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Chosen to succeed Arlington Church of God's pastor when he retires, Rev. Diana L. Swoope advances cause of women in the clergy with new role
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer
Published on Saturday, Aug 16, 2008
The Rev. Diana L. Swoope knows that there are people who object to female ministers.
She also knows that God called her to preach and she is determined to follow that path.
''I'm seeking to do what God told me to do,'' Swoope said. ''My message is that God is not interested in whether you are male or female. He is interested in whether you are yielded and gifted, and he'll do the rest.''
The 53-year-old Detroit native has been chosen to succeed the Rev. Ronald J. Fowler as senior pastor of Arlington Church of God when he retires. In late July, the nearly 1,200-member congregation of the prominent Akron church voted overwhelmingly (by 94 percent) to name Swoope as senior associate pastor, the position reserved for the next pastor.
Fowler said the vote is reassurance that the congregation he has served for 37 years is committed to its church tradition that the ministry is available to anyone who receives the calling and is capable of fulfilling the role. He said it also is an indication of the confidence that the congregation has in Swoope.
''I think it says an awful lot about her.
They know her and they trust her,'' said Fowler, 72. ''She is a very dedicated and competent servant who has an
enormous range of gifts. She has served this congregation for 27 years and the people are confident that she can cast a vision and lead them forward in fresh and exciting ways.''
Appointing a woman
Women have been an integral part of the Church of God, based in Anderson, Ind., since its founding in 1881. About 35 percent of the churches in the denomination were established and led by women. Over the years, the number of women leading churches has declined. Today, only 251 of the denomination's 2,236 senior pastors are women.
The denomination created the Women in Ministry Task Force in 2001 to encourage its leaders to reclaim its practice affirming the role of women as pastors and leaders in the church. Swoope's new role advances the cause.
''Her appointment speaks volumes in the movement because not only is Arlington one of our leading churches in terms of numbers, it is one of our leading churches in terms of influence in the denomination,'' said the Rev. Arnetta McNeese Bailey, executive director of Women of the Church of God. ''In many ways, her appointment is like breaking the glass ceiling for us. It tells people that they need to be willing to look past gender to see a person's capabilities and qualifications.''
The decision to make Swoope the next pastor of the local church came after a process that began in October, when Fowler shared with leaders of the church that there was a need to begin planning for his replacement, and he recommended Swoope. The leadership council of the church voted unanimously for Swoope as Fowler's successor and the congregation's subsequent approval sealed the choice.
Vivian Neal, a member of the leadership council, said Swoope was the ideal choice because she has been nurtured by Fowler for more than 20 years and shared in his visionary leadership.
''She is definitely the person to follow Pastor Fowler. He actually chose her more than 25 years ago, when he invited her to share in his ministry at Arlington,'' Neal said. ''At that time, she was a young woman who he saw as a bright shining star and he was right. Over the years, she has walked with him and now she is ready to follow him in the pastor's role.''
Fowler said that he expects to announce a retirement date next month and that Swoope could take the role of pastor as early as January.
A little background
Swoope, who was ordained in 1984, received an undergraduate degree in biology from Memphis State University, a graduate degree in religious education from Anderson School of Theology in Indiana and a doctorate of ministry from Ashland Theological Seminary.
She joined the staff at Arlington in 1981. She co-founded the church's school, Arlington Christian Academy, and has been its principal since it was established in 1988. She was instrumental in implementing the EVE program, a rites of passage course for girls, and starting the Irma A. Jones Preschool and Infant Center. She also founded the Summer Educational Employment Program, which helped hundreds of youths find jobs with area businesses for more than 15 years.
In her interim role as senior associate, Swoope will help the new principal, Teresa Sayles, with her transition and receive assistance from Fowler for her own change in roles. She will continue to be involved in the school when she becomes senior pastor.
The mother of three — Alecia, 24; Allen, 22; and Andreco, 18 — and wife of more than 25 years to Lawrence Swoope, also has served in many offices of the national church and on community and civic boards and committees. Among them are the National Association of the Church of God, general secretary; chairwoman of the business committee for the denomination; the United Way; YWCA; and East Akron Community House.
In 1990, she was elected the first female president of the National Inspirational Youth Convention of the Church of God.
Swoope's calling
Swoope said she received her calling into the ministry when she was 10 years old.
''I was sitting in the family room of our home in Memphis, where my father had relocated us to plant a church. I had been praying fervently for my father to be healed. He was very ill,'' Swoope said. ''I heard the Lord speak to me audibly. The Lord spoke to me and said, your father is going to die tonight. . . . Are you ready to take his place?
''It was at that time that I knew I was being called and that preaching would be a part of that calling. I knew that connecting the healing hands of God to the hurting hearts of people would be part of that, because that was my father's ministry.''
She preached her first sermon when she was 22 years old at the church that merged with the one her father founded in Memphis.
''I reluctantly went to the pastor and said I believe I've been called to preach. He said, 'I've been waiting for you. Your father and I talked and prayed about it. You'll preach next Sunday,' '' Swoope said. ''My father knew that I was going to be called, but he asked the pastor not to push me but to let me come in my own time.
''Since then, my ministry has unfolded and I have gone where God has guided me. This new direction is part of that unfolding. I am humbled by the fact that Pastor Fowler and the congregation has such confidence that I am the right person and at the same time I am awed by it. I am ready for what God has for this church.''
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
The Rev. Diana L. Swoope knows that there are people who object to female ministers.
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