Louisa Woosley: Trailblazer In The Cumberland Presbyterian Church -- By: Tim Lee

Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 28:2 (Spring 2014)
Article: Louisa Woosley: Trailblazer In The Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Author: Tim Lee


Louisa Woosley: Trailblazer In The Cumberland Presbyterian Church

Tim Lee

Tim Lee considers himself blessed beyond measure to be husband to Denise; dad to Caleb, Merrin, and Courtney; and pastor to Beersheba Cumberland Presbyterian Church. While studying at Memphis Theological Seminary’s program of alternate studies, Tim was delighted to discover the rich Cumberland Presbyterian heritage to which Louisa Woosley belongs.

Louisa Woosley was the first Presbyterian woman to be ordained. Woosley’s life coincided with a time of increasing participation by female leadership in the Cumberland Presbyterian (CP) Church, the denomination to which she belonged.1 During the late 1800s, women in CP churches were serving as teachers and officers in the Sunday schools and contributed greatly to missions efforts and to church schools and colleges. In 1877, the appointment of women serving as trustees and deacons in churches was approved by the Pennsylvania Presbytery. This decision was rather low key and noncontroversial, unlike the issue of women as elders or ministers.

Louisa Woosley was born on March 24, 1862, in central Kentucky. She was brought up in a Baptist household and committed her life to Christ at the age of twelve. Soon afterward, Woosley heard a call from the Lord to gospel ministry. This call bewildered her, because she did not know any women preachers, and, in fact, had never even heard of any. A great internal struggle ensued as she felt that publicly announcing and pursuing her call would bring shame and conflict. Woosley then decided not to follow her calling in a straightforward manner, but instead to fulfill her calling in a roundabout way by becoming a pastor’s wife.

In 1879, she married Charles G. Woosley, a farmer. Entering the marriage, she felt that her problems were solved. Charles, however, had no inclination to enter the ministry and remained a farmer. Louisa’s struggle only increased as she realized that Charles was not going to fulfill her calling for her. In 1882, she began searching the Scriptures intently for a clear word on her dilemma. She marked in her Bible everywhere that a woman was mentioned. After studying the Scriptures two times from cover to cover, she came to her conclusion in 1883: God did not play favorites, and he had great things for women to do in service to him.

Although her calling was now certain, her turmoil was now even greater as she began to contemplate all the controversy and hardship she would endure as a trailblazer for women in ministry. She asked for God’s forgiveness as she continued to put off the call in fear of the consequences. Not long after this, Woosley’s daughter became seriously ill. She felt that her daughter’s illness was a result of her disobedience to God’s...

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