FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

3.7 THE EMERGENCE OF WOMEN'S MINISTRIES AND THE DESIRE
FOR CHILANGIZO
From the beginning of the BMIM's work missionary wives' took women for Sunday
school and Bible studies, and other activities. The women's work is significant because
it forms the basis for the theme of this research on female initiation rites which is dis­
cussed in the following chapters. In her study ofthe history of Baptist women in South­
ern Malawi, Rachel Banda (2001) shows that the missionary wives' vigorous evangel­
ism among the Malawian women came out of their cultural background of 'support
roles.' Understanding the SBC's position regarding women in America first will shed
some light on their work on the mission field in Malawi.
Since its inception in 1867, and before 1888, SBC tradition on the role of women in
America and on the mission field abroad was very clear. Women were primarily
expected to be homemakers and mothers, as well as to be subordinate to their husbands,
to church and to society (Fletcher 1994:85). Many men reinforced the women's domes­
tic role with Scripture 'that women were neither to address public assemblies nor have
power over men' (1 Timothy 2:9-15, NIV) (Fletcher 1994:95). Instead, women were
given teaching roles, which according to most women, was inadequate, for they knew
that God had called them to much greater avenues of ministry. In 1888 the Baptist
women formed the Woman's Missionary Union, (WMU), auxiliary to SBC. While
many men supported the women's organisation for it would keep them from pressing
for convention positions, others opposed it for fear that women would be tempted to
speak and teach in the churches. Despite all the reactions, the women's group grew
strong in the area of supporting missions through fund raising, prayers, and moral sup­
port. In addition, the WMU developed a program of missionary training for girls of all
age groups - Sunbeam Band for younger children up to eleven years old; Girls' Auxil­
iary (GA) for 12 to 16 year old girls; and Young Woman's Auxiliary (YWA) for girls
over 16 years. Fletcher (1994:95) concedes that: 'It is doubtful that Southern Baptist
Missions would have made as much progress had not the powerful women's organisa­
tion come into being.'
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