Female Pastors' Experiences of Their Ascension to Pastoral Leadership: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how female pastors in the upper Midwest region of the United States described their experiences of gender equality and exclusion, social equality, and inclusion, and working with individuals who advocated for them during their ascension to pastoral leadership. Feminist theory was used as the theoretical framework. Three research questions were developed from the purpose statement to address the problem. The sample for the three data collection sources were 27 female pastors for the online questionnaire, 15 female pastors for interviews, and six female pastors for the focus group. A six-step thematic analysis approach was used to find codes that were developed into nine themes. Based on the codes and themes, one of the major findings of the study was that female pastors had an easier ascension to pastoral leadership when they experienced social equality, acts of inclusion, and had supporters, such as advocates working with them. This study had theoretical implications for the positive advancement of using feminist theory to gain new knowledge on female pastors’ experiences of social equality, inclusion, and having advocates to make their ascension to pastoral leadership less challenging. Additionally, this study contributed to the field of organizational leadership by implicating the need for the inclusion of females in pastoral leadership and the necessity for implementing inclusive leadership in churches and other organizations.