Elizabeth Johnson, Amy Zimbelman
Conference Minister Amy Zimbelman of Mennonite Church USA’s Mountain States Mennonite Conference and graduate researcher Elizabeth Johnson, PhD candidate at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, and member of Raleigh (North Carolina) Mennonite Church, have teamed up to conduct a denomination-wide research study about the experiences of women in ministry in MC USA. They will share key findings from this study during a seminar titled, “Gathering Stories, Envisioning Equity: Toward a Church in Which Women in Ministry Thrive” at MC USA’s MennoCon23 convention in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 5, 2023.
“We wanted to learn about the lives of clergywomen serving in MC USA — their joys and their struggles,” said Zimbelman. “Are they empowered to do ministry? Are they being mistreated? And can their stories inform us to create better cultures and institutions in which all leaders thrive, regardless of gender?”
This seminar will include findings from 28 one-on-one interviews with Mennonite women serving in leadership roles and initial results about clergywomen’s experiences from the “Supporting Pastors Survey,” a nationally representative, quantitative survey of credentialed MC USA clergy.
“Combining the interviews and the survey allows us to have the best of both worlds,” said Johnson. “We can understand the specifics of women’s experiences and the broader picture too. The ‘Supporting Pastors Survey’ is a new questionnaire designed to help us understand some of the challenges pastors in congregational ministry face and how context shapes those challenges. While this survey isn’t limited to women, results from it can help reveal which experiences are unique to clergywomen and how we can best support them,” she said. Johnson’s dissertation advisor is Dr. Mark Chaves, Anne Firor Scott Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Duke University, who directs the National Congregations Study.
The study was made possible by grants from (in alphabetical order) the Duke University Department of Sociology, the Louisville Institute, MC USA’s Women in Leadership ministry and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
“Understanding the experience of women in ministry is essential as we continue to find ways to transcend boundaries and create spaces where the full potential of our faith is realized for everyone,” said Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, MC USA denominational minister for Peace and Justice.
The researchers expect to publish the final study results in academic venues as well as MC USA spaces, thereby having an impact that extends beyond the Mennonite world. Results from the study may be used to help inform the future work of the denomination.
To see the in-person presentation of key study findings, register for MennoCon23 here.
To receive further updates about the study, please sign up here. For updates on the study as well as MC USA news, please subscribe to PeaceMail, MC USA’s official email newsletter.
Mennonite Church USA is the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States with 16 conferences, approximately 517 congregations and 52,000 members. An Anabaptist Christian denomination, MC USA is part of Mennonite World Conference, a global faith family that includes churches in 59 countries. It has offices in Elkhart, Indiana and Newton, Kansas. mennoniteUSA.org
By MC USA staff