ABSTRACT AT THE INTERSECTION OF ACTS AND GALATIANS: NEW STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN CHURCH PLANTERS by Carolyn Moore Standing at the intersection of Acts 1:8 and Galatians 3:28, women who plant new churches have the opportunity to shape the future of the American church. Yet, the rate of growth among women church planters has not kept pace with the rate of church planting in general in the United States. Perhaps because of that, the resources to equip especially women church planters are still very much in the developmental stage. Without effective solutions, women will continue to operate with poorly designed training systems and timelines, and ill-equipped denominational offices and boards. The result, too often, is another failed venture, another burned-out pastor, another deeply wounded congregation. Meanwhile, LifeWay’s comprehensive national research project showed that “the chance of survivability increases by over four-hundred percent when the church planter has ‘realistic’ expectations of the church-planting experience” (Stetzer and Bird). This principle underlies my own research into the barriers facing women planters. The theory is that women should plant, and can plant, but they need better information about the unique circumstances they will face so they can adequately and strategically meet those barriers head on. This project was designed to address this under-explored issue within a Wesleyan context by asking these key questions: What are unique pressures do women church planters face? What training and support offer the best opportunity for effective ministry? How can female planters equip their congregational leaders to become partners in positively influencing their community and culture? I asked these questions through the use of an online survey tool, as well as through personal interviews with planters. The solution is in education. By training women planters about the barriers that have the potential to hinder their success in their work, they can more realistically process the effect of these barriers on their work. They must get training in the areas of leadership development, financial management, time management, the art of negotiation, and the recruitment of coaches and mentors, so that they are adequately equipped for the work to which they are called. Finally, denominational leaders and coaches must do their own research so that they can constructively coach planters on the journey. DISSERTATION APPROVAL This is to certify that the dissertation entitled AT THE INTERSECTION OF ACTS AND GALATIANS: NEW STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN CHURCH PLANTERS presented by Carolyn Moore has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at Asbury Theological Seminary Dissertation Coach Date Director, Doctor of Ministry Program Date Dean of the Beeson Center Date AT THE INTERSECTION OF ACTS AND GALATIANS: NEW STRATEGIES FOR WOMEN CHURCH PLANTERS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Ministry by Carolyn Moore February 09, 2018 © 2018 Carolyn Moore ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE PROJECT ......................................................................1 Overview of the Chapter .........................................................................................1 Personal Introduction ..............................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................4 Purpose of the Project…………………………………………………………..…6 Research Questions ..................................................................................................6 Research Question #1 ..................................................................................6 Research Question #2 ..................................................................................6 Research Question #3 ..................................................................................6 Rationale for the Project ..........................................................................................6 Definition of Key Terms .......................................................................................10 Delimitations ........................................................................................................12 Review of Relevant Literature ...............................................................................12 Research Methodology .........................................................................................16 Type of Research ......................................................................................19 Participants ...............................................................................................19 Instrumentation .........................................................................................19 Data Collection .........................................................................................20 iii Data Analysis ............................................................................................20 Generalizability ........................................................................................20 Project Overview ..................................................................................................20 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW FOR THE PROJECT .........................................22 Overview of the Chapter ........................................................................................22 Biblical Foundations ..............................................................................................22 What the Bible Says About Human Design ...............................................23 What the Bible Says About Men, Women and Leadership .......................25 How Biblical Women Supported the Spread of the Gospel ......................29 Beyond the Biblical Witness ......................................................................32 Women in History ......................................................................................32 What Contemporary Women Experience in Leadership ...........................35 A Lag in Progress Among Women Leaders ...............................................39 Barriers to Church Planting for Women ................................................................43 The Theological Barrier .........................................................................................43 The Perception Barrier ...........................................................................................48 Self-Image: How Women Leaders Perceive Themselves ......................................54 The Double-Bind: How Others Perceive Women Leaders ....................................59 The Resource Barrier .............................................................................................62 The Benchmark Barrier .........................................................................................64 The Pastoral Care Barrier ......................................................................................65 The Biological Barrier ...........................................................................................67 iv Research Design Literature ...................................................................................68 Summary of Literature ..........................................................................................71 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR THE PROJECT .............................76 Overview of the Chapter ........................................................................................76 Nature and Purpose of the Project .........................................................................77 Type of Research ...................................................................................................77 Research Questions ................................................................................................78 Research Question #1 ................................................................................78 Research Question #2 ................................................................................81 Research Question #3 ................................................................................82 Ministry Context(s) ................................................................................................82 Participants ...........................................................................................................83 Criteria for Selection ................................................................................83 Description of Participants ......................................................................86 Ethical Considerations ..............................................................................86 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................87 Pilot Test or Expert Review (optional) ......................................................88 Reliability & Validity of Project Design ...................................................88 Data Collection