North Park Theological Seminary is pleased to announce the release of the Fall/Winter 2026 Issue of The Covenant Quarterly, the ministerial journal of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and to feature its Comment from editor Dr. Paul de Neui, professor of missiology and intercultural studies at NPTS.
June 2026 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church that voted to begin ordaining women to word and sacrament. While the Covenant may celebrate that half of the ordinands in 2026 are women, the fact that only 15 percent of Covenant churches have women in senior pastoral positions indicates just how much further this denomination must go to live into its profession.
We dedicate this volume to the many Covenant-ordained clergywomen who serve outside of the Covenant because they have not been able to find suitable positions in their home fellowship, yet maintain their credentials in this denominational body because they believe that change is possible. At this benchmark moment we humbly recognize the slow pace of movement toward our professed egalitarian posture. May we not need another fifty years to bring greater clarity, measurable growth, and even more egalitarian support for Covenant clergywomen to fully live into their calling as essential members of the body of Christ.
In this volume, we are proud to present a wide range of perspectives from women and men who serve inside, outside, and alongside the Covenant. We believe each of these articles will resource those who are searching for biblical answers to the challenging sociological and ecclesial questions facing women in ministry today. The editor wishes to thank all the contributors, particularly those who are ordained in the Covenant and represent many years of kingdom service in the wider body of Christ.
In this issue, we also gratefully acknowledge the enthusiastic support of Michael A. Walker, book review editor of the Quarterly. It is our hope and desire that these reviews will inspire our readers to broaden their vision of God’s calling and equipping of all whom they serve.
Your comments, feedback, and suggestions are always welcome.
—PAUL H. De NEUI
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