From the earliest days of the movement’s history, Churches of Christ have been shaped by a literalist reading of the Bible that has privileged certain texts over others in the conversation surrounding the role of women in the life of the church. Patriarchal systems of thought and practice have dominated the conversation. Support from a few key texts has been used to establish the belief that women are created in subordination and submission to men, often resulting in the status of women being regarded as inferior and unequal to men. This manifests in a polity where women are limited, or even denied participation, in leadership opportunities. There is often a rejection of their spiritual giftedness in corporate gatherings, insistence of a subordinate status in the church and home, and marginalization of their place in society as a representative of their religious tradition. My project addresses this history of exclusion in light of a renewed emphasis on missional living within Churches of Christ.

The title of the project is “From Theology to Praxis: The Quest for the Full Inclusion of Women in Churches of Christ.” The project is primarily historiographical and qualitative, studying the histories of fully gender inclusive Churches of Christ. The two-fold purpose of this project is to: (1) research the influences, motivations, and factors affecting and guiding the decision to fully include women, as well as the processes through which congregations progress in this manner; and (2) translate that data into helpful information for others who are considering such a move. The missional goal of this project is the full inclusion of women in the life of the congregation in Churches of Christ.