Half of UK Anglican clergy will be women

According to the Church of England's own projections, if present trends continue women will occupy nearly a quarter of all full-time posts by 2012.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By ENI

A member of the (Anglican) Church of England's general synod who supports a greater role for women in the church has predicted that within 10 years half of all full-time clergy will be women, but says moves to consecrate female bishops is not keeping pace - writes Trevor Grundy.

The prognosis came from U.S-born Christina Rees, a writer, broadcaster and public speaker and chairperson of Watch (Women and the Church), started in 1996 as a forum for promoting women's ministry in the Church of England.

Speaking from her home near Cambridge, Rees told Ecumenical News International, "Half the clergy will be women by 2018 of that I'm certain, but right now we're in the ridiculous position of still deciding on what terms we're going to have women bishops. The organisation Forward in Faith [which opposes the ordination of women as bishops] is very active and denies that the general synod has the right to approve the consecration of women as bishops. If we don't move soon it will be a scandal." the rest