I am the daughter of Christian parents.  My mother was Pentecostal, and my father was Baptist.  During my youthful years, involvement in Church was no option.  Every Sunday morning marked a mass exodus from our home in Atlanta, Georgia to either the Pentecostal Church or the Baptist Church.  I was never quite sure of the doctrines of the churches and probably was not very interested in such matters during those years.

Upon entering Spelman College and getting married, there were some significant changes.  College introduced me to the field of sociology and human philosophy.  It was the field of philosophy that caused me to view the Bible quite differently from the Bible that had been preached in my Baptist-Pentecostal upbringing. 

There were questions regarding God, creation, mankind, salvation, sin, and human obedience.  Why was there such a thing as segregation? Was there inequality among the races? And why were the social rules for women different from those for men? There were no new answers, but there were a lot of new questions.  As a young wife, I followed in the tradition of the women of my generation and attended my husband's church.  Although, it was a great church with tremendous preaching and singing, I didn't learn a lot. 

The '70's were different.  My husband was accepted as a student at Howard University School of Dentistry in Washington, D.C.  He resigned his engineering job, and we left the security of Atlanta with no money except for the prospects of some educational scholarships and loans.  It was a good time.

In 1972 while residing in Silver Springs, Maryland, I was awakened with the desire to know more about God and the world of the supernatural.  I was the Patient Education Coordinator for a very well-known social welfare organization and doing some free lance consultation.  My jobs brought me in contact with international organizations, the privileged, the underprivileged, health care providers, and the very complicated world of womanhood.  It was during these times that my observations of the social status of women provoked more questions.  Was this subordination of women a divine order?

We visited several churches during those years.  And even in the churches, I noticed a consistent trend.  Women were the majority of the membership, but they did not share equally in the leadership.  Being an inquisitive person and working in the marketplace where women were physicians, psychologists, and directors of companies, I was greatly bothered by the general attitude toward talented women who desired to be involved in a significant leadership position.  There seemed to be a consensus opinion among men and women alike, that creation order mandated that women be in submission to men.  The answers they offered seemed to be logical, but they did not erase the concerns in my mind.  Was God schizophrenic? Did He prefer men over women? Why would He give women these creative ideas and desires to be leaders in government, the marketplace, and even in church and have them suppressed by "creation order?" Did God hate women?

Once my husband graduated from dental school and completed his specialty training in Boston Massachusetts, we ultimately returned to Atlanta.  It was there that I was diagnosed with an immune disorder called Myasthenia Gravis.  It is a disease that greatly weakens the muscles and can potentially affect breathing and the eyesight.  While undergoing treatment and spending significant times in hospitals, I found myself confined to my home.  It was during those times of rehabilitation that the questions which began to plague me while in Maryland, began to trouble me again.  Why was there such an obvious inequality between men and women in the church, home, and even the marketplace? The desire for answers drove me to the Scriptures.  Through my studies, I discovered that God did not hate women; nor did He curse them.  He had created men and women to work together.  And, true creation order was the co-equality, co-essentiality, and co-substantiality of men and women in the plan of God. 

My husband shared the joy of these theological discoveries with me.  Although we had always enjoyed an egalitarian-type relationship in our marriage, he was excited over the prospects of these historical facts being made known to us.  I began compiling materials, books, tapes and everything I could discover on the topic of men and women in ministry.  My notes turned into volumes.  And when offered an opportunity to write a column in several newspapers, I eagerly submitted several articles under the title, Her Name Is Woman.  The articles were accepted and that begin a communication outlet that lasted several years.

Since that time, my husband and I have labored together in the ministry and in the practice of dentistry.  He has a specialty practice in prosthodontics, and I serve as the office manager.  We have also served as associate ministers at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a mega church of 12,000 members under Bishop Earl Paulk.  My husband is the assistant to the Bishop and serves as the liaison to several thousands of network churches located in Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.  We have two children, Kirby Jr. and Gina. Kirby Jr. is married with one son.  He and his wife are professionals in the legal and medical fields.  Our daughter, Gina is also a legal professional.  We have co-authored several books and travel extensively in the United States and abroad teaching and preaching things concerning the Kingdom of God and creation order.  Our latest book on the topic of co-laboring is entitled, And He Gave Them.  

Chapter 8, from the book...and He gave them... a foundational teaching manual by Kirby and Sandra Clements, entitled SUBMISSION is found under the Articles section of this site.   The book may be purchased by contacting Sandra at sachl@aol.com

top of page  I  home  I  about us   I   book  
 studies  I  healing  I  newsletter  I  current events  I  resources   I  contact

Copyright © 2005 Gods Word to Women