genuinely distraught that Amber believed what she did. But Amber has never seen these people as enemies – she, herself, has had to take a learning journey regarding the topic of women in ministry.

Leading with Grace

In turn, Amber has approached this conversation with grace and respect. When asked what principles she would offer to churches that are seeking to be supportive ecosystems for women in the ministry, Amber offers a fruitful response. She knows without a doubt that God uses both men and women to lead in the Church. She shared the importance of congregations in normalizing men and women leading together, across gender lines. As tempting as it can be to draw boundaries that segregate leadership by gender, if they are kept siloed, the voices of one gender will never reach the other, and both will miss out.

Another principle Amber offers is that churches must be willing to model women in preaching and up-front leadership roles as much as possible. Even if there are no women on a church’s staff, they must find voices within their congregation and community to elevate. Amber recognizes that people will make assumptions based on what they see from the platform, and they won’t realize there is an issue with something they don’t see.

Finally, Amber invites churches to focus their energy on helping people understand scriptural teaching on the issue of women in ministry. And this is true of any biblical topic: while proof-texts may cause some to dismiss women in ministry, context and deeper reading allow for a deeper understanding of biblical teaching.

Faithful to the Call

As Amber continues to face a variety of responses to her leadership, her call remains certain. This call looks different in different seasons. Yet she believes people don’t say yes to one location, one area of ministry, or one congregation. Rather, answering a call is saying yes to the call itself and then letting God lead within it. And this is true of both women and men. Her fulfillment has come from honoring Jesus and loving those around her: a calling God has clearly placed on her life.