A look at women in religion and 11 famous female faith leaders

 

 

Women in religion 

 

Women have always held roles as faith leaders – from the ancient Akkadian princess Enheduanna, who lived about 4,300 years ago, to Pema Chödrön, a contemporary American Tibetan-Buddhist and ordained nun. 

 

They’ve held positions of power, served as educators and spiritual counselors, led worship services, and performed meaningful (and sometimes controversial) religious rituals. 

 

Like their male counterparts, female faith leaders have been looked to by leaders of government, provided support to people on the margins of society, offered comfort in times of loss and grief, and celebrated the milestones and victories of ordinary lives. They’ve been saintly, corrupt, and every shade of gray in between, because (like men in ministry) they’re human.

 

Surprisingly perhaps, many religious denominations still object strongly to women’s ordination, including several conservative Christian denominations and Orthodox Judaism. In Christianity, some conservative practitioners interpret Biblical scripture to say that women should not serve as priests or pastors or “have authority over men” (1 Timothy 2:12). Some Orthodox Jews believe that ordaining women violates their ‘mesorah’, or religious traditions. 

 

Related: Pope establishes new penalties for ordaining women: automatic excommunication and defrocking

 

But an increasing number of religious denominations support women’s ordination, even within traditionally conservative faiths: In 2021, about six Jewish women were ordained in Modern Orthodox synagogues in the U.S., and dozens more served Modern and Open Orthodox synagogues worldwide (AP News). As of 2023, more than 180 women are ordained as Catholic priests, deacons, or bishops by the Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP), despite that fact that women’s ordination is not recognized by the larger Roman Catholic Church (WomensOrdination.org). And so on! 

 

 

Photo: kali9 / iStock

The history of religion is filled with incredible stories of women -- women who overcame discrimination, created new prayers and ways to pray, united people of different faiths to bring stability and prosperity, challenged old ideas, revealed deep truths about humankind, and inspired generations of other women to define their own spiritual paths and identities. Below we shine a spotlight on just a few of these powerful women.

 

 

Women’s ordination: Which denominations ordain women?

 

Religious denominations that ordain women include American Marriage Ministries (AMM); branches of Islam and Judaism; most Pagan faiths including Wicca; Hindu and Buddhist sects; the second-largest denomination of Latter Day Saints (LDS or Mormon Church); the United Methodist Church (UMC); most mainline Protestant denominations including the Episcopal Church (TEC), Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), and the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA); the Pentecostal denomination Assemblies of God USA; the Methodist Church; and many others. 

 

Here at American Marriage Ministries, we support ordination for women and always have. Since our founding in 2009, AMM has provided free, accessible online ordination to all people, regardless of sex, gender, race, or sexual orientation. 

 

It’s important to us for many reasons, but especially this one: The constitution grants particular rights to religious institutions, and historically, these institutions have discriminated against women. By removing barriers to ordination, we help make marriage and its benefits available to all people and eliminate mainstream churches as gatekeepers to this institution, by circumventing their gender discrimination. 

 

• Get Ordained Online with AMM here

 

We’re also fascinated by the surprising and sometimes scandalous history of spiritual practice!

 

So in the spirit of equality and cool history, here’s a look at some iconic female faith leaders and women in worship throughout time. 

...

 

11 Famous Women in Religion: Notable Female Clergy & Faith Leaders 

 

Note: This list is only an introduction to women in religion and is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. It isn’t an endorsement of any leader’s beliefs or practices. We recommend that you verify the accuracy of dates and details with additional academic sources, and learn more about these fascinating historical figures!  

 

1. Hetpet: Egyptian Priestess to the Goddess of Fertility Hathor

 

When: Between 2,500 and 2,300 BC (About 4,500 years ago)

 

4,500 years ago, High Priestess Hetpet was entombed at the Great Pyramid of Giza, surrounded by rare wall paintings of musicians, dancing, nature, and Hetpet herself. The art and the placement of her tomb demonstrate her exceedingly high rank among officials and royalty of ancient Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty, around 2494–2345 BCE. Hetpet's tomb was first discovered in 1909, then lost, and was only discovered again in 2017. (BBC)

 

During her lifetime, Hetpet was a powerful high priestess of Hathor, the ancient Egyptian goddess of love, fertility, childbirth, and pleasure. Hathor is also said to have been the protector of women, and was one of the most popular gods of the time. Her center of worship was at the Dendera Temple (Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum).

 

Interestingly, there were several notable ancient Egyptian priestesses, all holding different offices and levels of power. These offices included the God's Wife of Amun and the Divine Adoratrice of Amun, the two highest ranking priestess positions of the cult of Amun (the primordial Egyptian god of air who was believed to have created the whole of the universe, via Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum). These high-ranking priestesses managed the temple at Thebes and controlled a very large part of the Egyptian economy and culture.

 

 

Photo: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Stele of Hetpet; A stele (or stela, plural is stelae) is a carved stone monument that was often used as a grave marker by ancient Egyptians. This stele depicts the priestess Hetpet, with what appears to be a bounty of food and materials goods (perhaps an altar to Hathor), smelling a flower or sipping from a chalise. 

 

2. Enheduanna: Ancient Sumerian High Priestess to the Moon God Nanna

 

When: Between 2285 – 2250 BCE (About 4,300 years ago)

 

Enheduanna was a royal princess in ancient Sumer (now southern Iraq), a region which later became the Akkadian Empire of Mesopotamia. She’s thought to be the earliest known named author in world history and is cited in several ancient works of Sumerian literature and poetry.

 

Enheduanna was appointed as an entu priestess (high priestess) of the god of the moon and wisdom, Nanna, by her father, Sargon of Akkad. In her role as high priestess, Enheduanna helped unite followers of the Akkadian religion and the native Sumerian religion, combining their spiritual practices and gods. This was a very important role at the time and helped create political stability in the region. (via World History Encyclopedia)

 

Enheduanna wrote poems, psalms, and prayers, which followers used to worship their gods. Scholar Paul Kriwaczek credits her for shaping even our modern religions and prayer practices: 

 

“Her compositions, though only rediscovered in modern times, remained models of petitionary prayer for [centuries]. Through the Babylonians, they influenced and inspired the prayers and psalms of the Hebrew Bible and the Homeric hymns of Greece. Through them, faint echoes of Enheduanna, the first named literary author in history, can even be heard in the hymnody of the early Christian church.” (121; Kriwaczek,P. Babylon. Thomas Dunne Books, 2010.)

 

 

(Photo: Mefman00, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

In the ritual scene carved into the stone above, the priestess Enheduanna stands behind a priest (on the left) as he makes an offering to the gods at a four-story altar. The priestess Enheduanna (the third person from the right) is in a prayer posture.

 

3. Mugai Nyodai: First Female Zen Master

 

When: Between 1223 to 1298 CE (About 800 years ago)
 
One of the most famous women in Zen Buddhism is Mugai Nyodai. She was the first woman to lead a Zen Order, the first female Zen abbess, and the first female Rinzai Zen Master in Japan. 

 

Related: Meditation for Ministers: Align Your Chakras for Wedding Season (and Beyond)

Nyodai was a disciple of Mugaku Sogen (Wuzue Zuyuan), a prominent Zen Buddhist monk during the 13th Century in China. She helped build small chapels and convents in the area, which later evolved into Shinnyoji temple. (via In Memoriam? Rethinking the Portrait Sculptures of Princess-Abbesses Enshrined in the Dharma Hall at Shinnyoji Temple)  

 

Although not much is known about her personal life, a portrait statue of her carved in 1298 remains enshrined in Hojiin Convent (Shinnyoji Temple) in Kyoto, Japan (pictured below).

 

Buddhist women have served in leadership roles for thousands of years, although not always as equals to men. The first Buddhist nun, or bhikkhuni, is said to be the Buddha’s foster mother and maternal aunt, Mahapajapati Gotami, who was granted ordination from the Buddha under special conditions. Gotami’s story paved the way for many women in history, including Mugai Nyodai.

 

Related: Buddhist Wedding Ceremony Script with Mindfulness Meditation

 

(Photo via 'In Memoriam? Rethinking the Portrait Sculptures of Princess-Abbesses Enshrined in the Dharma Hall at Shinnyoji Temple')  A portrait sculpture of Mugai Nyodai, Shinnyoji

 

 

4. Elizabeth Hooton: Quaker Preacher and Minister  

 

When: Mid 1600s (About 400 years ago)

 

Elizabeth Hooton, who lived from 1600 to 1672, was the first female Quaker preacher and minister. 

 

Before becoming a founding influence in Quakerism, Hooton was a Baptist minister who held religious meetings in her home. She met George Fox (the founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers) when she was 47 years old. Although Fox was only 22 years old at the time, the two became close friends who shared their religious pursuits with each other. Hooton’s home congregation welcomed Fox, and later became the Children of the Light, one of the earliest Quaker groups. 

 

Related: All About Quaker Wedding Traditions & Marriage ‘Under the Care of the Meeting’

Experts say that after working closely with Fox, “Hooton continued to preach in the meetings in her home. The power in her ministry forever convinced George Fox, who had been raised by a devout mother, that God anointed women for ministry as well as men.” (via Friends Journal) This was fundamental to the Quaker belief that women are equal to men both in life and in ministry, and Quakers have included women in leadership roles since their founding in 1652. 

 

To learn more about this iconic woman, check out the book Elizabeth Hooton: First Quaker Woman Preacher (1600- 1672), written by Emily Manners. 

 

 

Photo: "Mrs. Joseph Warren (Elizabeth Hooton)" Painting by John Singleton Copley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Boston Museum of Fine Arts

 

5. Antoinette Brown Blackwell: First Woman to be Ordained Recognized Church

 

When: Ordained in 1853 (About 171 years ago)

 

After years of discrimination from her male peers, Antoinette Brown Blackwell became the first ordained woman minister in a recognized denomination in the United States. She was ordained by the Congregational Church in South Butler, New York, in 1853. She later served as a Unitarian minister and was a passionate advocate for the abolition of slavery, women’s rights, and women’s suffrage. 

 

Before her ordination, Brown Blackwell completed literary and theological courses at Oberlin College. Her family, friends, and teachers tried to discourage her, but she kept at it. 

 

In her later years, she continued her academic studies and wrote 6 books about general science and scientific theory; women’s rights; philosophy and immortality; and individuality. She also published a fiction novel and a book of poetry. (via Britannica)

 

 

Photo: Portrait of Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell, unknown photographer, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., public domain via Wikimedia

 

6. Clementine Barnabet: Voodoo Cult Leader of the Church of Sacrifice

 

When: 1911 to 1912 (About 113 years ago)

 

Clementine Barnabet’s notorious legacy is shrouded in mystery and whispers of dark magic: Some believe she was the leader of a Voodoo death cult called the Church of Sacrifice and performed ritual human sacrifices. She confessed to up to 35 murders, making her the first recorded female serial killer in America – but many claim she was the young victim of a racist witch hunt. 

 

Stories say that Clementine’s clothing was found soaked in blood following a series of ritual murders in small Black communities in Louisiana. Entire families of adults and children were killed at night in their homes by being struck in the head by an ax. (via Country Roads Magazine)

 

Clementine confessed to the murders, stating she was the leader of the Church of Sacrifice cult and had acquired several hoodoo charm bags from a local hoodoo priestess to protect her. But her confession only came after her father and brother were wrongly accused, and records show that some of the murders happened while she was in jail, proving she could not have done them!

 

Clementine was released early from jail (possibly because she was innocent) and later disappeared entirely; we may never know the full truth. The Christ's Sanctified Holy Church, which Clementine claimed was connected to The Church of Sacrifice, is still thriving as a modern example of the Holiness Movement in Louisiana. (Photo on left: Clementine Barnabet's photo from an Atlanta newspaper in 1912; Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

 

7. Regina Jonas: First Female Rabbi

 

When: Ordained in 1935 (About 89 years ago)

 

Regina Jonas was the first woman to be ordained as a Rabbi in 1935. During World War II, Jonas was imprisoned in Theresienstadt where she continued to preach to her fellow inmates. She was later deported to Auschwitz where she was murdered by the Nazis in 1944. (via Wiener Holocaust Library)

 

Experts show that Jonas’s academic thesis “argued that there was no law forbidding women to become rabbis,” and she cited “many biblical and historical examples of women teaching and arbitrating Jewish law.” These arguments for the ordination of women were rejected at the time, but eventually paved the way for not only Jonas herself, but many other Jewish women. (via Jewish Women’s Archive)

 

Related: 5 Jewish Wedding Traditions & What to Expect, for Couples, Officiants, & Guests

 

Photo: I.am.a.qwerty, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rabbi Regina Jonas was the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi in 1935. She continued to provide religious instruction and inspiration to others until she was killed during the Holocaust in 1944.

 

8. Zsuzsanna Budapest (Zsuzsanna Emese Mokcsay): Feminist Witch and Founder of Dianic Wicca

 

When: Started the Susan B. Anthony Coven No. 1 in 1973 (About 53 years ago)

 

Zsuzsanna Budapest started the first women-only witches’ coven in 1971 – called the Susan B. Anthony Coven No. 1 – and is also the founder of the Dianic Wicca tradition of witchcraft, a feminist female-only Wiccan denomination. 

 

She helped bring Wicca, feminist witchcraft, and feminine divine spirituality into the mainstream. Dianic Wicca celebrates the Goddess, a melding of all other goddesses from all cultures. (via Learn Religions) She is also credited with designing a widely used Pagan symbol, which combines the Symbol of the Goddess with the Pentagram.

 

Zsuzsanna was born in Hungary and immigrated to the U.S. in 1959. She studied improvisational theater, became an expert in Pagan religions, founded the Women's Spirituality Forum later in life, and has continued to serve as an advocate for women’s liberation and equality. She came out later in life as a lesbian, continues to teach, and is now an accomplished playwright and author.

 

She has been very influential among modern Pagans in America, but has fallen into controversy in recent years: Dianic Wicca officially refuses to allow transwomen to join their covens and continues to face backlash for their transphobic stance. As a result, several Dianic Wiccan covens have left the denomination to form separate, new inclusive covens that welcome transwomen and transfem members.(via Learn Religions)

 

 

Photo via ZBudapest.com

Zsuzsanna Budapest, better known as Z Budapest and the founder of The Goddess Movement in the US, poses with a copy of her book, The Aquarian Holy Book of Women's Mysteries

 

9. Pauli Murray: Civil Rights Activist, Legal Scholar, Author, and Episcopal Priest

 

When: Ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1977 (About 47 years ago)

 

In 1977, Pauli Murray became the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. She was 67 years old, and had already lived an incredible life as a civil rights activist, legal scholar, and author. (via Pauli Murray Center)

 

Early in her career, she fought against segregation and ‘Jane Crow’ laws that held Black women back from equal education and career opportunities. She became a civil rights attorney and advocated for civil rights and women’s rights, and co-founded the National Organization for Women, along with many other important contributions. In 1973, Murray left advocacy to pursue a religious calling, and was ordained in 1977 at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. (National Museum of African American History) 

 

Rev. Dr. Murray followed in the footsteps of other powerful Black preachers and pastors, including Jarena Lee, Ida B. Robinson, and Sojourner Truth, combining social advocacy and faith, and has paved the way for countless women. 

 

Related: AMM ordains people of all faiths -- from pagans to monotheists, atheists to agnostics!

 

 

Photo: Carolina Digital Library and Archives, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray sits at her desk, writing. 

 

 

10. Nancy Ledins: Transwoman and First Female Roman Catholic Priest

 

When: Ordained in 1959, Gender confirmation surgery in 1979 (About 45 years ago)

 

Nancy Ledins is the first woman Roman Catholic Priest and the first openly transgender Roman Catholic Priest. She was ordained in 1959 while presenting as male, and publicly transitioned in 1979 after leaving her official church duties. She continued to minister in her later years at her local church, Wedgewood Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was a beloved member until her passing in 2017. (via Q Spirit)

 

Rev. Dr. Ledins was known as a “warm, huge hearted individual. She was a very fun person, a huge jokester, playful, sarcastic, tried to shock people with her responses. She was humble…” (via LGBTQ Religious Archives) As the first transwoman and first woman to be a Roman Catholic Priest, she offers inspiration and hope to many religious queer people and women. Her joy and service is a reminder that people of all genders are called to serve as faith leaders.

 

Nancy helped pave the way for future transgender clergy, including Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson (a transwoman and Presbyterian Minister) and Vicar Sarah Jones (transwoman, Vicar, and Priest). 

 

 

Photo: Ben Olender, Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 

Nancy Ledins in Van Nuys, California on July 19, 1980

 

11. Paula White: American Televangelist and Advisor

 

When: Contemporary

 

There are few women in ministry who have nearly as large an audience as Pastor Paula White. Whether you agree with her controversial beliefs or not, her influence can’t be denied. 

 

Paula White preaches ‘prosperity theology’ or prosperity gospel, which is the idea that physical well-being and material wealth and prosperity are always God’s will for believers. (via Britannica) She delivered the invocation at former-president Donald Trump’s inauguration and later served as chair of Trump’s evangelical advisory board. She was previously a senior pastor at the megachurch New Destiny Christian Center in Florida. 

 

Pastor White attended the National Bible College and Seminary, but did not graduate. She was ordained by the school’s founder, Pentecostal preacher and evangelist T. L. Lowery. (via The Gospel Coalition)

 

Paula White’s estimated worth is a noteworthy $5 million. That’s a lot of money, and pastors who preach prosperity gospel often lead lavish lifestyles as ‘proof’ of God’s favor. But it’s not as much as other famous televangelists have acquired, such as Joel Osteen (estimated worth $100 million), Pat Robertson (estimated worth $120 million), and Kenneth Copeland (estimated worth $300 million). (Apple Daily)

 

 (Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) Pastor Paula White Cain speaking with attendees at the 2021 Young Women's Leadership Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

 

 

---

 

Have You Been Ordained Yet? 

 

Get ordained online with American Marriage Ministries today and learn how to officiate a wedding for friends and family! AMM's ordinations are free, accessible, and never expire. Just click the link below to start the online application -- it only takes a minute. Become a minister today!

 

|* ordination-button *|

(Above:  Minister Maria Reyes Martinez ; See more ministers wearing our stole here)

 

---

 

You might also like: 

 

• Satanic Kidnapping and the Mysterious Origin of Bridesmaids
   
• Matelotage : Gay Marriage Among Pirates or Just a Business Partnership?
   
• Southern Baptist megachurch ordains 3 women, defies SBC

 

Read all Religion and Rituals articles here

 

 

Photo via Saddleback Church

In an unexpected move, an evangelical Southern Baptist megachurch in California ordained three women as pastors in 2021, defying tradition and the SBC. Read the full article here. 

 

 

---

 

Love it? Pin it!

 

 

---