March 14, 2018
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Church Administration Building
47 E. South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84150
Dear Presidents Nelson, Oaks, and Eyring,
I pray that “Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our LORD Jesus Christ.” Galatians 1:3. I write to you on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the founding of Ordain Women to express my earnest and heartfelt prayer that women be ordained in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As a 60-year-old Black woman who grew up in South Georgia and who has lived in Georgia all my life, I have experienced far too many instances of being treated as a second-class citizen and being denied the opportunity to utilize of all my skills, talents, and gifts simply because I am a Black woman. The pain of those experiences has affected and continues to affect every part of my life.
Our scriptures teach us that “all are alike unto God,” and in the face of those teachings, I find it difficult to accept or reconcile when my sisters and I are treated as less important than our brothers or denied the opportunity to fully participate in the work of building of the Kingdom simply because we are women. There is so much work to be done. Just imagine how much more productive and fruitful our efforts would be if all of the children of our Heavenly Parents – female and male – were allowed to function as full and equal partners in the work.
I have spent many hours in prayer on this subject, and I do not believe that it is divine will that, simply by virtue of our gender, all women are limited in the roles we can fulfill in the Church and, ultimately, in the roles we can fulfill in building the Kingdom. As important as the work is, I cannot believe that it is the divine will that so many workers are not allowed to participate, fully and equally.
My prayer that women be ordained does not arise from any desire for prestige or recognition or from any envy of the men in the Church. I rejoice every time one of my brothers is ordained as a priest. However, I also ache for all women in the Church and for the Church. I ache because my wonderful, talented sisters have skills, training, and experience that could greatly benefit the Church. I ache because, in many parts of the world, there are wards and branches that are in desperate need of more “leaders” and more priesthood holders, and by automatically excluding women from consideration, the Church is doing itself a disservice. I ache because so much Kingdom building work is not being done because there are not enough priesthood holders to do the work. In 2014, those feelings and those experiences propelled me to stand with other courageous women and men and voice my prayer, my desire, my wish for women’s ordination in the Church.
There have been a number of changes since I initially expressed my prayer that women in the Church should be ordained. Some of those changes – being released from my calling and being deprived of my Temple recommend – have sorely tested my relationship with the LDS Church as an institution. However, my belief in the LDS Church as part of the body of Christ and my commitment to my baptismal covenants remain unchanged, as does my belief in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and in the teachings that “all are alike unto God.” As a beloved daughter of our Heavenly Parents and as your sister, those beliefs propel me to come to you, in your ordained roles as prophets, seers, and revelators to express my fervent prayer, abiding hope, and sincere wish that women in the LDS Church be ordained.
In HIS Name,
Bryndis W. Roberts
Member, Atlanta Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Chair, Executive Board of Ordain Women
Please consider sending the First Presidency your wishes for Ordain Women’s 5th birthday. To get this letterhead, or the OW birthday postcard, click here.