Ordained Women Ministers In The Presbyterian Church Of Ghana: Roles And Challenges

Abstract

After several debates on whether or not women should be ordained in the Presbyterian Church Ghana (PCG), the church eventually ordained women into the clergy and assigned them roles. However, in performing their roles the ordained women ministers are faced with some challenges which are based on socio-cultural, theological and psychological factors. This thesis sets out to investigate the reasons for the scarcity of information about the post ordination activities of women as clergy into the PCG. Within the Ghanaian context there is not much detailed and systematic study of the activities of women after their ordination. This research investigates the roles of ordained women ministers in the PCG and the challenges that confront them. The thesis provides detailed information on the post ordination experiences of ordained women ministers. This study examines the theory of feminism as a theoretical frame using historical analysis. The existing structures within both the church and society are patriarchal and the structures turn to focus more on men than on women in the various sectors of life. To examine the issues, data was collected through primary and secondary sources for analysis. The researcher conducted her research through personal observation, administration of questionnaires and personal interviews. The secondary sources involved examination and synthesis of documentary evidence, letters and personal files. The researcher came to the conclusion that though the women ministers are effectively performing their roles some of the negative perceptions that were used earlier to keep them from the ordained ministry still persist. In some cases the women ministers were prevented from fully performing their roles. This is because some members (especially older men) in the PCG continue to have cultural perceptions on the roles of women as assigned mainly to the domestic domain. Some members also find it difficult to work with the ordained women ministers as congregational leaders because they are women. It is therefore concluded that the ordained women ministers in the PCG will continue to face challenges in performing their roles so long as the socio-cultural, religious and psychological perceptions persist about female ministers.