- The number of women holding the title of “Senior Pastor” has increased substantially from 1999 to 2009, from 5% to 10% of all “Senior Pastors” in Protestant churches.
- The majority, no shocker here, of these women are in “mainline” churches, i.e. ELCA, PC-USA and United Methodist type churches.
- They are also older than male counterparts, median age of 55 for women versus 52 for men (Barna also notes that the age is rising in the last 10 years, from 50 to 55 for women and for men it has gone from 48 to 52)
- Women holding a “Senior Pastor” office also tend to be paid less on average but be more likely (77%-63%) to have a seminary degree.
Barna also notes that in this same time frame (1999-2009) average attendance at Protestant churches has gone from 108 to 101 on Sundays, about a 6.5% drop.
What does this mean for the church? Well, it is no secret if you read here very often that I have little use for professional clergy and even less use for women holding a church office such as elder. What I do think we are seeing here is an acceleration, especially in the rapidly dying “mainline” churches, of the feminization of the church coupled with an abandonment of core Biblical doctrines that deal with the nature of the church and the roles of men and women.
What do you think? Is the rapid increase in the number of female “Senior Pastors” a cause for celebration or concern? Or does it matter at all?
2 comments:
I'm very concerned.
This development does not bode well for the church.
In every case that I know of, the introduction of women into the clergy has shifted that church leftward, and this is harmful for churches ought remain in the Center, which is Christ.
I think women pastors are a big mistake, the man is to lead, the man is to be head of the household, the woman is to submit to the man, having a woman as pastor throws everything out of whack!
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