Edward C. Lehman

Placement of Men and Women in the Ministry

Analysis of survey data from 214 men and women who graduated from theological seminaries between 1972 and 1977 examines the results of their efforts to be placed professionally. Most were placed. However, in terms of whether and where they were placed, in what kind of position, over what period of time, and with what reward structure, women were consistently less successful than men. Individual attributes such as performance and credentials did not explain gender differences in placement outcomes, but social structural variables did, particularly involvement in formal placement systems. Mens placement was contingent on relatively few conditions. Women were placed primarily if they conformed to established placement procedures and were structurally integrated with executives who could advocate their candidacy effectively. Practical implications for women in the ministry are pointed out.

Organizational Resistance to Women in Ministry

Analysis of data from a recent study of resistance to clergywomen supports the position that problems of organizational viability in religious structures constitute a robust perspective from which to predict whether clergywomen will encounter resistance in their efforts to enter the pastoral ministry. The paper argues that the roles of church member and denominational executive lead to an overriding concern for the organizational viability of local churches, and that this concern both erects barriers and facilitates placement of women seeking placement in the ministry. Approaching the problems of clergywomen from the perspective of churches as organizations constitutes a theoretical approach that is fundamentally different from those emphasizing sex-role socialization and sex stratification.

CORRELATES OF LAY PERCEPTIONS OF CLERGY MINISTRY STYLE

Analysis of survey data from national samples of clergy and their lay members (in the United States) revealed both convergence and divergence in comparisons of how clergy define their ministry style and how their members perceive that style. These patterns involved mostly ministry styles characterized by use of coercive power, rational decision making, ethical legalism, seeking to empower congregations, and involvement in social issues. Multivariate analysis indicated that the most consistent predictors of lay perceptions of clergy ministry style were race/ethnicity, clergy sex, and member sex. When clergy descriptions of ministry style were compared to the perceptions of members of their specific congregation, there was a positive correlation between clergy statements and member perceptions. However, lay members tended to see less interest in their pastor either wanting power over the congregation or seeking to empower the congregation than was claimed by the pastor him/herself. Conversely, lay members tended to see more tendency than their pastor claimed in using rational criteria for decision making or in being legalistic. Finally, especially among whites, lay members describing the pastors ministry style in terms similar to the descriptions of the pastor him/herself occurred primarily if the pastor was a male. Clergy and lay descriptions tended to diverge more if the pastor was a woman. This paper reports the results of an exploratory study of differences in how clergy serving Protestant churches approach their ministry. The analysis focuses on an examination of how male and female pastors describe their ministry style in comparison to how their lay members perceive it. Do lay church members perceive the work of their pastor in the same way as the pastor describes him/herself? If descriptions of self and other diverge significantly, how can we account for those discrepancies?

ON PERCEIVING THE RELEVANCE OF TRADITIONAL RELIGION TO CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

Based on analysis of data from a study of faculty at a southeastern state university, the paper discusses two possible conditions under which persons are likely to perceive traditional religion as relevant to contemporary issues. Perceptual differences by type of issue emerged and appeared to be associated with the extent to which the popular culture contained norms of apparent religious origin which were easily related to a particular issue. At the same time, somewhat polarized individual perceptual tendencies existed. Persons tended to perceive traditional religion as relevant or not in general, somewhat regardless of issue. The individual variations in perception appeared to be associated mainly with differences in personal religious commitment. These two factors, the correlates of differences by issue and by individual tendencies, are explored as possible avenues for understanding current movements in the churches to make religion more relevant to modern life.

Religion and Revolution

From the time of their first settlements at Jamestown, Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, British colonists in North America practiced numerous forms of Christianity. Because of this diversity, the colonies as a whole can be described as pluralistic, meaning that several forms of belief and practice coexisted within the settlements. Despite this variation among the colonies, however, individual colonies were often dominated by a single religious group. In Massachusetts and Connecticut, Congregationalists were the most numerous and powerful churches in the religious landscape. In Virginia and throughout the South, the Church of England, or Anglican Church, exerted the most influence. In Pennsylvania, Quakers provided the religious and political center until the 1750s. In Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island numerous groups thrived simultaneously, including Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Jews, and Quakers.