Methodist Congregations Accepting Women Clergy

Women clergy increasingly are finding acceptance in local congregations of the United Methodist Church, a new study indicates.

A survey of 1,387 United Methodist clergy and laity found more than two-thirds believe members of their congregation to be more accepting of women pastors than they were five years earlier. The survey was based on a random sampling of the mailing list of the denomination’s journal, The Interpreter.

Also, according to the survey, more than 70% see no difference between men and women in the performance of typical pastoral tasks.

The study, which officials said is representative but not necessarily scientific, is the most comprehensive look at the attitudes toward women clergy undertaken by the 9.2-million-member church, the nation’s second-largest Protestant denomination.

Statistics on Women Pastors

According to United Methodist church statistics, there are now 3,444 women pastors, about 9% of the denomination’s 39,136 clerics. At the same time, women make up 24.1% of United Methodist pastors between the age of 25 and 29 years old.

Seminary enrollments in 1987 also indicated an increase in the presence of women in the ministry, with the denomination’s 13 seminaries reporting that women make up nearly 41% of all master of divinity students.

The highest favorable rating of women clergy came from respondents living in the Western Jurisdiction, one of five geographical regions of the denomination. People from the South Central and Southeastern jurisdictions indicated that their congregations would be least likely to accept women ministers.

Future ‘Regarded With Hope’

“The report on clergywomen reveals that the future may be regarded with hope,” said C. David Lundquist, general secretary of the church’s General Council on Ministries.

“It also identifies existing and potential problem areas, offering information for decision-makers as the church seeks to be fully inclusive in clergy placement,” Lundquist said.