Women Pastors: What Happens after Placement?

Abstract

Difficulties faced by clergywomen in finding appropriate parish positions are well-documented. Social psychological theory on intergroup contact predicts, however, that acceptance should increase once the woman is in a parish position. Recent surveys of clergywomen and their congregations have found that parishioners generally have positive attitudes toward the women as pastors. If the women are being accepted, such acceptance should be reflected in supportive behaviors as well as positive attitudes. To determine whether such supportive behaviors are occurring, membership and financial indices were examined in four major Protestant denominations having significant numbers of women pastors. Churches employing women pastors were paired with churches employing men pastors with similar experience levels so that cross-sex comparisons could be made on growth in membership, attendance, expenses, and other variables. Few significant differences were found in membership or financial variables between churches with men and churches with women pastors, implying that women are being accepted in parish positions.