Leadership Opportunities, Challenges and Perceptions: A Case Study of Women Clergy from Christ Is the Answer Ministries and All Saints Cathedral From 2003-2007, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

This study explores the opportunities, challenges and perceptions of women clergy in two urban churches. Additionally this study set out to establish why there are few women serving in fulltime pastoral ministry in the two churches, Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) and the All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi. The study population was women clergy from the two mentioned churches and their immediate leadership of both genders. The researcher administered two questionnaires to each respondent from the leadership of CITAM to establish their perception of the leadership capabilities among the women clergy. Focus groups comprised of some male pastors and purposely selected individuals from both All Saints Cathedral and CITAM leadership. Questionnaires were administered to the leadership teams which provided additional information towards this study. The researcher also carried out church archive research to ascertain the records of women clergy with CITAM and the All Saints Cathedral Church. Various Womanist, Feminist and leadership theories were addressed and the experiences of African women clergy in this African region also reviewed. The results from the study indicate that women clergy have a myriad of opportunities for leadership and should pursue them uncompromisingly. The church leadership may to some extent be skewed toward patriarchal cultural norms, but with time and given the dispensation of this millennium, they are able to maximize their opportunities by responding to the call of God to serve according to Matthew 28: 18-20. Additionally this study recommended that various programs and activities be instituted to develop avenues for encouraging women to follow through and to remain in church ministry with the help of older clergy who would be their mentors and team members.