As we begin another Women’s History month, we are once again given an opportunity to reflect on the many firsts in our history. These stories—and the bold women who embody them—offer a lens for examining how far we have come. They act as snapshots of progress, while also frequently leaving us longing for a future that has not yet come into being. One of these notable moments in the history of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is the hiring of the first woman faculty member.
Pioneering Women’s Presence in Seminary Education
In 1947, Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary opened a new Department of Christian Education following the encouragement of the United Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly. To accomplish this, the Seminary recruited the experienced and highly credentialed Florence M. Lewis, the institution’s first female faculty member, to serve as associate professor of Christian education. At the time of her installment, Lewis held a bachelor’s degree in music, as well as a master of arts in Christian education, which she earned from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1946. Her previous experience in churches across the United States as director of religious education undoubtedly added to her appeal. Lewis began her work in the fall term, with an inauguration on Dec. 11, 1947, and served as dean of women until 1952.
The Department of Christian Education was specifically designed to meet the needs of the church by educating “young women for church vocations as non-ministerial, professional lay workers.”[1] Even at this moment of inclusion, women’s education remained boundaried, as the Christian Education program was specified to “not enter the field of the Seminary proper in preparing young men for ordination.”[2] Interestingly, women who wished to enter the Department were still encouraged to take pre-seminary courses in college, as well as to be skilled typists and pianists.[3] The Department’s first class of four lay women graduated with their master’s of religious education in 1949, under Lewis’s leadership.
Lewis’s critical role in the life of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary cannot be understated; she broke barriers and helped pave the way for the many women who followed her as faculty and students. Yet it is striking that few with ties to PTS are familiar with her name, and quite little is actually known about her role and influence. The struggles of 1947 may sound long ago, but in a year following the profound social commentary associated with the hit movie “Barbie” and the ongoing attempts to degrade and minimize influential women like Taylor Swift, perhaps we know better. Women’s lives continue to have boundaries drawn around them, allowing access only to a point. As we celebrate the work of Florence M. Lewis, may we also use her story to ignite a fire within our souls that continues redesigning the landscape, so that all may serve God in the ways in which they are called.
The Rev. Dr. Susan Moudry ’10 earned her M.Div. from PTS and pastors Slippery Rock United Methodist Church. She holds a Ph.D in the history of Christianity from Baylor University and is a member of P.E.O. International, an organization that promotes the advancement of women through education.
[1] Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary Catalog, 1947, (Pittsburgh: 1947), 47. This document is available in the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary archives. Special thanks to Mark C. Russell for his help in sharing the archival material related to Florence M. Lewis and the beginnings of the Department of Christian Education.
[2] Pittsburgh-Xenia Catalog, 47.
[3] Pittsburgh-Xenia Catalog, 47.