Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 32:4 (Autumn 2018)
Article: The Experiences Of Women In Church And Denominational Leadership
Author: Susan H. Howell

PP 32:4 (Autumn 2018) p. 15

The Experiences Of Women In Church And Denominational Leadership

Susan H. Howell

and Ariel Thompson

Ariel Thompson is a senior psychology major at Campbellsville University where she is a research assistant for Dr. Howell.

Women have served in leadership positions in some Christian denominations for decades or even longer. Other denominations have more recently welcomed women into positions such as pastor, elder, or deacon. The egalitarian community encourages men and women to serve based on gifts rather than gender and celebrates when they embrace Paul’s pronouncement that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female . . .” (Gal 3:28 NIV).

However, what are the experiences of women in Christian leadership? Do they have salaries comparable to men? Do they encounter stereotypes based on gender? Do they have the respect of their congregations? This research provides a glimpse into the experiences of these women to inform those who are, or will become, church leaders, and to increase the awareness of congregations and denominational offices as they seek to include women in fulfilling the mission of the church.

PP 32:4 (Autumn 2018) p. 16

Method

Participants were 109 women who have held positions of leadership within a church or a denominational organization, and who volunteered in response to a social media recruitment request. Those interested were directed to a link which gave them access to the survey. While participants represented a variety of denominations, Nazarene (42%) and Baptist (19%) together made up the majority of this sample. (See Table 1 for a complete list of denominational affiliations.) The age of participants spanned across adulthood, with a slight majority (52%) being over fifty years of age.