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Our Mission is to be a healthy biblical community of Free Methodist leaders supporting one another and assisting the Free Methodist Church USA in understanding the societal distinctives of women in the FMCUSA in order to fully recruit and empower women among our disciples, leaders, groups and churches. About Us A Brief History It’s difficult to write a history of advocacy for women in the Free Methodist church, because those of us on this team stand on the shoulders of so many women who have walked this path. When exactly did advocacy “start”? With the first FM woman who woke up one morning and said—“This is not right. I’m going to do something.” So many others have “done something” since. We are only the latest nine. We are grateful for their tireless, courageous work of education and advocacy. We build on it. AWLFMC started with a Facebook message between two of us in February 2021. “Do you want to do something?” “Yes.” We messaged four other amazing and brave women with the same question. They gave the same answer. And so here we are. Six of us as a core team began meeting monthly to decide what that something would be. We quickly determined it had to include resources for our pastors and leaders to learn more about the culture in North America and how it affects women, especially the church culture. We needed to talk honestly about what we’ve experienced and allow those stories to be heard, unvarnished. We wanted a gathering place for women in the FMC to feel heard, seen, valued, and energized. Above all, we want to advocate for women to be treated with the dignity and equality afforded to ezer kenegdo images of God—in the church, in leadership, in marriage—everywhere. AWLFMC continues to expand beyond its original six to include women at quarterly meetings where we can learn from one another's experience and hear their needs. We plan action teams to pursue different projects as expertise and passion dictate. If you’re interested in either of these options, contact us. Meet The Team Rev. Denise J. Abston, D.C.C. Denise J. Abston brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Central Region Conference as Assistant Superintendent. She was the first female ordained in the more than 100 year history of what was the Mid-America Conference, served as lead pastor for four churches in Oklahoma as well as in many assistant roles. A member of both the Conference MEG/MAC and the BoA, she has also served as the Assistant to the Superintendent for several years. Dr. Denise received her Doctor of Christian Counseling degree from Omega Bible Institute and Seminary, as well as a Masters of Arts in Leadership in Ministry from Greenville University. With her education and experience she has taught courses primarily in philosophy and business at St. Gregory’s University as an adjunct professor. An office administrator and paralegal for the Oklahoma City law firm of Fenton, Fenton, Smith, Reneau & Moon, she has served as the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Association of Legal Administrators for the Oklahoma City chapter and was President of the chapter from 2014-2015. Dr. Denise also serves on the Butterfield Memorial Foundation Board and is chair of its governance committee. She is happily married to her husband Chuck, who has been very gracious in allowing her a great deal of freedom to explore all the avenues God has prepared for her. Janet Richards Janet Richards is a Local Ministerial Candidate at Rainier Avenue Church. She is married to Colin Richards, and they have three children: Janeen, Jason and Jada. Within the Free Methodist Church, Janet also serves as Board Chair of the Pacific Northwest Conference. Janet has a career as a project/program manager in the technology industry. However the work closest to her heart is advocacy. Janet has worked in various advocacy roles with Seattle Children’s Hospital and is currently on the Medical Staff and Quality Board of Trustees Committee as a family advisory and community advocate. She is also a board member of Hopelink and the Together Center, two Seattle eastside human services providers. Her focus there is on improving collaboration and empowerment of marginalized communities. Rev. Katie Sawade Hall Katie Sawade Hall is Associate Pastor at Community of the Savior, a Free Methodist congregation in Rochester, NY. She holds an MDiv from Duke Divinity School. Katie has been an ordained elder in the FMC since 2015 and spent the first five years of her pastoral ministry as a children’s pastor in Southern Indiana. She is especially interested in the intersections of liturgy, spiritual formation, and justice. Katie is married to Andy, who is a native of Lancashire, UK, and they have two daughters, Ellie and Zoe, and a golden retriever named Scout. Rev. Dr. Jill Richardson Jill Richardson pastors Real Hope Community Church in suburban Chicago. Her doctorate is in Church Leadership in a Changing Context, with a focus on the next generation and preaching. She has written or contributed to 8 books, and her articles have appeared in leading national magazines and websites. Her tagline is “Reframed: Picturing Faith what the Next Generation,” and her passion is to work with the next generation to create a healthy church for the 21st century. She’s also a writer, speaker, and (fairly) intrepid traveler. You can find her work or contact her at jillmrichardson.com . Rev. Dr. Roberta Mosier-Peterson Roberta Mosier-Peterson has been a pastor for over twenty-five years. As an Elder in the Free Methodist Church, she serves as Lead Pastor of Creekside Chapel in Allegany, NY. She earned a Doctor of Ministry from Northeastern Seminary in 2016. He research focused on the lived experience of female Free Methodist pastors and you can find the documentary film produced from her research on YouTube. A link to her dissertation is in the research section of AWL website. Along with serving her local church, she also serves Genesis Conference and through the Center for Pastoral Formation teaching classes for those in the ordination process. She is married to William, and they enjoy being active outdoors with kayaking, hiking, swimming, cycling, and gardening. AWL Emeritae Rev. Soo Ji Alvarez Soo Ji Alvarez loves reaching people in the margins, bringing reconciliation to communities, and raising up passionate followers of Jesus Christ. She has been in ministry for 30 years and has served as the senior pastor of a multiethnic Free Methodist Church in Riverside, CA. She currently serves as a Field Superintendent for the Free Methodist Church in Southern California where she oversees ministry development. She has been ordained since 2011 and she loves pastoring other pastors, leaders, and churches to create a culture of diversity and multiplication in every ministry context. Soo Ji and her husband Joe are blessed to have 2 beautiful kids, their son Juaquin and daughter Nayara. They also have 2 dogs named Oso and Chunk. Rev. Dr. Sheila Houston Pastor Sheila Houston is a leader in the Sex Trafficking Movement. She has led teams to work directly with victims of domestic sex trafficking throughout Seattle and internationally, working directly involved with over 2,500 victims. From 2008-2011 she also led street teams that worked directly with men involved in pimping. Sheila is a Free Methodist Pastor currently serving in Detroit Michigan at Arise Ministries Detroit. Her credentials include an Executive Master of Not-For-Profit Leadership, Seattle University; Post Master Certificate in Transforming Spirituality, Seattle University; BA Organizational Behavior, Seattle Pacific University; Pastoral Leadership Certificate and a Doctor of Ministry from School of Theology, Seattle University. Rev. Dr. Laura J. Hunt Laura J. Hunt adjuncts for several undergraduate and graduate institutions worldwide. Her PhD used semiotics and the poetics of allusions for biblical interpretation; it is published as Jesus Caesar: A Roman Reading of the Johannine Trial Narrative . She continues to work and publish in academia, particularly on the Gospel of John and 1 Peter. Her tagline, “Making the Academic Practical,” guides her work as Associate Pastor of New Beginnings in SE Michigan and her book on 1 Cor 1-4, The Not-Very-Persecuted Church . She loves languages, coarse bread, and smelly cheeses. Rev. Marianne Pēna Marianne Peña is a Pastor and planter of a bilingual Free Methodist Church in North Houston, Texas, Essential Church. She and her husband, William, co-pastored a multi-generational, multi-cultural, and bilingual church in Miami, Florida for eight years before being called out to plant. Marianne has been an ordained elder in the FMC since 2018. She holds an MA in Organizational Management from Spring Arbor University and a Graduate Certificate in Discipleship and Spiritual Formation from Wesley Biblical Seminary. Marianne is passionate about helping believers walk in the freedom and power of the Holy Spirit and seeing women thrive within their context while experiencing the fullness of what God has for them. Marianne and William have three lively boys, Shiloh, Micah, and Mason. Dr. Michelle Roberts Michelle Roberts, a member of the Free Methodist Church since 2002 and one of the church plant leaders of Light & Life West, Long Beach, CA. She served as the co-leader of the ministry support team, “Life Support” where she assisted with groups/classes coming together for healing and support. She ministered as the online church platform leader, communications administrator, social media content developer, program developer and website administrator. 2019, Michelle became the Assistant Director of African Heritage Network. She is also the founder of JKLM Corp, a Non-Profit organization for small business technical support, workshops, graphic design assistance and an entrepreneurial hub for charitable organizations with limited resources. Rev. Heather Baker Utley Heather Baker Utley is pastor and planter for a Free Methodist house church, Tapestry Church, in San Antonio, Texas. She also works in the areas of web design and social media for several Free Methodist-affiliated organizations, including Light + Life Communications and Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy. She holds an MDiv from Seattle Pacific Seminary and has been ordained in the FMC since 2017. She has 17 years of experience working for churches and nonprofits in Ohio and Washington State in the areas of youth ministry, children’s ministry, administration and communications. Rev. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor, MD Rev. Amelia Cleveland-Traylor, MD was ordained as elder in the FMC in 2005. Her ministry responsibilities have included pastoral care, praise and worship leader, women’s ministry director, youth ministry, small group leadership, and faith and fitness. Amelia has served on the MEG and MAC in the Ohio Conference, been a member of the Genesis BOA, and was Superintendent of the River Conference from 2018-2022. She currently serves on the FMC Board of Administration. She has a special interest in justice and advocacy with pending studies of justice and advocacy at Fuller Theological Seminary beginning in fall 2022. She is also a board-certified obstetrician gynecologist and has a focus in indigent health care and women’s health. Our Priorities COMMUNICATION Create and maintain lines of communication that include women leaders at all levels. Ensure they have the information they require to advocate for themselves and find opportunities in the Free Methodist Church. CONTINUING EDUCATION Create a resource center of information regarding gender issues. EMPOWERING MENTORS Work to equip new young pastors, new pastors, CMCs (ministry candidates), and women in new pastoral roles with the mentoring, communication, and opportunities they require for full use of their gifts and opportunities. PROCESSING, HEALING, SHARING STRATEGIES Create a safe space for women who have experienced sexual abuse, assault, or harassment either from an FMC leader or a person defended by one to tell their stories and find advocacy. ADDRESSING PROMOTIONAL SYSTEM Educate the FMC about gender bias and women’s unique life stages so that women can begin to make up a more representative portion of leadership and pastoral candidates. SEXIST PATTERNS OF BEHAVIORS Offer training on patterns of sexism and power. PREVENTATIVE MEASURES Work to educate and screen pastoral candidates regarding egalitarian beliefs.

Contact Us If you'd like to contact the team of Advocates for FM Women in Leadership, contact us via the form below. This forwards to our gmail account, and an AWL team member will respond to you within one week. AWL is currently looking for liaisons to represent AWL and advocate for women in your conference. If you are interested, look over the task descriptions and contact us below using the option Become an Advocate . First Name Last Name Email Choose an option Reason for Contacting Message Send Thanks for contacting us! One of our team members will get back to you within one week.

Biblical Interpretation and Tradition Here are just a few of our favorite articles and blogs. Check out more thorough discussions of the interpretations of various passages in some of our recommended books , videos , and websites . Authority and Submission Submission and the Legal Reality of Peter’s Rome by Jill Richardson Chain of Inference: “Seeing” Male Authority as God’s Design in Genesis by Bob Edwards The Bible Teaches the Equal Standing of Man and Woman by Philip B. Payne See also videos on our video page , such as: Humility: it looks different for women and men Theology of Suffering Headship in Ephesians Women Pastors and 1 Tim 2:12 There are Women Pastors in the New Testament by Marg Mowczko Was Paul For or Against Women in Ministry? by Craig Keener “But What About 1 Timothy 2:12?” Ten Talking Points by Gail Wallace Women in Leadership: The Only Thing That Matters is What the Bible Says by Kelly Ladd Bishop Humor: Ten Reasons Men Should Not Be Ordained as Ministers by David M. Scholer See also videos on our video page , such as: Why do women preach? The pushback Adventures in Sexist Hermeneutics Modesty, 1 Tim 2:9 and I Peter 3:3-4 5 Things the Bible Does (and Doesn’t) Say About Modesty by Jill Richardson Modesty: I Don't Think It Means What You Think It Means by Rachel Held Evans Church Tradition Feminine Language for Paul and Jesus in the 11th Century by St. Anselm Modest, Industrious, and Loyal: Reinterpreting Conflicting Evidence for Women's Roles by Susan E. Hylen. Email AWL for full article . "Women and Authority in the Fourth Century" from Chrispina and Her Sisters by Christine Schenk. Email AWL for full article . See also "Holiness in Black & White" on our podcast and websites page .

PreacHer Showcase AWL is proud to highlight women preachers in the FMCUSA. Women were the first ones to preach the good news of the resurrected Jesus, and the body of Christ is enriched by their continued faithfulness to the calling to preach the gospel. The goal of this page is to create a space to amplify women's voices. If you are searching for guest preachers for your church or keynote speakers for church conferences, camps, or other events, we encourage you to use this page as a resource. For privacy reasons, we don't share contact information here, but if you'd like to contact any of the women featured on this page to inquire about preaching or speaking, please email AWL here and we'll be glad to connect you with them. *All of the videos on this page have been self-submitted. AWL has not screened them for content in any way. If you are a woman who is a CMC or elder in the FMCUSA and you'd like to be featured on this page, contact us here . We'd love to include you! Meet The Preachers Kayleigh Clark Acts 12:24 Conference Charmaine Rusin Acts 12:24 Conference Kara Betzer Cones Central Region Conference Denise Abston Central Region Conference Danette Meny East Michigan Conference Barbara Isaman-Bushart Genesis Conference Daria Roesch Genesis Conference Katie Sawade Hall Genesis Conference Zoe Hatcher Keystone Conference Kathy Callahan-Howell Ohio Conference Debra Davis-Bell Pacific Northwest Conference Janine DeLarme Pacific Northwest Conference Sheila Houston Pacific Northwest Conference Janet Richards Pacific Northwst Conference Phanith Yaletchko Reach Conference Calia Rodriguez The River Conference Heather Baker Utley The River Conference Soo Ji Alvarez Southern California Conference Jaime Winslow Southern California Conference Bethany Abbott Wabash Conference Supt. Pam Braman Genesis Conference Bishop Kaye Kolde FMCUSA

Teaching Opportunities for FMCUSA As part of our work, we're providing the Center for Pastoral Formation with names of women who would like to be considered for teaching opportunities for FMCUSA at the national level. If you would be interested in being included in that list, please send your name, contact information, current appointment, educational credentials (minimum of master’s degree required), relevant experience, and topics of interest to advocatesforfmwomen@gmail.com We also need help vetting resources. The following books need review: Keeping the Faith by Marie Fortune Making Christianity Manly Again: Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, and American Evangelicalism by Jennifer McKinney Email Us

Articles Articles on issues related to anti-sexism in the church abound. It order to help you find what you need, we have sorted them into the topics below. Each subsequent link will lead you deeper into the topic... Biblical Interpretation and Tradition Is there a particular passage you want to know more about? Click here to learn more. How To's You're convinced that women should be equal partners in the church, but you want to know more about how to make that happen. Click here to learn more. Marriage and Engagement Resources You need resources for your church that support egalitarianism in marriage. Click here to learn more. Abuse and #MeToo Whether you are interested in reading about spousal abuse or clergy abuse, click here to learn more. What else? Is there a topic you don't see here? Let us know! Email

FMC Women's Dissertation Corner Are you a FM woman whose dissertation is missing from this list? Let us know and we will add it! (We would also be happy to add dissertations written by men addressing gender equity.) Email Us An Evaluative Study of Instruction in Moral Development Education for Paraprofessionals, PhD, Michigan State University, 1976. Rev. Catherine M. Stonehouse, PhD "Responsible curriculum development for moral education calls for attention to behavioral changes, not just in the adult learning situation, but out where parents and teachers transact with children and young people in the events of life.” Those Astounding Free Methodist Women: A Biographical History of Free Methodist Women in Ministry with an Extended Bibliography of Free Methodist Women’s Studies, DMin, United Theological Seminary, 1992. Rev. Jean Gramento, DMin "The saga of Free Methodist women in ministry remains largely uncompiled as a readily available documented source. Historians along with others can benefit from an accurate, interestingly written history which conveys not only these women’s contributions to the denomination’s ministries, but will also be a vehicle to express the confusion, tension, and frustration which sometimes accompanied their attempts to live out their calling, to ordained ministry in particular.” Women in Ministry in the Free Methodist Church: Getting the Picture, 1997. Bishop Bates, Carollyn Ellis, Rev. Dr. Cathy Stonehouse "Based on our findings, the study committee recommends that the Board of Administration take the following actions. 1. Recognize the special sensitivities of the women in ministry issue. We counsel grace on all sides. 2. Request all conferences to study the salaries of their ministers with particular attention to the salaries of women clergy to be sure that the women are receiving salaries commensurate with their contribution to the ministry of the churches in which they serve. 3. Have denominational leaders work with women clergy to develop awareness raising and instructional seminars and present those seminars in gatherings of superintendents and pastors. The seminars would help male and female clergy better understand the perspectives of one another and how to work more effectively together for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. 4. Have denominational leaders enlist the assistance of women clergy to work with superintendents providing the superintendents with ideas that they will use to help churches prepare to accept a woman pastor. 5. Encourage conference and denominational leaders to enhance communications in the denomination so that clergywomen and clergymen perceive that women’s voices are heard and do make a contribution. 6. Call all who plan conference, denominational, and local church events to regularly have, as a public model, both men and women leading together. 7. Commission the development of a study guide on the biblical understanding of women’s roles in the church. 8. Establish a support system for women in ministry that includes mentoring and networking, support from other women and male colleagues. 9. Request conferences to provide support and scholarships for women clergy to attend inspirational and enrichment events that are equitable with the support provided for clergymen. 10. Order the continued monitoring of trends in the leadership of women in the church, both lay and clergy women. 11. Make this study of clergywomen an on-going research project to include a follow up survey in 3 – 5 years, using the same questionnaire for comparative analysis." Only God Knows the Opposition We Face: The Rhetoric of Nineteenth Century Free Methodist Women’s Quest for Ordination, PhD, Bowling Green State University, 2012. Christy Mesaros-Winckles , PhD Winner of the Dissertation of the Year Award for 2012 from the Religious Communication Association! “As my dissertation has illustrated, the rhetoric of gender roles and male headship is not a new development in evangelical culture. It must be critiqued from both a current and a historical context. Understanding the present without understanding the influence of the past will only generate lopsided research. As this chapter’s opening story about ordained Free Methodist women shows, there is a lack of knowledge about rhetorical history within one’s own denomination. My research lays the groundwork for others to resolve this challenge.” Lived Experience of Female Pastors in the Free Methodist Church, USA: An Ethnographic Study, D.Min., Northeastern Seminary, 2016. Rev. Roberta Mosier-Peterson, DMin This dissertation has been made into a movie, which you can find here . “.........It is important for the church to face gender bias that remains. In order for change to occur, there must be an acknowledgement that gender bias causes much pain for female pastors. There is great need to change the environment, to aggressively resource, and to arrange mentorships for women in church leadership. It is time for the church to grow into greater faithfulness regarding gender equity. This will result in greater health and effectiveness not only for women clergy, but for the Free Methodist Church, USA, as a whole. This is a wholeness that is intended by God for the church.” Gender Bias in the Leadership of Protestant Churches, D.Min., Seattle University, 2018. Rev. Sheila Houston, DMin With regards to general assumptions about male-female differences in leadership styles, Dr. Houston’s study found “differences in the measures of only four of those areas: (1) More men than women manifested tendencies to use power over the lay members of the congregation. (2) More women than men were trying to empower their lay members to master their own spiritual lives and congregational affairs. (3) Men were more legalistic than women in dealing with ethical issues. (4) More men than women preferred making decisions using formal and rational criteria.” Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of Women and People of Color in Leadership in the Wesleyan Tradition, D.Min., Portland Seminary, 2020. Rev. Trisha Welstad, DMin “Everyone’s voice matters to enact the kingdom of God. To be able to practice theology in culturally nuanced ways that truly impact communities, people from diverse backgrounds and both genders need to be empowered to speak into leadership, programs, and systems. When these voices are filtered through the existing predominant paradigm, the kingdom of God becomes homogeneous, and thus, less than God’s intention from Genesis through Revelation.” The Household of God: Building Communities of Shalom, DMin., George Fox University, 2021. Rev. Jodi Gatlin, DMin “The shalom community loves God first, and then focuses on loving one another as Christ loves them. The shalom community must be focused on practices that bring healing, rather than harm. The shalom community will join God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in the unity of Christ to love God and one another, and do this through the lens of paradise, practice, and patience.” Checking our Pulse: Today’s Women Ministers in the Free Methodist Church, GM531 Fuller Theological Seminary, December 1985. Rev. Deborah D. Smith "I see three areas that need to be addressed in the future by the denominational leadership of the Free Methodist Church regarding their women in ministry: 1). Increased support and encouragement of F.M. women in ministry; 2). Improved education on women in ministry at denominational, conference and local church levels, and 3). Increased visibility and placement of women in ministry and leadership positions within the church.” Immigrant Clergy in the Promised Land, summarized from her PhD of the same name, Syracuse University, 1997. Rev. Delia Nüesch-Olver, PhD “Whether this new wave of [Latino] missionaries comes under the auspices of a denomination or not, for the sake of the harvest, the church in the United States could prepare people and organizations to receive and to empower these new missionaries. There could be a continuum of support, backing, and collaboration: from being good brokers by helping Latino pastors better serve their own Latino communities to developing support systems similar to the ones for Western missionaries overseas. Some assistance would be simple personal, relational, intentional encounters. The other end of the continuum would require major organizational shifts and adjustments.” Strengthening the Vitality of New Hope Free Methodist Church Through the Natural Church Development Approach, D.Min., Asbury Theological Seminary, 2000. Bishop Linda J. Adams, D.Min “When I arrived as a new pastor, I found it very beneficial for the church leaders to have an ‘outside’ diagnosis of their health. As a newcomer, I did not have to be the prophetic voice, calling people to recognize their need for spiritual renewal. Their own answers on the NCD survey did that!” Promoting Clergy Gender Equity: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of an Egalitarian Evangelical Denomination, PhD, Gonzaga University, 2015. Beth K. S. Whiting, PhD Dr. Whiting has also created a 20-page summary of her research entitled “Second-Generation Gender Discrimination and the Stained Glass Ceiling.” Dr. Whiting’s study proposes the following steps to promote equity: change organizational dynamics, alter unhealthy norms, amplify female voices, support innovation, implement women’s leadership development initiatives, create a Center for Gender Equity, and encourage benevolent male advocacy. Jesus Caesar: A Roman Reading of John 18:28—19:22, PhD, University of Wales Trinity St. David, 2017. Rev. Laura J. Hunt, PhD This dissertation is published as Jesus Caesar: A Roman Reading of the Johannine Trial Narrative . WUNT II 506. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2019 . “Latin use in inscriptions shows evidence of intersections between Roman and Greek languages and culture during the first century CE. Although the provenance for the Gospel of John is not definitively determined, this evidence is present in each proposed location as well as in the text of the Gospel itself (e.g., πραιτώριον in 18:28, 33 and 19:9). This suggests, based on Umberto Eco’s semiotics, that the Roman cultural encyclopaedia could shed light on the Gospel of John, particularly in the Roman trial narrative for a Roman-aware audience.” Improving Discipleship on Sunday Morning: Interactive Teaching/Preaching as a Discipleship Model for Adults, DMin, Gordon-Cowell Theological Seminary, 2022. Rev. Jill Richardson, DMin "The sermon monologue hasn’t changed in essence or execution for centuries. Now, however, it has come up against a force that might change everything—the information overload age. Our electronic culture has become less attentive, more apt to question facts, less interested in one person’s thoughts, more interested in discovering varying opinions, less willing to sit at the feet of an expert, and more collaborative. This reality will inevitably clash with our history and traditions of preaching. If we desire to disciple all our people and maintain their robust faith, it is time to experiment with new preaching methods to disciple and reach them. A pastoral teaching style that emphasizes interaction, hands-on activity/application, sensory detail, community, and collaboration better disciple our congregations, especially young adults, toward a robust, active faith." Women in Leadership Task Force, “Final Report to the Board of Administration," 2020. Free Methodist Church in Canada This report has a detailed set of recommendations for FMC leadership at every level, as well as a bibliography “as we consider the recommendations this task force is making, it should be noted that almost everything we heard, analyzed, digested and are proposing will benefit all leaders in our denomination, not just the women, and will make us stronger. We would like to further note that it was the leaders we interviewed who made this point!” Why Can't You Just Be Sweet? Experiences of Women Clergy in the Church of the Nazarene Dr. Kathryn Lewis Mowry Trevecca Nazarene University Published in Didache 23.1 Although this is not a study on or by the FMC, we thought that the results were similar enough to our experiences that they were worth reporting. "Nearly all the women in this study have common stories of difficult experiences with lay persons in congregations. They have had people walk out of services when they have preached, leave churches when they have pastored, and tell them to their faces that women should not be pastors. For the sake of this article, however, I have chosen to move past these common experiences with lay persons in local churches to address common experiences of women in the context of relationship with their ministerial colleagues and district leadership."

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