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Understanding and Equipping Female Leadership at Prosperous Temple Church of God in Christ

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Understanding and Equipping Female Leadership at Prosperous Temple Church of God in Christ Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity Understanding and Equipping Female Leadership at Prosperous Temple Church of God in Christ A Thesis Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of Liberty University School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries Lynchburg, Virginia February 2021 Copyright © 2021 by Jonathan R. Hackett All Rights Reserved ii Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity Thesis Project Approval Sheet ______________________________ Joel Breidenbaugh, PhD Mentor ______________________________ Larry McDonald, Dmin, PhD Faculty Reader iii Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 1 Ministry Context ................................................................................................................. 1 Problem Presented .............................................................................................................. 5 Purpose Statement .............................................................................................................. 6 Basic Assumptions.............................................................................................................. 7 Definitions .......................................................................................................................... 9 Limitations and Delimitations .......................................................................................... 12 Thesis Statement ............................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2 Conceptual Framework....................................................................................... 19 Literature Review ............................................................................................................. 19 Institutional Structures ............................................................................................... 19 Challenges Faced by Women in Church Leadership ................................................ 24 Women Ordination .................................................................................................... 28 Women Experiences in Church Leadership .............................................................. 31 Women Leadership Potential .................................................................................... 33 Perspectives on Female Church Leadership .............................................................. 37 Research Gaps ........................................................................................................... 39 Theological Foundations .................................................................................................. 40 Exodus 15:20-21 ........................................................................................................ 40 Judges 4:1-9 ............................................................................................................... 42 1 Corinthians 11:3, 14:33-25 ..................................................................................... 43 1 Timothy 2:8-14 ....................................................................................................... 49 Philippians 4:2-3 and Jude verse 3 ............................................................................ 56 Summary of Theological Foundations ...................................................................... 59 Theoretical Foundations ................................................................................................... 62 Chapter 3 Methodology ......................................................................................................... 64 Intervention Design .......................................................................................................... 64 Ministry Context ........................................................................................................ 64 Study Setting ............................................................................................................. 66 Participant Demographic ........................................................................................... 67 Sampling .................................................................................................................... 68 Location of Study ...................................................................................................... 69 iv Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 70 Research Schedule ..................................................................................................... 71 Resources ................................................................................................................... 73 Ethical Issues ............................................................................................................. 75 Researcher Positionality ............................................................................................ 78 Implementation of Intervention Design ............................................................................ 78 Data Triangulation ..................................................................................................... 78 Data Collection Sequence .......................................................................................... 80 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................. 85 Intervention Implementation ..................................................................................... 86 Chapter 4 Results ................................................................................................................... 88 Satisfaction Levels ............................................................................................................ 88 Participation in Church ..................................................................................................... 94 Experience in Other Churches .......................................................................................... 95 Hearing About Prosperous Temple Church ...................................................................... 96 Perceptions of Women Participation in Leadership ......................................................... 98 Leadership Roles ............................................................................................................ 108 Biblical Source of Motivation for Women in Leadership and Ministry ......................... 110 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 113 Chapter 5 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 114 Appendix A Questionnaire ................................................................................................. 125 Appendix B IRB Participant Consent Form ..................................................................... 131 Appendix C IRB Approval letter........................................................................................ 133 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 135 v List of Tables Table 1.Research schedule ....................................................................................................... 73 Table 2. Likelihood of the participant recommending (not recommending) the church. ........ 89 Table 3. Additional Sources of Satisfaction for Church Members. ......................................... 91 Table 4. Participant’s Agreement (Disagreement) with Particular Statements. ...................... 93 Table 5. Participants’ Agreement (Disagreement) with Additional Statements. ..................... 94 Table 6. Participants’ Findings after Attending Another Church. ........................................... 96 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Time the Participants have been Attending Church. ................................................ 90 Figure 2. Church Members’ Participation in Church Activities. ............................................. 95 Figure 3. Various Ways the Study Participants Heard about Prosperous Temple Church. ..... 98 Figure 4. Perceptions of Women in Leadership Positions. ...................................................... 99 Figure 5. Participants’ Satisfaction with Women Pastors. ..................................................... 101 Figure 6. Perceptions of Women Serving as Worship Leaders. ............................................ 103 Figure 7. Perceptions of Female Trustees in Church. ............................................................ 104 Figure 8. Perceptions of Female Youth Leader. .................................................................... 105 Figure 9. Perceptions of Female Children’s Director. ........................................................... 106 Figure 10. Perceptions of Female Music/Choir
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