Rethinking Complementarianism

Complementarianism, that is, Christian teaching focusing on men’s leadership and women’s submission as an ideal pattern of relationships and gendered behaviour, has been identified both as a boundary marker with little lived currency and as a contributing factor in instances of intimate partner violence. This contradiction raises a question; does complementarianism have little felt effect or does it have significant—and violent—social consequences? In this article, drawing on Scott’s analysis of Secularism as discourse I consider complementarianism as a religio-political discourse. Through analysis of published church material and stories gathered through interviews with parishioners and church staff, I explore how complementarianism is constructed and implemented in the Sydney Anglican Diocese. I argue that complementarianism is not a distinctively Christian theology, but a discourse, or story, told in community which constructs orthodoxy and both creates and limits gendered and religious identity.

Preacher Woman

Chapter 7 presents instances in which fellow church staff members fail to see or understand fully the effects of gender structure and, therefore, often simultaneously function as allies as well as additional barriers in the pursuit of gender equality within congregations. This chapter also examines the particular standpoint of women pastors and how their experiences of exclusion and marginalization inform their social justice–oriented and riskier approaches to their jobs as compared to men pastors. While these approaches are often evaluated positively by social justice–minded congregants, some congregants described women pastors’ leadership approaches as “agenda driven” or “biased.” While this was not a key barrier in the context of this study, it may serve as a barrier in less social justice–oriented congregations. Finally, the chapter examines barriers to feminist initiatives that occur on the congregational level and emphasizes the importance of listening to the voices of women.

Ministry Involvement of Church Staff and Volunteers: The Role of Organizational Commitment and Work Engagement

One of the main functions of church leadership in the New Testament is to help people participate in ministry by serving others. However, church leaders may find it difficult to motivate lay volunteers, and even church staff, to do so. What are the factors that motivate ministry involvement? This paper examines the possible role of affective organizational commitment (the degree of emotional attachment to an organization) and work engagement (the degree to which one is immersed in and energized by one’s work) as motivating factors. A study of church members involved in ministry (N =336), including both lay volunteers and paid staff, was conducted to test whether both affective organizational commitment and work engagement predict ministry involvement. The results indicate that both organizational commitment and work engagement contribute to predicting ministry involvement of church staff and lay members. This relationship is true regardless of gender, tenure in the church, or church size. Work engagement is especially important for paid staff compared to lay volunteers. These results indicate that church leaders need to not only encourage commitment, but also to make sure that ministry is engaging and energizing for those who are serving.

„I Have a Dream“

Martin Luther King and East Germany are connected both directly and indirectly. The Communist Party had the power to make public decisions on agenda-setting topics related to Martin Luther King. The Christian Bloc Party mostly represented the state and published books by Martin Luther King, which churches and the civil rights movement liked to use. Moreover, pacifists and civil rights activists used these books to undermine the political system in East Germany. Church institutions reported by far the most on Martin Luther King. This empirical study, which can also act as a basis for further research on Martin Luther King and East Germany, will appeal to both church staff and admirers of Martin Luther King.

Identifying barriers, facilitators, and implementation strategies for a faith-based physical activity program

Background: Community engagement is critical to the acceleration of evidence-based interventions into community settings. Harnessing the knowledge and opinions of community leaders increases the likelihood of successful implementation, scale up, and sustainment of evidence-based interventions. Faith in Action (Fe en Acción) is an evidence-based promotora-led physical activity program designed to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among churchgoing Latina women.Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews using a semi-structured interview guide based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) at various Catholic and Protestant churches with large Latino membership in San Diego County, California to explore barriers and facilitators to implementation of Faith in Action and identify promising implementation strategies for program scale-up and dissemination. We interviewed 22 pastors and church staff and analyzed transcripts using an iterative-deductive team approach. Results: Pastors and church staff described barriers and facilitators to implementation within three domains of CFIR: characteristics of individuals (lack of self-efficacy for and knowledge of physical activity; influence on churchgoers’ behaviors), inner setting (church culture and norms, alignment with mission and values, competing priorities, lack of resources), and outer setting (need for buy-in from senior leadership). From the interviews, we identified four promising implementation strategies for the scale-up of faith-based health promotion programs: 1) health behavior change training for pastors and staff; 2) tailored messaging; 3) developing community collaborations; and 4) gaining denominational support.Conclusions: While churches can serve as valuable partners in health promotion, specific barriers and facilitators to implementation must be recognized and understood. Addressing these barriers through targeted implementation strategies at the adopter and organizational level can facilitate improved program implementation and lead the way for scale-up and dissemination.

Congregations respond to divisive issues: Finding paths past polarity

What happens when pastors attempt to lead their congregations to conduct civil discussions about potentially polarizing issues? How can congregations engage difficult, controversial, or otherwise challenging issues without splintering, and perhaps even leverage those conversations to achieve charitable clarity and greater unity? Based on interviews with respected pastors, this article examines seven local Baptist churches that engaged in processes that propelled them to examine, discuss, and sometimes make decisions regarding topics that could have fractured their fellowship. Topics range from race, to baptism, to LGBTQ inclusion, to church staff and budgets, to other challenging subjects. In the case studies, each pastor discusses: (a) the issue or issues the church confronted; (b) how the church went about examining, discussing, and deciding on the issue or issues; (c) the results of those processes, or what happened when they talked; (d) what went right; (e) what went wrong; and (f) what the pastor would do differently the next time the congregation enters a similar process. The insights presented by these case studies offer guidance for pastors and church leaders whose congregations face polarizing experiences. In addition, they provide useful material for student discussions of pastoral ministry and ethics.

Helping the Homeless in Dallas: Lessons and Challenges from a Faith-Based Nonprofit

The Stewpot is an agency in downtown Dallas that has been serving the hungry and homeless for more than 30 years. Its founding story has become the stuff of legend: In the mid-1970s, First Presbyterian Church staff was approached more and more often by people living on the streets who needed something to eat. In response, the church started to keep on hand a supply of canned goods that could be handed out. At the time, the practice was that each person who asked would be given two cans of food, with the labels removed so that they could not be resold. But there came a day in 1975 when one of the associate pastors handed the last two cans to a man who needed them … and then helplessly watched him try to open one of the cans with the only tool available in his possession: a key. Before the end of the year First Presbyterian had given up on the notion of handing out cans of food, and had created the Stewpot, preparing and serving a noontime meal in the church's kitchen and fellowship hall. Within two weeks, there were more than 100 people coming for lunch every weekday (Adams 2006).