Women and Ordination in the Christian Churches: International Perspectives

The growth of women’s ordained ministry is one of the most remarkable and significant developments in the recent history of Christianity. This collection of essays brings together leading contributors from both academic and church contexts to explore Christian experiences of ordaining women in theological, sociological, historical and anthropological perspective. Key questions include: How have national, denominational and ecclesial cultures shaped the different ways in which women’s ordination is debated and/or enacted? What differences have women’s ordained ministry, and debates on women’s ordination, made in various church contexts? What ’unfinished business’ remains (in both congregational and wider ministry)? How have Christians variously conceived ordained ministry which includes both women and men? How do ordained women and men work together in practice? What have been the particular implications for female clergy? And for male clergy? What distinctive issues are raised by women’s entry into senior ordained/leadership positions? How do episcopal and non-episcopal traditions differ in this?

Dr. Ian Jones is Director of St. Peter’s Saltley Trust and formerly Research Associate at the Lincoln Theological Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, University of Manchester, UK. His publications on the history and sociology of contemporary Christianity include: Women and Priesthood in the Church of England: Ten Years On (2004). The Revd Dr Kirsty Thorpe is a minister in the United Reformed Church. Janet Wootton is minister of Union Chapel, Islington, and founder-co-chair of the International Congregational Theological Commission.