Women clergy

Corinne Lesley Cameron D.Min.

This thesis explores how Canadian Salvation Army mothers in ministry who follow a rhythm of life experience an abiding relationship with Jesus that deepens a sense of abundance in life and ministry. The thesis begins with exploring the social contexts of The Salvation Army, North American clergy, and working mothers. The thesis progresses to delve into John 15:1-17 and the historical examples of Susanna Wesley and Catherine Booth. The research methodology includes two Lenten-abiding groups and thirteen interviews. This research affirms how rhythms of life tend to the soil of the soul, enabling an abiding relationship with Jesus to grow and flourish.

Marsha Brown Woodard

Internalized oppression is a reasonable response to the inundation of messages that are disempowering and devaluing. In this project, movies have helped African American clergywomen explore and deconstruct these messages. The Midwife Leadership Style created a participant-centered environment where women became free to share even as they would if they were gathered around a kitchen table. Within the project, movies were used to stimulate dialogue and as a disseminator of educational content. It was my finding that women were able to learn to identify these messages and to gain skills that enable them to develop healthy responses. The project establishes a foundation for additional work in exploring the unique and powerful understanding of faith that African American women possess.

Abigail Spears Velázquez

Women who serve in pastoral roles in the Church of God of Prophecy in Mexico have had to rely on white Eurocentric patriarchal models of ministry that constrain their gifts and womanhood. An invitation to the margins is an attempt to provide a more authentic Pentecostal theology and praxis of pastoral ministry that is reflective of female clergy and their experiences. This project relies on the feminist-pneumatological approach of Lisa P. Stephenson and asks whether a pneumatological model of pastoral ministry that incorporates elements of mujerista and liberation theology can be a viable option for women clergy.

In order to answer this question, a focus group of female ministers in the Church of God of Prophecy in Mexico were exposed to the model laid out in this project in the hope of forming a coalition of female clergy where women can be nurtured, mentored, and guided as they navigate the challenges and joys of the pastorate. An invitation to the margins is a way to re-imagine pastoral ministry in ways that are more faithful to and discerning of where the Spirit is moving in Mexico.

Franklin Mizzi

This project is designed to provide evidence that an understanding of the relationships between men and women which are based on superior-inferior positions, and that women are subordinate to men cannot be validated.

Chapter One presents perceptions of power from a purely social science perspective and from a theological perspective.

Chapter Two investigates some sections of the Old and New Testaments, and some formative theologians who have had great influence on various Christian belief systems, to determine if these sources favor the dominance of men over women.

Chapter Three is devoted to how women see themselves in the current situation in society, in the church, and in marriage. Some feminist authors and social scientists who discuss equality of the sexes or the lack of it are given the opportunity to state their cases.

Chapter Four is a presentation of three case studies in which various psychotherapeutic models were used in thecounseling sessions. This chapter demonstrates the impact of the abuse of power, and suggests that correcting this misuse of power gives hope of establishing the solidity such unions should have.

Chapter Five is a series of summary reflections based on the project as a whole, with particular attention to the three case studies. The vulnerable sharing of power in a loving way does not diminish the bonds of marriage. In fact, the bonds of marriage are strengthened to weather storms when there is vulnerable sharing of power.

Lisa Hanmi Pak D.Min.

The purpose of this research study was to determine how the cultural constructs of the Korean diaspora church have presented particular leadership challenges to a group of 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean women and resulted in detrimental experiences. This study is important because it revealed just how limiting and hurtful systems of leadership can be when they are not designed to give opportunities to both women and men. This research study focused on the experiences of Korean Canadian women and created a space for the group to openly talk about their experiences through narrative research, appreciative inquiry, and action research. Findings pointed to cultural factors such as patriarchy, which served to reinforce male-centered spiritual authority, and collectivism, which undercut the women’s self-confidence in speaking up and asking questions and cultivated a dynamic where enough women were more comfortable in upholding the patriarchic status quo. It was clear that the Korean diaspora church must be more intentional in creating leadership opportunities for young Korean women and reconsider the cultural patriarchy that is embedded in the communal dynamic. The research findings were also not limited to the Korean diaspora church context; rather, an examination of how cultural constructs and systems shape perceptions of leadership, understanding of ministry, and of the individual leader is a principle that is transferable to other settings.

Jungmi Kang D.Min.

The author researched the thesis, “A Korean Woman’s Voice to Preach as a Transformed Shaman through Perichoresis-Kut.” Built on the homiletical perspectives of Lisa L. Thompson, Frank Anthony Thomas, and Lynn Japinga, the transforming power of women preachers was envisioned through emotive, resilient, and celebratory interaction with the congregation. Such a transforming interaction was indigenously connected with Korean shamans and their ritual kut, which empowered Korean women’s voices and their ability to speak out for the marginalized. It was theologically connected with Trinitarian perichoresis, which empowered women’s voices and leadership. This thesis was grounded in the methodologies of anthropological and social research into Korean shamans and their ritual kut, homiletical inquiry about women’s voices and leadership, and Asian women’s Trinitarian perichoresis regarding radical subjectivity and open mutuality. While reflecting on these diverse perspectives, the author defined the homiletical significance of the preaching project as follows. First, when Korean women preachers could interact with the Triune God in the pulpit, the congregation might hear in their voices a conviction of perichoresis-kut to speak up for the marginalized against sexism, racism, and cultural colonialism. Second, within the heart of the homiletical significance for churches of Koreans and Korean-Americans, there was the need to change a male-gendered pulpit, by embracing Korean women preachers’ voices and leadership. On the other hand, it was crucial to provide Koreans and Korean-Americans with a transitional and transforming liminal space where every voice and every position could matter, regardless of being at the center or on the margin. Lastly, homiletic significance for the academic field was not only to build up a Korean preaching style rooted in the transformation of perichoresis-kut but also to call hearers to discover their identities in pursuit of advocating human rights and environmental justice.

Paula B Smith

Clergy health matters. Clergy health is considered critically threatened in various dimensions of health and well-being when compared to a representative sample of the general population. The Reclaiming Wholistic Health and Well-Being Clergy Women's Health Initiative utilized a covenant peer group model, an overnight retreat, health professional/spiritual director consultations, and an online and in person communication forums to facilitate theological reflection and engagement in spiritual disciplines to cultivate healthy habits in five dimensions of health: spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and financial. The participants demonstrated improvement in all dimensions.

Theresa S Thames

This project develops an intervention that responds to the ways in which the intersectionality of age, gender, and race presents unique challenges for young clergywomen of color. The study utilizes autoethnography, literature reviews, and both qualitative and quantitative research to identify five core competencies that are necessary for young clergywomen of color to thrive: self-awareness, strategic thinking, leadership, balance, and cultivating relationships. Old Testament scripture and womanist theology provide a framework for the personal and professional development curriculum that can be utilized by seminaries, denominations, and other sources of theological education in the training of young clergywomen of color.

Cynthia R Cole

This project examines the obstacles black women clergy encounter in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Using a Womanist framework, the project determines how AME congregations and ecclesiastical leadership can respond appropriately to clergywomen's voices and leadership styles. Six AME senior pastors are interviewed and twelve senior pastors and other women clergy are surveyed identifying four areas of interviewed and twelve senior pastors and other women clergy are surveyed identifying four areas of disparity between female clergy and their male counterparts: the call to ministry, preparation for ministry, well being , and church status. The practicum concludes with an outline of potential strategies for fostering female friendly congregations and for establishing an internal platform of communication.

Eloise M Fulton

Patriarchy has impacted female leadership in the church by creating an environment of competition, comparison, and insecurity among females. The result of the research is that these 3 elements create conflict that redirects the female focus away from female leadership and towards adversarial or negative interactions. The author researched Old and New Testament Biblical Narratives that focused on female interactions using thesis/essaymodel.