Outside the Box: How Can Women Take Over the Priesthood W/O Being "Priests"

A few years ago I attended a friend's funeral in a Protestant denomination that does not allow women pastors. The male pastor had had a stroke and was limited in what he could do. He did speak but a woman carried the service forward. I don't know what her position was or is today. The "work around" worked fine. 

Today there is a growing shortage of Catholic priests. Some Protestant denominations that require male preachers need part-time but credentialed men are not available. What to do?

The logical thing is to double the pool of people available to be priests/preachers. Out of that much larger pool could come the very few that might want to do this work or have economic circumstances that allow them to do clergy work part-time. The larger the pool the more likely some star will emerge to help save a church.

The Catholic Church is inching it way toward women as clergy. Women are taking over higher level management positions. 

Those who condemn the idea of women as clergy cannot stop the morphing of language. In recent years the way pastors are ranked in a church has acquired new titles. There is a "Teaching Pastor", an "Outreach Pastor", etc. I can see Catholic parishes using new language for women. Maybe "Afterlife Trainer" or "Sin Evaluator" for that would allow women to perform the same work as priests do now but not take on the title of "priest." The same pattern will be followed in conservative Protestant denominations. It doesn't matter what title is assigned, if those in the pews decide the woman at the front is their priest/pastor that is the role that will emerge.