D099 Women Musicians in the Church

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring,

That the 79th General Convention direct the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to study the status of female musicians in the Episcopal Church, specifically considering the following:

The status of resources within congregations and dioceses for the development of young musicians, specifically young women musicians;

Assistance for the encouragement of women who wish to become stipendiary church musicians,

The percentage of women who are full-time stipendiary musicians compared to men;

The percentage of women are who included in the final slate of candidates; and

The percentage of stipendiary women church musicians in other denominations and, if higher, learn from them possible avenues to increase employment of women musicians within the Episcopal Church;

And be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention direct the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music to report its findings to the 80th General Convention; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention request the Joint Standing Commission on Program, Budget and Finance to consider a budget allocation of $5,000 for the implementation of this resolution.

Explanation

There is a dearth of women stipendiary church musicians employed in the Episcopal Church, particularly in larger churches and cathedrals where the compensation is full time or greater than that in smaller congregations. While the number of women in Holy Orders has been increasing, as well as the number of women called to be Bishops, Deans and Rectors, that same trend does not hold true for women musicians even though the number of women in graduate programs in music has increased. The Episcopal Church pales in comparison with other denominations, including that of the LDS church, in developing young people (including young girls) for positions in church music. As such, we are failing in acknowledging the spiritual gifts and calling of women to the ministry of music and thereby we are possibly diminished in the eyes of women with respect to the absence of stipendiary women musicians.