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The Evolution of Women Pastors in Mainline Protestant Denominations Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Dissertations Graduate School Spring 2017 The volutE ion of Women Pastors in Mainline Protestant Denominations Rita G. Burnett Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/diss Part of the History of Christianity Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Burnett, Rita G., "The vE olution of Women Pastors in Mainline Protestant Denominations" (2017). Dissertations. Paper 119. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/diss/119 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EVOLUTION OF WOMEN PASTORS IN MAINLINE PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education By Rita Gale Burnett May 2017 This work remains dedicated first and foremost to God my Father, Jesus Christ my Savior, and the Holy Spirit my Intercessor. Divine intervention, support, direction, and guidance have been the lifeline behind the completion of this great work. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe a plethora of gratitude to many who have sustained me throughout my sometimes unorthodox and complex endeavors. Various ones have prayed with me, cried with me, laughed with me, and loved me all the way through this journey. For that, words cannot even begin to express my appreciation. First, my husband John, who has been my greatest supporter and fan throughout our 30 years of marriage. Without his influence, this would never have become a reality. Thank you for believing in me even when I could not see it, for encouraging and inspiring me, and for tirelessly putting up with my shenanigans. To my children, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, relatives, and friends, your love, patience, support, and unconditional acceptance has blessed me beyond measure. Thank you for listening to me vent, graciously accepting when I could not attend an event due to my academic commitments, and for celebrating victories with me. I would be remiss if I did not mention my beloved, deceased mother and grandparents. Without their dedication and wholesome direction throughout my formative years, I would not have the intrinsic motivation and zeal to learn and to continuously improve. Also, to all the churches that have been a part of my life, you have provided a strong foundation from which to work. I am indebted to your servant leadership. This includes the wonderful religious organizations with which I have had the privilege to serve. To military communities, thank you for demonstrating and teaching leadership to me. The lessons learned throughout our relationship will always be with me. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. May I always honor and recognize your contributions to my freedom. Thank you all. I love you dearly. iv To Dr. Randy Capps, you are a very wise man. I feel deeply fortunate to have learned under your expert tutelage. The wealth of experience you bring to your classrooms regarding organizational leadership, agents of change, consulting, and diffusion of innovation is an education that I do not take lightly. Thank you for serving as the Chair of my Committee. I appreciate all the endless hours of investment into my passage throughout this program. You not only encouraged me, but you also listened when I was going through a very difficult time and needed someone to hear my current woe. To Dr. Cecile Garmon, you amaze me. Your intellectual discernment and expert craftsmanship in communication and culture continues to not only serve me well, but that of all your students. The Western Kentucky University community remains quite blessed to have you as a team member. Thank you for serving on my committee, holding me to the standard, and demonstrating a healthy discipline in your field that serves all students well who desire to push further into writing endeavors, publication, and public speaking. May my rhetoric never disappoint you. To Dr. Whitney Peake, thank you for serving on my Dissertation Committee as well. Your insight as a researcher has been exceptionally effective in teaching me to exercise great thought into resources and to dig deeper into scholarly phenomenon. I feel privileged to have benefited from your graciousness and professionalism. It also was incredibly pleasant to have someone on the team from my hometown in Princeton, Kentucky, where so many impressions guided my destiny. I truly appreciate the time you have provided toward this project. v To the WKU community, thank you for providing such a wealth of resources to your students in the form of exceptional professors, caring staff, and an outstanding process for completing scholarly initiatives. Particularly, thank you Dr. Tony Norman for taking a chance on me even though I certainly came to this program as a non- traditional student on many levels. Thank you also for giving me the permission to just be who I am throughout this program in my professional development. Also, I extend my appreciation to you for letting me vent during tough days. To Cohort 13 and all my other peers, it has been a pleasure knowing you. I am so grateful that we had each other for support throughout this program. I learned many wonderful things from each of you. Finally, to my interviewees, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to assist in this study. Your participation and contributions have influenced me in ways I never imagined when I began this research. I will take what I have learned and apply it to my life’s work. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT…………………..………………………………………………………….xi CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 Definitions ............................................................................................................... 2 Denominations ........................................................................................................ 3 United Methodist Church (UMC)................................................................... 4 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) ........................................ 5 Presbyterian Church (PC-USA)...................................................................... 6 Episcopal Church ............................................................................................ 7 American Baptist Church (ABC-USA) .......................................................... 8 United Church of Christ (UCC)...................................................................... 9 Christian Church Disciples of Christ (DOC) .................................................. 9 Problem Statement ................................................................................................ 10 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 11 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 13 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................... 14 Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................... 16 Challenges ............................................................................................................. 18 Law Exemptions and Policies ....................................................................... 18 Gender Barriers and Stereotypes .................................................................. 19 Career Obstacles and Leadership ................................................................. 20 vii Demographic Struggles ................................................................................ 23 Home-Career Balance ................................................................................... 24 Other Challenging Concerns ........................................................................ 26 Subordination, Feminism, and Identity ........................................................ 27 Acceptance ............................................................................................................ 29 Theories and Role Belief Systems ................................................................ 30 Leadership Styles .......................................................................................... 34 Cultural Impacts of Acceptance ................................................................... 35 Other Influences of Acceptance ................................................................... 39 Mentoring .............................................................................................................. 40 Mentoring Defined ....................................................................................... 41 Women Pastors Desire to be Mentored ........................................................ 43 Mentoring Boundaries .................................................................................. 46 Mentoring Remains Essential for Church Leadership .................................
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