Dr. Millie Snyder

While the corporate glass ceiling is close to shattered, the stained glass ceiling has taken longer to crack. Finally, though, it’s not uncommon to see a woman wearing a robe at church these days, and we don’t mean choir robes. We spoke with seven of Charlotte’s female religious leaders to find out what they’re doing behind and beyond the pulpit

Written by Lori K. Tate
Photographs by Chris Edwards 

Executive Pastor, Myers Park Presbyterian Church

Dr. Millie Snyder, Executive Pastor, Myers Park Presbyterian Church

Although there are no airplanes at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Millie Snyder is often referred to as the air traffic controller of this almost 4,000-member house of worship. As executive pastor, Snyder is responsible for encouraging coordination and collaboration across ministry areas (think Christian education, music, outreach, missions).

"I enjoy looking at the big picture of the church, which is a lot of what I have to do, and seeing how the smaller pieces and programs fit," says the forty-two-year-old Snyder, who was the sole pastor at MorningStar Presbyterian Church in Matthews for nine years before coming to Myers Park in 2004.

This past spring, Snyder was instrumental in starting an initiative titled Every Member Has a Ministry, which emphasizes that each congregant has something to contribute to the church and community, whether it be teaching Sunday school or building a Habitat for Humanity house. Members were asked to submit cards pledging their ministry at the church's Easter services. By May, the church had received 1,300 cards.

"One of the unique things about the way we've organized ministry here is that there are six ordained pastors, and we really function like a team. We all share in pastoral care, hospital visits, that kind of thing. We all share in worship," says Snyder, who preaches two to three times a year. "We all have an opportunity to do different ministry."

More Women of the Word