What Women Want: Pentecostal Women Ministers Speak For Themselves
The book chronicles the history of the place of women ministers in the Church of God and notes the changes in policy that have taken place regarding them over the years. The results of the study found in this book have produced a profile of what the typical Church of God woman minister looks like, she is: “married, white and middle-aged, politically conservative, college-educated, and is either an evangelist or pastor of a church she founded” (page 122). The study also sets forth some of the reasons why women are not provided with equal opportunity in the denomination, these include biblical understanding and church tradition (pages 130-131). The women respondents feel that the “other reason” they are being restricted is because of “the difficulty that some men have with women in leadership” (page 136). Male respondents said that their objections are based on their understanding of the teachings of the Bible (page 136). Though it is not a major feature of the book, it is clear at certain junctures in the text that there is a sense of hurt and frustration on the part of women about the present position of women ministers in their denomination.
One result of this study that may be a surprise to CBE* readers is that the majority of women ministers who took part in this study hold a traditional view of family, that is, they believe that the man is the priest of the home and the leader in decision-making (page 43). Only 28% of the women believe that “Women and men share equal responsibility and leadership in the home” (page 43).
The authors of this volume are to be commended for giving a voice to the women ministers in their denomination (it is significant that one of the authors is a man and the other is a woman who have partnered together in this book). Both they and the women who participated in this study are also to be commended for not leaving their denomination. Instead, this book has been produced that will hopefully help to bring about change from within. Although the book deals with the struggle for ministerial equality of women in one denomination I suspect that it has relevance for other church bodies as well. May the Lord bless this volume and use it to bring greater equality to women ministers in the Church of God and beyond.
Reviewed by John P. Lathrop
* This review first appeared in the Spring 2014 issue of Priscilla Papers (www.cbeinternational.org). Used with permission.
Further Reading:
Interview: “James Bowers and Kimberly Alexander: Leadership and women in Pentecostal ministry” Faith & Leadership (January 27, 2014)
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