Growing Female Leaders: Best Practices in Identifying And
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GROWING FEMALE LEADERS: BEST PRACTICES IN IDENTIFYING AND MENTORING IN THE HTB NETWORK By Sarah McDonald Haden ABSTRACT Within the network of the church connected to Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), very few female church leaders and church planters exists. The purpose of this research was to identify best practices used by HTB network ministry leaders who have successfully identified and/or trained more than one ordained female church leader. This project surveyed ministry leaders who identified and mentored female church leaders. The subjects were asked about their experiences of identifying and mentoring female church leaders. The project also interviewed women who were trained in the HTB network about their experiences of being identified and mentored. The findings showed that no standard methods of identifying and mentoring female church leaders in the HTB network existed. The findings also showed that HTB leaders considered themselves confident in mentoring women but very few female women considered themselves to have been mentored in the HTB network, particularly by senior leaders in the HTB network. Growing Female Leaders : Best Practices in identifying and mentoring in the HTB Network A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Sarah McDonald Haden MAY 2021 © 2021 Sarah McDonald Haden ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. xi CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT ................................................................... 1 Overview of the Chapter ....................................................................................... 1 Personal Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................... 2 Purpose of the Project ........................................................................................... 3 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 3 Research Question #1 ............................................................................... 3 Research Question #2 ............................................................................... 3 Research Question #3 ............................................................................... 3 Research Question #4 ............................................................................... 3 Rationale for the Project ....................................................................................... 4 Definition of Key Terms ....................................................................................... 5 Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 7 Review of Relevant Literature .............................................................................. 8 Research Methodology ....................................................................................... 10 Type of Research .................................................................................... 10 Participants .............................................................................................. 11 Instrumentation ........................................................................................ 12 Data Collection ....................................................................................... 12 Data Analysis .......................................................................................... 13 iii Generalizability ....................................................................................... 13 Project Overview ................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT ...................................... 15 Overview of the Chapter ..................................................................................... 15 Biblical Foundations ........................................................................................... 15 Male and Female within Old Testament Law ......................................... 16 The Mishnah ........................................................................................... 17 Jesus and Women .................................................................................... 19 How Jesus Mentored Leaders ................................................................. 22 How Jesus identified Leaders ................................................................. 22 The Pauline Church and Women ............................................................ 23 Theological Foundations ..................................................................................... 27 The Early Church .................................................................................... 27 Systematics and Women ......................................................................... 28 Identifying and Mentoring Women in secular workplaces ................................. 29 Current Contexts ..................................................................................... 29 Benefits of Female Leadership ............................................................... 30 Strategies in identifying and mentoring Female Leaders ....................... 32 Who brings about Diverse Leadership? .................................................. 33 Policy ...................................................................................................... 34 Culture..................................................................................................... 36 Identifying and mentoring Female Leaders in the Modern Church .................... 36 Challenges for Women entering Church Leadership in the Modern Church ................................................................................................................. 36 iv Longevity in Ministry ............................................................................. 40 Mixed-Gender Mentoring ....................................................................... 41 How to Identify and Mentor Women in the Church ............................... 43 Research Design Literature ................................................................................. 44 Summary of Literature ........................................................................................ 45 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT .......................... 47 Overview of the Chapter ..................................................................................... 47 Nature and Purpose of the Project ...................................................................... 47 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 47 Research Question #1 ............................................................................. 47 Research Question #2 ............................................................................. 49 Research Question #3 ............................................................................. 50 Research Question #4 ............................................................................. 51 Ministry Context ................................................................................................. 52 Participants .......................................................................................................... 52 Criteria for Selection ............................................................................... 52 Description of Participants ...................................................................... 54 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................ 54 Instrumentation ................................................................................................... 56 Combined Questionnaire ........................................................................ 55 Focus Group ............................................................................................ 56 Expert Review ..................................................................................................... 56 Reliability and Validity of Project Design .......................................................... 57 v Data Collection ................................................................................................... 58 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 4 EVIDENCE FOR THE PROJECT ........................................................... 61 Overview of the Chapter ..................................................................................... 61 Participants .......................................................................................................... 61 Research Question #1: Description of Evidence ............................................... 62 Already Leading...................................................................................... 64 Leadership Opportunities .......................................................................