The Leadership Role of Women in Selected Church Denominations of Kabwe District, Zambia

Abstract

The study examined the leadership role of women in the church in Zambia, with reference to the views of adherents of different churches in Kabwe District. Using a phenomenological design, it examined the adherents’ views from the contemporary Christian perspective, based on the following principles that are relevant to the current status of women: Since every individual is infinitely worth in the sight of God, humans should demonstrate respect for all persons, seek to create a social order in which neither laws nor customs should sanction any form of injustice; whatever may be the norm in the social order, in the Christian fellowship there should be no discrimination on the basis of sex; and all persons have the right and the responsibility to mature as individuals, to develop their own potential and to use their talents to the fullest extent possible. Basing on these principles, the study was carried out and data was collected from 20 participants using qualitative methods. The study established that the leadership role of women in the targeted churches was a crucial issue in Kabwe Disctrict. In the Catholic Church, for example, women were ineligible for ordination to the priesthood. The sentiments gathered from the majority of the participants favoured women ordination in the Catholic Church, the situation was not likely to change in the near future. This was not the same scenario among the targeted protestant churches in which the converse applied; most of the denominations, such as Bread of Life, accepted women as pastors. The study concluded that the church in Kabwe District remained predominantly patriarchal as far as distribution of leadership roles on the basis of gender was concerned. An equitable application of gender equality within the church was yet to be realised.