Academic Affiliation: Indiana University
Title: The Other Pastors: Towards Legitimacy and Authority
Abstract:
This paper looks at the experiences of women of color clergy in mainline Protestant denominations. I argue that women of color clergy are often viewed as “the other pastor,” that is, occupying another category of pastor alongside their peers and colleagues. Although there has been an increase of women of color clergy across mainline Protestant denominations in the last two decades, they still represent a very small percentage. For example, women of color in the United Methodist Church make up 5.5% of female clergy and 25% of female district superintendents. Likewise, although women make up between 50–75% of Black Baptist church members, they make up less than 10% of church leaders and less than 1% of pastors. Through surveys and interviews with women of color clergy across numerous denominations I examine their experiences in terms of the themes of legitimacy and authority. In highlighting these specific themes my aim is to demonstrate how both gender and race together provide a particular complexity in which certain clergy must navigate within their respective churches.