I have been here less than a day, General Synod has not yet begun, and already it is becoming evident to me that there is some confusion around "the women's issues." One basic point of befuddlement seems to me to be that many people do not entirely understand the Commission for Women or the Office of Women's Ministries - what they do, who they are, or what they have to do with each other. Hence, I keep getting the question, "You're with the Commission for Women? Haven't they been disbanded?" Ack, no. So, a brief start at an explanation...
I am the moderator for the Commission for Women. This is a group of people who report to the General Synod, and are charged with advocating for the inclusion and participation of women. Our focus has historically been mostly on women ministers, but has also broadened to include elders and deacons. We work primarily on issues related to women in ordained office, not because we aren't concerned with the rest of the women, but because our sphere of influence is within denominational polity and governance.
The Women's Ministries is an office within the staffing structure of the RCA that works with supporting and resourcing women across the denomination. They do programming aimed broadly toward women, both ordained and unordained, such as the women's conferences and Sister Share. They also work with individuals, congregations, and classes desiring education and resources related to women.
We are related in that we both work with and for women, and because the coordinator for the Office of Women's Ministries has been the staff support for the Commission. The situation is rather unsettled right now because the coordinator position is about to come to an end - although the Office itself will continue to exist through part-time administrative support. What will come of the Office is up in the air right now; several overtures ask for the reinstatement of the coordinator position, and a consultation has been working on envisioning the future of women's ministries in the RCA. One of the advisory committees will address these overtures before they come to the floor of GS. I'm not sure what will happen, and at this point, I'm not sure I even have strong opinions about what should happen. Perhaps that is for the best; it seems to me that we're going to have to come at this question from a different angle to find a solution that continues to support and advocate for women and is financially viable.