Toward Faithful Alignment: An Examination of the Alignment of the Polity and Practice of Women Clergy in Leadership in the Church of the Nazarene Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

The Church of the Nazarene is a denomination that has ordained women and allowed their participation at all levels of leadership since its inception. However, current data on women clergy within the USA- Canada region of the denomination demonstrate continued inequity between the church’s polity and practice regarding women holding leadership positions, such as lead pastor, and within district and general levels of leadership. This inequity marginalizes women who have answered the call of God into ministry and results in the denomination failing to use all the gifts available when women and men partner together. This thesis is propelled by past and current data from Nazarene Research Services on women clergy, which demands an investigation into the contributing causes of the demonstrated inequity. First, I consider historical cultural contributions and their impact upon the church and undertake a contemporary analysis of the same cultural issues, discussing how these outside forces cause resistance to women in leadership within the denomination today. I then examine common practices at the local and district levels that create unintentional barriers to women’s advancement within the denomination. Included in this work are findings from a survey of district superintendents serving the USA-Canada region that further illuminate commonly held beliefs and practices that prevent women from advancing in ministry, as well as provide hopeful examples of work being done to advance women in leadership. Lastly, I offer immediate, practical steps that guard against the named cultural obstacles and bring intentionality in aligning the denomination’s theological ideals with its polity and practice. 

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Background on Women Clergy and the Church of the Nazarene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Further Examination of Women Clergy Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Historical and Current Challenges to Women’s Inclusion in Leadership . . . . . . . . . 9

A Way Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Works Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Appendix: Survey on Women Clergy Leadership for District Superintendents . . . 59

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Candler School of Theology
Department	Divinity
Degree	M.Div.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Theology Religion, General Women's Studies
Keyword	Church of the Nazarene egalitarianism women in ministry women clergy
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Soren M. Hessler, Emory University
Committee Members	Jennifer Quigley, Emory University

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