AbstractThe Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) yesterday made history by appointing the first female Anglican bishop on the continent.

AbstractThis article argues that the shift of the central axis of Christian faith from the northern to the southern continents is truer of the Pentecostal movements and denominations than the mainline churches. Africa has moved to center stage in the presence and practice of Christianity, particularly with the massive growth being experienced within the Pentecostal family. Among the Pentecostal movements proliferating in the sub-region of West Africa are the charismatic churches or ministries which emerged from the late 1970s. The attraction these hold for the indigenous people lies in the fact that they have replaced the cerebral Christianity of the traditional western mission denominations with one that takes seriously the activity of the Holy Spirit. Using an example from Ghana, I draw attention to the fact that women are playing a central role in these burgeoning charismatic churches. This in itself is very significant considering that in the history of African Christianity the role of women has mostly been restricted, marginalized, or both. It is the prophet-healing churches which first gave women prominence in ministry. However, their functions were very controlled due to the many taboos placed on them; in addition, they were justified either from scripture or from the traditional code. The charismatic churches have initiated a shift from this restrictive paradigm. They are proffering a theology that waives the restrictions on women. The role of women in the mission of the church has in these ministries been made equal to that of men, and it is in this area among others that the new churches have much to contribute to Christian mission in Africa.

AbstractThe main question of this article is how the negotiations on church space enable us to better understand the relationship between pastors and shepherds, two groups of church workers in the Malagasy Lutheran Church and the so-called awakening movement (fifohazana). This is investigated through three characteristics of place: the historical development, the relationship between the two groups and their identity focusing on ritual and gender. The author challenges the hierarchical thinking which seems to be inherent in the relationship between the two groups, and calls into attention how women are disempowered in the church space related to pastoral ministry while, at the same time, being empowered as shepherds.

AbstractStories of the calling of female ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church played out over a period of approximately 107 years. The folk mother discourse, which silenced women's voices in public, developed in the Afrikaner community during this period. It is evident that female ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church have generally not participated actively in the debate on the admission of women to specific offices. Most of the contributors to this study experience some discomfort with matters of gender and feminism. As in the folk mother discourse, they leave the talking to others. In this article the development of the folk mother discourse is examined and female ministers are asked to examine their experiences in this regard. The central question is: What can the church do to help women take co-responsibility in the gender debate.

AbstractVisionner le Jeudi du Défap avec Robert Bahizire Byamungu   Jean-Pierre Anzala. Robert Bahizire Byamungu, vous êtes pasteur depuis 2008...

AbstractThe 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?

AbstractThe Anglican Church of Southern Africa consecrates the first woman bishop in Africa, as the Church of England is due to vote on the issue of female bishops.

AbstractThe article considers the story of Mary Magdalene in Jn 20:11-18 as a healing story from the perspective of transformative narrative theory and retells the story of her encounter with the resurrected Jesus using the Gospel of Mary as a source of further illumination insofar as it develops narrative ideas within the same tradition. It also reports on the deliberation of a small group of female pastors of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa who met several times to reflect on the story of Mary Magdalene and their own spirituality stories.--C.R.M. Abstract Number: NTA54-2010-3-1718

AbstractTheology, in both the academy and the church, is in need of being engendered. Haddad (1997:1) defined the project of engendering theology as "a need to ensure that all voices are heard - particularly the whispering and silent voices." This article seeks to amplify the voice of Mina Tembeka Soga (1893-1989), a South African woman who contributed tremendously in the diverse areas of education, social work, and the church over an' extended period of time.

AbstractThe quest for ordination of women in the reformed church of east africa synod report

AbstractThis paper gives a general view of the role played by women in African instituted churches. It touches several roles of women in different instituted churches keeping in mind that there are so many African instituted churches some will be used to represent the general role played by women. The paper also will explain how women were viewed in the Old Testament, New Testament and Letters of St. Paul. This will give a background as to how women have been prominent in the churches throughout history. Interviews have also been conducted on the churches that could not be available this was to find out the general role played by women. The paper will centre its emphasis on the role of women in the African instituted churches, it will also touch some impediments that are facing women in some independent churches such as the Nomiya Luo Church in Kenya. This church that tries to bar off women from participation. This is caused by men's attitude towards women who are looked at as inferior, incapable and are in perpetual pollution due to their nature of being biologically females.

AbstractIn 2016, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) celebrated 40 years since the first woman was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacraments (1976-2016). The MCSA Conference of 1976 ordained the first woman to the ministry of Word and Sacraments, a verdict that was long overdue. This became a turning point in the history of the MCSA. This document seeks to highlight the role of women in the MCSA prior to and after the 1976 Conference resolution. Included herein are key controversies, statements and events in the ministry of women within the MCSA.

AbstractThe role of women is examined with reference to OT history, the NT (Jesus' followers, Paul), church hierarchy, soteriology, and the present. Until women share equally with men in church leadership, the newness of life brought about by Jesus will be marred.--D.J.H. Abstract Number: NTA31-1987-2-816

AbstractThe issue of women in the ministry has been a vexed one historically. In many denominations, the ordination of women has been represented by some form of struggle, which culminated in the first ordinations of women during the second half of the 20th century. This article investigates the process towards the ordination of women in two Southern African Presbyterian denominations – the Bantu Presbyterian Church of South Africa (renamed the ‘Reformed Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa’ in 1979) and the Presbyterian Church of South Africa (renamed the ‘Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa’ in 1958), prior to their union in 1999 to form the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. This article focusses on women in leadership in ministry, not exclusively on women ordained to the ministry of ruling or teaching elder (minister). It begins with an historical overview and proceeds to an investigation of developments in the two relevant denominations. The terms ‘leadership’ and ‘ministry’ are used separately and together and are considered to be synonymous. The article uses primary sources from the records of both denominations considered and suggests that the process was gradual and progressive as the worth of women in leadership was recognised following the general acceptance of the biblical and theological arguments. © 2019. The Authors.

AbstractThis paper attempts an examination of some biblical passages and theological arguments used to disenfranchise women from leadership in the church. It concludes that such use of those texts is guilty of taking the passages out of context. On the contrary, it is discovered that what the Bible appears to overwhelmingly present is the notion of complementarity of both male and female in the work of the community of God.

AbstractThis article is an overview of the life and times of Professor Mary-Anne Plaatjies Van Huffel, an ordained minister in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. She is currently professor in Systematic Theology and Church Polity at the University of Stellenbosch, and co-minister of URCSA in Scottsdene, Kraaifontein in the Western Cape. She is the current moderator of the General Synod of URCSA, and the vice-president of the World Council of Churches. This article is an appraisal of a remarkable church leader and theologian in recent times. This appraisal focuses on her pioneering work in URCSA, the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University, and her work as a feminist theologian in South Africa, the African continent and the ecumenical world at large. The significance of Professor Plaatjies Van Huffel is not only rooted in her leadership positions, the many theological publications, or her lecturing status, but can be found in her active participation in processes to transform society. The information in this article is based on interviews, published articles, books and media sources.

AbstractThe aim of this research study was to uncover women ministers’ experiences of gender discrimination in the Lutheran Church by using a discourse analysis. Three female participants, who are involved in ministry in the Lutheran Church in South Africa, were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of gender discrimination. The resultant texts were analysed using Parker’s (2005) steps to discourse analytic reading. The discourses that were discovered indicate that power struggles are prevalent in the context of gender discrimination. The extent to which an individual opposes gender discrimination is informed by contextual, educational and historical factors. In addition to this, gender discrimination within the church is easily legitimized – to a large extent by women – through discourses, such as biblical texts.

AbstractWhereas women's prayer groups are a well-known strength of African Christianity in Southern Africa, the evangelistic and pastoral contribution of individual women who were not clergy wives has been under-appreciated. Echoing models from Victorian London and Indian missions, Methodism in South Africa evolved an authorised, paid form of female lay ministry via middle-aged black Biblewomen sponsored and overseen by white Women's Auxiliary groups. The first appointee in the Transvaal and Swaziland District wrote comparatively full reports of emotionally 'hot' revival meetings. In 'hard' kraals she encountered hostility in the form of patriarchal control of women and an unusual proliferation of rival indigenous spirits. Her successors found male drinking an even greater obstacle to a sympathetic hearing. In urban townships along the Witwatersrand, Biblewomen work was less pioneering and more routinised, providing pastoral support to local churches via sick-visiting and following up lapsed members. From 1945-59, some Biblewomen were trained at Lovedale Bible School. The period after 1960 deserves separate exploration. In 1997, a new start was made with a national, autonomous Biblcwomen ministry, though many women, black and white, regretted severing their personal and organisational links of mutual dependence.

AbstractWie andere afrikanische unabhängige Kirchen in Südafrika wird die Nazareth Baptist Church meist als eine von Männern dominierte Institution wahrgenommen, obwohl im rituellen Bereich Frauen gelegentlich eine Rolle zugeteilt wird. In der Vergangenheit haben jedoch einzelne Frauen einen erheblichen Einfluss als Prophetinnen oder „Engel“ gehabt, die behaupteten, Visionen vom verstorbenen Gründer der Kirche erhalten zu haben. Diese in Vergessenheit geratene Frauen ergriffen nicht nur Partei in den Machtkämpfen der männlichen Hierarchie der Kirche, sondern förderten bestimmte religiöse Ideen, vor allem die Forderung nach ritueller Reinheit.

AbstractVisionner le Jeudi du Défap du 15 janvier 2026 avec Fifamé Fidèle Houssou Gandonou.   Jean-Pierre Anzala. C’est avec...

AbstractAs headmistress of the London Missionary Society’s Girls’ Boarding School from 1915–1940 in Mbereshi, Zambia, Mabel Shaw (1889–1973) created an innovative educational programme that embraced local culture and empowered women. Shaw drew from theological, anthropological, and feminist perspectives to guide her understanding of Bemba culture. Shaw built upon fulfilment theology with its premise that all religions had an element of God’s truth in them. In doing so, Shaw differentiated Western culture from Christian culture, creating space to accommodate practices such as ancestor veneration and polygamy. While scholars have been reluctant to label Shaw as a feminist, this author argues she must be recognized as one. Shaw actively collaborated with Bemba women and raised them as Christian saints. Moreover, Shaw was unique in that she urged her British audiences to listen to African voices and to consider the value of adopting aspects of African worship.

AbstractHierdie artikel ondersoek lidmate se houding teenoor vroulike ampsdraers. Vir die doel van hierdie navorsingsprojek is die volgende navorsingsvraag geformuleer: Wat is kerklidmate se houding teenoor vroue as ampsdraers in die gemeente? Hierdie navorsingsvraag is met behulp van die volgende hipotese ondersoek: Daar is statisties-beduidende verskille tussen kerklidmate se houding teenoor vroulike ampsdraers en ’n aantal demografiese veranderlikes soos die geografiese ligging, die geslag, die huwelikstatus en die ouderdom. ’n Totaal van 1052 respondente bestaande uit 326 (31%) lidmate van die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerkfamilie, 311 (29%) lidmate van die Christelike Herlewingskerk, 217 (21%) lidmate van die Gereformeerde Kerk en 198 (19%) lidmate van die Rooms-Katolieke Kerk is by die ondersoek betrek. Data is met behulp van ’n biografiese vraelys, asook die Petro Jonck Houding teenoor Vroulike Ampsdraers-vraelys ingesamel. Meerveranderlike variansie-ontledings is toegepas. Satistiese analise het getoon dat kerklidmate deurgaans ’n positiewe houding aangaande vroulike ampsdraers aanneem. Verder is gevind dat die geslag, die huwelikstatus en die geografiese ligging die grootste invloed op kerklidmate se houding ten opsigte van vroulike ampsdraers uitgeoefen het. Die opleidingsvlak het geen statisties-beduidende invloed op lidmate se houding teenoor vroulike ampsdraers uitgeoefen nie. This article investigates the attitude of church members towards clergywomen. For the purpose of this research project, the following research question has been formulated: What is church members’ attitude towards clergywomen in the congregation? This research question was explored by means of the following hypothesis: There are statistically significant differences between church members’ attitude towards clergywomen and a number of demographic variables such as geographic location, gender, marital status and age. A total of 1052 respondents that included 326 (31%) members of the Dutch Reformed Church family, 311 (29%) members of the Christian Revival Church, 217 (21%) members of the Reformed Church and 198 (19%) members of the Roman Catholic Church were involved. Data were gathered by means of a biographic questionnaire and the Petro Jonck Attitude towards Female Office-bearers Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance was applied. A statistical analysis indicated that church members assume a positive attitude with regard to female office-bearers. Furthermore, it was concluded that gender, marital status and geographic location exerted the greatest influence on the dependent variable (attitude towards clergywomen) while, academic qualification had no statistically significant influence.

AbstractResearch was undertaken to determine the attitudes of parishioners towards clergywomen. The sample consisted of 1 052 parishioners from various denominations. Data was obtained by incorporating a quantitative research design and analysed by utilizing multivariate analysis o f variance. Statistical analysis revealed that parishioners were in favour of clergywomen. The variables found to have a significant influence on the attitude o f church members were language, race, denomination and gender. None o f the other variables yielded statistically significant differences. Despite the positive attitudes that were reported, discrimination against clergywomen continues. Further research is needed to examine the disparity between attitudes and behaviour.

AbstractOrdination in the Africa Evangelical Church of Southern Africa has been subject to male exclusivity since autonomy in 1962. This practice was carried over from the founding mission organization, the Cape General Mission. The AEC is part of the larger “evangelical” denominations which for many years have perpetuated the requirement of masculinity for ordination and church leadership. In its 60 years of autonomy, female persons in the AEC have been barred from ordination. The effect of this limitation extends beyond the church walls. It also keeps women from pursuing professional careers such as chaplaincy. Female persons in some local churches in the AEC do the work of pastors but are designated as “church workers”. They are therefore not beneficiaries of all things reserved for ordained pastors. This study investigates the role of gender in the evangelical tradition in general, and the AEC specifically. Responses in the evangelical tradition to this situation include the rise of the evangelical feminist, egalitarian, and complementarian movements. The study investigates, compares, and evaluates these movements and their views regarding women in church leadership. The study provides a critical evaluation of the scholarship of 1 Timothy 2:11-15 because of its centrality within the AEC’s gender-exclusive approach to ordination. The study shows that the phenomenon of gender exclusivity in the church can be linked to a patriarchal interpretation of Scripture. The findings contribute from a practical theological perspective toward the advancement of the inclusion of women and the cause of the ordination of women.

AbstractL'intégralité de la conférence de Gertrude Kamgue Tokam sur le leadership féminin et les Églises africaines : enjeux, défis et perspectives.

AbstractIn the 1980s, the question of women’s ordination in the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) caused a controversy in Kirinyaga diocese, in which Archbishop David Gitari (1937–2013) played a critical role as an advocate for women. This controversy is just one example of how African Christian women have faced multiple material and theological obstacles to ordination, both in the Anglican Church and in other churches. Through an analysis of institutional texts we show how the issue of women’s ordination has been addressed in formal Anglican decision-making processes. We also outline the patriarchal attitudes that characterized the wider discourse of women’s ordination in Kenya and in the Anglican Communion, and discuss how this discourse informed Gitari’s intervention. Opposition to women’s ordination is only one facet of sexism in the ACK, as was implicitly recognized by Gitari in his wider project of ‘holistic development’.

AbstractIn 1996 the Zambian government published Educating our Future: National Policy on Education. The document affirms the aim for school education, which is to promote the full development of the physical, intellectual, social, affective, moral and spiritual qualities of pupils so that they become complete persons. This paper discusses the question of gender within African traditional societies and how RE, within the provisions of the policy document, could respond to gender issues within African traditional religions. The paper acknowledges that African traditional religions may discriminate against women but also argues that the African heritage allows for an appreciation of women as full members of society

AbstractIn this article, I demonstrate how Capital Christian Ministries International has been conceptualised as ecclesiastical spaces for de-gendering. I have utilised symbolic imagination within the Ndembu cultural liminality as theoretical framework in theological studies. I have argued that the initiates in the liminal spaces subverted social normative through the process of un-gendering. The article concludes by arguing that reclaim and reconstitute ecclesia spaces as liminal spaces have potential to promote gender emancipation within African Christianity.

Abstract40dagentijdcampagne Kerk in Actie 2012, thema Voor de verandering, filmpje vijfde zondag in de 40dagentijd. Lentvapagne Kerk in Actie 2012. Theme: For the change. The 5th Sunday of Lent.

AbstractThe name African Independent Churches (AICs) refers to churches that have been independently started in Africa by Africans and not by missionaries from another continent. There has been extensive research on (AICs) from different subjects in the past. There is, however, a research gap on the subject of leadership in the AICs, especially with reference to women leaders. To address this gap, this article discusses leadership in the AICs with special reference to the leadership of Christina Nku in St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM). A historical examination of Christina Nku’s leadership is studied by looking at her roles as a family woman, prophet, church founder, faith healer and educator in St John’s AFM. The aim of this article is twofold. First it is to reflect on gender in the leadership of the AICs. Second it is to apply the framework of leadership in the AICs to Christina Nku’s leadership in St John’s AFM. Consequently, the article is an interface between gender and leadership in an African context. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that Christina Nku was a remarkable woman in the leadership of the AICs.

AbstractFollowing a preliminary discussion of methodological issues associated with studying women in African traditional religions, several ideological and structural aspects of the topic are explored, drawing upon information from thirteen African societies at various levels of social differentiation.

AbstractWomen have for centuries suffered different forms of oppression and arguably continue to suffer in subtle forms in the 21st century. Marion Young points to five types of oppression, namely, violence, exploitation, marginalisation, powerlessness and cultural imperialism. For South African black women, all of these types of oppression have manifested three times more as they have suffered triple oppression of race, class and gender to employ the widely used notion of triple jeopardy in the womanist discourses and Black Theology of Liberation. The struggle of women to challenge the patriarchal culture of subordination is still pertinent for our context today. Patriarchy is a reality that has been inscribed in the minds, souls and bodies of these women. It arguably continues to be inscribed in subtle forms. Patriarchy and the oppression of women have been justified and perpetuated by a complex interplay of Christian teachings and practices fused with culture and the use of the Bible. Yet, for these women, church and the Bible continue to be central in their lives. This article looks at the cries of African women in juxtaposition to their prayers, faith and thus spirituality, and to argue that theirs is a pseudo-spirituality. This article is thus a womanist exposition of the pseudo-spirituality of an African woman in a quest for liberation of her spirituality.

AbstractThe researcher believes that while in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) women have been ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament since 1976, they remain a minority numerically and are still marginalised in leadership. As a result ordained women remain the most unrecognised and underutilised group in the MCSA. Few women ministers have held leadership positions during this period, particularly primary leadership positions. This article enquires into the experiences (or, 'acceptance') of these women, the reasons for the minority representation, and reflects on the future of representative ordained ministry. A theoretical framework of feminist ecclesiology is used as an approach. Primary research provides statistical data upon which the assessment of progress towards gender equality is based. The impact of culture upon institutional gender representation is discussed, together with equality of opportunity in principle and practice. Reference is made to gender equality in other institutions, both secular and religious. The article reflects upon the leadership of the MCSA towards gender equality in the ordained ministry, and some conclusions are drawn and recommendations suggested for the future

AbstractDiscussions surrounding women’s ordination reached a peak with the 60th General Conference Session (GCS 2015) of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church. A report compiled by a section of delegates from the East-Central Africa Division – Biblical Research Committee indicated that this continent was not yet ready to ordain women as pastors. In light of the report, this article aims to investigate the rationale of such a stark decision. Firstly, the report shows that African Adventist women theologians were omitted from the discussions – a lack of good will from the church leadership towards the females as the majority of the membership. Secondly, the decision against ordination of women is suspect and biblically inconclusive. Through an overview of literature on a biblical missional design, the article postulates: Contextualisation and theologising are necessary for Africa, but the SDA Church must remember that globally both theology and culture are subject to the biblical guidelines, and thus to God’s missio Dei as well. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article balances cultural contextualism and gender relations - challenging a cultural bias through a missional hermeneutic. This can lead to fairer representation of African women in Adventist church structures and reroute the equality discourse in light of the missio Dei. The study intersects with cultural theory, social analysis and biblical hermeneutics. © 2016. The Authors.

AbstractIn 1906, at Derdepoort (Botswana), a twelve year old Tswana girl, Christinah, experienced the first of a series of divine visions that eventually led to the founding of a powerful African independent church. This article traces the history of Christinah Mokotuli Nku (1894-1988), as well as that of the St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, the church she founded in 1939. The article also briefly examines the history of the St John’s Apostolic Church of Prophecy; the church that ensued from the rift experienced in 1972, and the present attempts at the unification of the St John’s churches, which currently constitute 39 splinter groups. The article is a preliminary history only, owing to the fluidity of the history, which is dependent on oral sources. However, the article is structured around a specific focus, namely healing. The story of Christinah Nku and St John’s, then, will be, firstly, the story of Ma Nku’s vision of the church as a place of healing, secondly, her healing ministry, which was strongly supported by indigenous knowledge, and thirdly, the proposed healing to be effected through the unification of the church.

AbstractEn République Démocratique du Congo, la place des femmes est fragile et peu reconnue : pénalisées par un faible accès […]

AbstractConférence du pasteur Robert Bahizire sur la place des femmes dans l’Église en RDC, entre héritages coloniaux et quête d’égalité.

AbstractFifamé Fidèle Houssou Gandonou était l'invité des Jeudis du Défap pour présenter ses réflexions sur les fondements éthiques du féminisme.

AbstractLes femmes assurent une grande partie de la vie communautaire mais leur accès aux espaces de décision reste encore faible.

AbstractThis article aims to highlight issues of women and leadership in Southern Africa, and particularly in South Africa. At this stage, the focus will be limited to women clergy where their place in social life and responsibilities are critical. In South Africa, as mentioned in the 2006 Pocket Guide to South Africa, Christians comprise the majority of the population – approximately 80% – of whom women are the majority in the church. However, the proportion of women in leadership of the church is negligible.

AbstractTraditional Africans teach ubuntu principles of communality, mutual respect, caring and so forth, but they do not walk the talk with regard to the treatment of widows. In the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth, Christian communities preach unconditional love, especially for the poor, marginalised and vulnerable. Implementation is, however, grossly lacking in respect of the treatment of widows. There is thus an apparent deliberate uncaring, disrespectful, discriminatory, impolite and unjust treatment of widows in African communities in spite of the ubuntu values and Christian teaching that emphasise love and caring, especially towards the grieving and thus vulnerable widows. Widows seem to be neglected and even oppressed in our time. The aim of this research is to critically examine African traditional widowhood rites and practices with special reference to the comfort or pain to which they subject African widows. The research further aims to examine the behaviour of some African Christians belonging to three congregations of one mainline church to determine whether their treatment of widows resonates with Jesus’ teaching regarding the requisite care of widows. The issue of widowhood in Africa, in terms of the apparent plight of these bereaved and grieving women, needs to be urgently addressed for change in the 21st century. A critical literature study of relevant sources and a newspaper article will be used for this research. My personal experiences and continuing observation as an insider will also inform the research in useful ways.

AbstractThe status of women remains contested. While women constitute the majority of members in literally all religions, the top positions tend to be monopolised by men. An array of historical, cultural, theological and socio-economic reasons has been proffered to account for this anomaly. New religious movements have often promised women liberation and emancipation. In Africa, Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal movements have accorded women leadership roles as they interrogate missionary Christianity. This study examines women’s notable rise to influential leadership within the Pentecostal movement in Zimbabwe. While the older Pentecostal churches of the 1970s and 1980s were male dominated, the 1990s ushered in the phenomenon of women leaders within the Pentecostal movement in Zimbabwe. Notable examples include Apostle Eunor Guti, Apostle Petunia Chiriseri, Dr Faith Wutawunashe and others. However, these women Pentecostal leaders tend to be married to charismatic founders of Pentecostal ministries. This study interrogates their status within the Pentecostal movement. On the hand, it contends that these women must be accepted as leaders in their own right. It argues that they have appropriated the religious significance of women in indigenous culture and have applied it to the Pentecostal movement. They are leaders of specific ministries and are not mere appendages of their husbands. However, on the other hand, the study argues that their position as wives of Pentecostal leaders needs to be approached critically. It has tended to generate a moderate position on feminist issues within the Pentecostal movement. The study concludes that women Pentecostal leaders in contemporary Zimbabwe tend to bargain with patriarchy. They are unwilling to challenge patriarchy and promote a biblical hermeneutics that is subservient. It suggests that gender within the Pentecostal movement in contemporary Zimbabwe requires a liberating biblical hermeneutics.

AbstractWhile women constitute the majority of members in literally all religions, the top positions tend to be monopolised by men. New religious movements have often promised women liberation and emancipation. One cannot discuss these new movements without paying particular attention to Pentecostalism, which, without doubt, represents the fastest growing brand of Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the key reasons why this Pentecostalism is flourishing is because the church strives to meet the spiritual and material needs of its members. Pentecostalism therefore represents a highly significant religious phenomenon during the contemporary period. It is therefore strategic to understand the status of women within Zimbabwean Pentecostalism. This chapter examines women's notable rise to influential leadership positions through the Pentecostal movement in Zimbabwe. © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018.

AbstractWomen were already in ministry in Old and New Testament times, though they were not officially recognised as ministers as they are today. This practice was adopted by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA). Despite the profound move of the MCSA to enable women to enter the ministry and serve as ministers in the MCSA, female clergy are still being ostracised. This was affirmed by the Bishop of the Cape of Good Hope District, Reverend Michel Hansrod, in an address to the synod. He conceded the following: “It is with great sadness that we recognise and confess our slowness in affording women the opportunities of leadership and poor stationing.†This statement implies that clergywomen in the MCSA are still regarded as unsuited to be leaders. This article sets out to offer the MCSA insight into the best way to resolve the problem of ostracism and disempowerment of clergywomen in ministry in the MCSA. The article highlights the historical background of women in ministry and from that perspective, brings forth God’s intention in creating humanity. Then it offers a discourse on how the MCSA neglects women in ministry, in contradiction to Scripture. Finally, the article formulates a missional paradigm embedded in the missio Dei that could assist the MCSA in addressing the pleas of women in ministry.

AbstractNotions about worthy womanhood are shaped to a large extent by the cultural contexts in which they are constructed. In the global village though, shaped as it is mainly by Eurocentric cultures, it would be presumptuous to assume that one can with certainty pinpoint what may be termed ‘purely traditional African notions of womanhood’. Also, it will be an exaggeration to argue that Africa does not have its own notions on ideal womanhood. Particularly in Christian African contexts, notions about womanhood are still shaped to a large extent by both the traditional African worldviews and the received biblical interpretations about womanhood. In the preceding scenario, one wonders if women’s identities reveal their real selves or whether they are tamed, and thus artificial. In one’s attempt to unravel notions of womanhood from both the corpus, Proverbs 10:1–22:16 and in the South African context (cf. selected African proverbs), this article has sought to answer the following main question: if images of women in selected African (Northern Sotho) proverbs (cf. also selected South African narratives) and in the book of Proverbs (cf. Pr 10:1–22:16) are brought together, what kind of picture may emerge from such a comparison?

AbstractThis paper proposes that the ministry of ordained women within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) has not fully integrated women, despite the landmark decision of the MCSA Conference of 1972 to have women ordained into the full ministry of the church. At that Methodist Conference of 1972, the Methodist Church adopted a resolution to have women ordained into the ministry of the church, and yet this has not been fully realised in the life of the MCSA. Despite the fact that women form the majority of the people who come to church on Sundays, they form a very small group within ministers' ranks. We will investigate the challenges within the MCSA that slow down its policy on the ordination of women. The paper proposes the tools that can be used to address the challenges with regard to the full acceptance of women ministers within the MCSA. Furthermore, it investigates the organisational structure of the Women's Manyano as a means for women to protest against their exclusion from full participation in the life and leadership of the church. Although what women have learnt and practise within their own women organisation has not infiltrated into the full life of the Methodist Church, they have become a force to reckon with in the MCSA. The paper traces the causes of the marginalisation of women within the Methodist Church to patriarchal and cultural stereotypes that are determining the reading and understanding of the biblical text. Human nature is a condition that needs to be checked regularly in order to remove those elements that are human-made, self-serving and limiting. Some examples of psychological and cultural elements are cited as a basis for reflection and a launch pad for women empowerment, and for the transformation of the MCSA and its policy on the ministry of ordained women.

AbstractThere is plethora of literature reflecting on the status of women in the various Christian denominations. However, not much of the literature has a specific focus on the status of single women. This article seeks to address this scholarly gap by presenting the findings from field research the focus of which was to explore the experiences of single women in the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFMZ). The study was conducted in 2017. With particular reference to the exclusion of women from leadership structures, the article illustrates how single women are marginalised in the AFMZ’s governance structures. Highlighting the parallels between Shona cultural beliefs and the AFMZ’s perspectives on women, the article foregrounds how single women are ascribed a much lower status than their married counterparts. Drawing insights from African feminist ecclesiology and African women’s theology, the article lays bare how single women in the AFMZ experience marginalisation on three levels: first, as women; second, due to their single status; and third, on the basis of the Shona culture in which the AFMZ’s doctrines and traditions are entrenched. The data used for compiling this article were collected through interviews and focus group discussions conducted with members of the AFMZ. Based on the key issues and themes emerging from the data collected, the article suggests possible ways of improving the participation of single women in church leadership. The recommendations put forward in the article are informed by the common understanding that single women are full human beings with an inalienable leadership capacity; hence being married must not be a prerequisite for taking up certain leadership positions.

AbstractInspiring portraits of contemporary African women leaders.

AbstractThis article explores the contribution that Biblical interpretation from a feminist perspective may make in the context of reformational theology. After an overview of the diverse nature of feminist Biblical interpretation that in itself stems from specific developments in hermeneutics, this article explores the contributions made by two prominent scholars in this field, namely Schüssler-Fiorenza and Trible. These contributions are then brought to bear on the South African situation and the debate on the role of women in the church. A suggestion is made as to the contribution that the work of Schüssler-Fiorenza and Trible can make in this context.

AbstractThere is a glass ceiling beyond which women in Malawian churches are unable to advance in their Christian ministry, especially for those who are called to lead a local church or denomination. This is due to the pervasiveness of both cultural and ecclesiastical patriarchy in Malawian churches. This article explains how Nellie Chigamba, a Christian woman with leadership gifts in the matrilineal Chewa central region of Malawi and a member of the Nkhoma Synod of the Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP), broke the glass ceiling to become the leader of a neocharismatic apostolic network, the Evangelistic New Exodus Church of God and Missions. The study found that a neocharismatic spirituality with its grounding in the filling or baptism in the Holy Spirit has the theological, experiential and liberational resources to aid women to break the glass ceiling in the religious sphere.

AbstractThe article demonstrates the assertion that "women's space" has to be created by women. This is illustrated by the nature of the participation of women in the Christianising efforts of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in Nigeria from 1840 to 1940. It highlights the tardiness in accepting higher education and leadership roles as valid for women. It is a story of how women in London collaborated with women in Lagos to win specificity for women, confirming the Akan proverb "it is the person sleeping by a fire who knows how hot the fire is". Limits put on women by society have always hurt some women.

AbstractBeads and Strands, a selection of classic writings by the Ghanaian theologian, gathers a wealth of insights under three topical headings: Africa and Redemption; Global Issues in African Perspective, and Women, Tradition, and the Gospel in Africa. In her work Oduyoye brings Akan and other African traditions into correlation with Biblical stories, showing how African wisdom offers a new and deeply spiritualy perspective into its timeless episodes and theme. Above all Bead and Strands offers access to how one of contemporary Africa's most noted women theologians sees the status and role of women in Africa today.

AbstractHealing in African indigenous cultures is a corporate matter involving the totality of the person, family and community. Healing presupposes sickness; its practice is therefore interlocked with a people’s conception of sickness and diseases. In Africa, sickness is an attestation to the fact that an individual is out of tune with nature and the supernatural, which is represented by the various deities. The physical signs are therefore a part of the story and not the whole story. Similarly, the Christian conception of disease and healing is intertwined with the individual’s relationship with the supernatural and the physical signs are but part of the story. Diagnosis and prescription for treatment and healing take into cognizance all these facts and this is where the healer comes in. The healer constitutes an integral part of the patient’s healing in Yoruba religion as well as in African Christianity. There are female and male healers in both religions but whereas these specialists are designated as healers/diviners/custodians of tradition in Yoruba religion, in African Christianity, they are known as prophetesses/prophets/deliverance ministers. This paper seeks to evaluate the position of the healer among the Yoruba of Nigeria. A second objective is to analyze contemporary postures on healing activities in Yoruba religion and Christianity and how women feature in these processes.

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to show how the programme on Women in the Church and Society of the Centre for Constructive Theology attempts to make a contribution towards the empowering of South African church women from different classes and racial groups through it various activities.

AbstractThe Anglican Church in Southern Africa (ACSA) is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood in 2017. The quotation above is a statement made by the South African Council of Churches following the announcement that the Anglican Church in Southern Africa voted in favour of the ordination of women at the church’s September, 1992 Provincial Synod. This was a newsworthy event given the currents of change and rhetoric of freedom in apartheid South Africa. Under the heading “Women priests for SA” the Cape Times (August 15, 1992:2) reports that seventy-nine percent voted in favour of the ordination of women. This result complied with the two-thirds majority required on an issue declared “controversial.”

AbstractThis article celebrates the contribution of Christina Landman as a noted scholar and church leader. Landman's exemplary career and contributions as an acclaimed church historian, theologian, writer, lecture specialising in the area of gender and church leader will serve as a continuous source of inspiration for generations to come. Her contributions have had a substantial impact on both the church and society in South Africa. Firstly, an overview of her academic history will be given. Then, attention will be given to Landman's service on numerous boards and committees. Finally, the projects spearheaded by Landman at the Research Institute for Theology and Religion will be highlighted. In an attempt to find a unified theme around which to organise her contribution, the following was chosen: gender, healing, oral history, and her engagement as a local pastor and in church polity (not because these represent the full spectrum of Landman's work, but because they represent some of the key insights of her approach to doing theology).

AbstractMuch has been written to critique the Catholic church's position on the ordination of women based on arguments from scripture and tradition. However, there has been little local research on how South African women experience the consequences of this exclusion from ministry. In this article Ralphs and Kretzschmar set out, from an ethical and feminist theological position, to show the effects of this exclusion both on women and on the church. Through a study of the literature and interviews with 60 Catholic women from the diocese of Johannesburg, they attempt to explain what lies behind the Catholic church's position on women, and to describe it's negative consequences. The authors conclude that whilst many women are aware of the negative effects of exclusion, they are unable to name the structural forces which reinforce this exclusion, and that theological and pedagogical processes are required to shape a different consciousness among women

AbstractThis article addresses the overwhelmingly negative experience and feeling of some men who serve under female leaders in the church. They claim to feel degraded and traumatised by the experience of being led by women. They also claim that their patriarchal culture and religion is defied by such actions and laws of equality that encourage female leadership. They substantiate their views by quoting 1 Corinthians 14:34−35 and 1 Timothy 2:12−14 in addition to a Setswana proverb, ‘Tsa etelelwa pele ke e namagadi di wela ka lengope’ [those who are led by a female leader fall into dongas]. In the light of this situation an intensive study regarding the need for an egalitarian concept and constructive interpretation of Bible passages, Setswana proverbs and idioms regarding the inevitability of female leadership is paramount to people who have an androcentric concept of religion and culture.

AbstractThe year 2016 marks the fortieth anniversary of the ordination of women in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA). This, being a milestone worth celebrating and commemorating, highlights not only the gains but also the challenges that women face in the ministry of the Methodist Church. The implications of the ordination of women for the denomination (and its organisations) have yet to be fully grappled with, interpreted within the changing context of our present society, and understood in light of the patriarchal society within which the Methodist Church operates. The present article highlights the implications of the ordination of women for the Young Men's Guild - a missional organisation of men in the MCSA. The article calls for inclusive and radical transformational activity within the Young Men's Guild. It advocates for intentional implementation of the Gender Action Plan that was approved by the Methodist Conference ten years ago (2006). It agitates for a Young Men's Guild movement whose discomfort with its privilege propels it to live out the principles contained in the Methodist rule of life. Young Men's Guild members ought to actively pursue an agenda of inclusion in order for their organisation to reflect truly the vision and mission of the MCSA.

AbstractFor over one hundred years the Fifohazana Revival has played a key role in the spread of Christianity in Madagascar. The Fifohazana is an indigenous Christian movement that seeks to serve Malagasy society through the preaching of the Gospel and a holistic ministry of healing in community. This article summarises the findings of a study that explored the role of women leaders as holistic healers in the Fifohazana revival movement and the Reformed Church (FJKM) in Madagascar. Based on interviews with four women ministering in the Fifohazana or the Reformed Church, including a rising leader in the revival movement, this study highlights the importance of women leaders as radical disciples and subversive apostles in the Fifohazana revival movement and in the Reformed Church. As such, these women have been instrumental in bringing renewal into the church through the work of the Holy Spirit in the holistic healing ministry of the Fifohazana.

AbstractCette thèse s’appuie sur une approche empirique et épistémologique qualitative basée sur des entretiens semi-directifs, un questionnaire auto-administré et une observation ethnographique. Elle est construite à partir de l’analyse des rapports sociaux de genre dans les représentations des femmes au sein des Églises pentecôtistes congolaises. En interrogeant différentes trajectoires de vie, d’engagement et de vocation pastorale et/ou épiscopale des femmes, elle cherche à comprendre comment articuler à la fois la dimension genrée et le désir des femmes d’exercer une profession historiquement conjuguée au masculin dont l’accès leur avait été longtemps fermé. Si, dans l’économie du temps qui court, être pasteur dans cette religion d’éveil apparaît comme un ascenseur social ou une élévation qui nourrissent l’ambition à l’acquisition de la prospérité matérielle et spirituelle, le pastorat exercé au féminin pose une série d’interrogations : comment interpréter la facilité avec laquelle on devient pasteur en République Démocratique du Congo ? De quelle manière définir le rôle actuel des femmes qui exercent le métier de pasteur ou d’évêque ? Comment penser la tension permanente entre la visibilité du travail des femmes à travers l’exercice de la profession religieuse au sein du pentecôtisme et la prégnance des stéréotypes liés à leur supposée subalternation ou à l’incompatibilité du corps féminin à des fonctions de direction restées longtemps le pré carré des clercs masculins ? Comment conjuguent-elles foi, féminité, leadership et compétences professionnelles face aux défis actuels de la société en mutation ? Comment se définissent les rôles de pasteurs ou d’évêques lorsqu’ils se déclinent au féminin ? La fonction hiératique se modifie-t-elle dans ce cas de figure ? Quelles sont les nouvelles dimensions de l’exercice de la profession religieuse ? Sont-elles sociales, familiales, se réfèrent-elles à l’intimité personnelle ou à une nouvelle dimension du sacré ? Autant de questions auxquelles tente de répondre cette réflexion qui, par ailleurs, montre de nouvelles dimensions de l’exercice de la profession religieuse par le biais des femmes et apporte de nouvelles indications sur les changements religieux qui se sont opérés ces dernières années en Afrique noire en général et en RD Congo en particulier. Abstract This PhD is based on a qualitative, empirical and epistemological approach relied on interviews, self-administered questionnaire and ethnographic observation. The analysis of gender relationships and representations of female pastoral labor in the Pentecostal churches is the main topic of this research. We are looking for life stories items and commitment in a pastoral or episcopal female vocation inasmuch to understand gendered dimension and the motives of the young ladies to look for such a well known male profession for which they have been banned for centuries. This religion of the Reborn seems to give an opportunity for climbing the social ladder and awakens the desire for material goods and spiritual prosperity. Many questions are at stake with the female pastoral vocation. How to interpret the ease with which one becomes a pastor (how shall we figure out) the fact that it is very easy to become a pastor in the Democratic Republic of Congo ? How to define the current female role of pastors or bishops ? How to understand the permanent tension between the female vocation, the social stereotypes and the linked body alienation ? Although, they must have leadership roles that have always been the privilege of the male clerics ? Facing the current challenges of a changing society, how do they combine faith, femininity, leadership and professional skills ? What are the roles of pastors and bishops when they belong to the female sex ? Does the hieratic function change in this case ? What are the new dimensions of the religious profession practice ? Are they more concerned with social or family issues ? Do they refer to personal intimacy or to a new dimension of the sacred ? This PhD is trying to answer all these questions. It shows moreover new faces of the religious profession practice through the coming out of female pastors and bishops. It provides new indications regarding the religious changes that have taken place in recent years in Sub- Saharan Africa in general and in DR Congo in particular.

AbstractThis article reports the findings of an investigation into the response of lay church members to the ordination of women as priests in the Anglican (CPSA) Diocese of Pretoria. Some of the objections that were raised to such ordination are outlined. The responses of church members, elicited during in-depth interviews, are explicated in terms of the original objections, and in terms of the life experience of the respondents.

AbstractCharismatic Christianity is the most recent and fastest growing expression of Pentecostal religion in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana's capital, Accra, the charismatic churches dominate the religious scene. This book focuses on the gender discourses of Ghana's new churches, and considers charismatic perspectives on womanhood, manhood, marriage and family life. Offering a fresh perspective on the organisational structures of the charismatic churches, this study looks at the leadership roles of female pastors and pastors' wives, and draws attention to the links between female leaders and spiritual power. By highlighting the importance of spiritual power in interpreting gendered social change, the book sheds new light on the socio-cultural role of Ghana's new churches.

AbstractThe article discusses the social implications of the expanding charismatic sector for women. It explores the factors that generate female empowerment in charismatic churches, namely, the removal of traditional barriers to female leadership, the message of social change and social renewal and the emphasis on the personal development of individuals. The role of the pastor's wife and the power of a female founder and their influences on female empowerment in charismatic churches are also explained.

AbstractLe replay de la 1ère conférence des « Jeudis du Défap » 2025 avec la théologienne Gertrude Kamgue Tokam sur le thème : Promotion / Leadership des femmes dans l'Église en Afrique.

AbstractSituationsanalyse mittels Feldforschung (1995-1997) über die Position von Frauen und Frauenorganisationen in der Methodistischen Kirche Südafrikas in Kapstadt nach dem Ende der Apartheid. Interviews mit Frauen in Führungspositionen, Fragebögen in der rein schwarzen Frauenorganisation der Manyano. Zusätzliche Informationen, die von Belang sind: - Ein historischer Abriss über die Entstehung des Methodismus in England - Eine Beschreibung der Anfänge des Methodismus in Südafrika - Zusatzinformation über heute noch gebräuchliche afrikanische Riten und Bräuche in Kapstadt.

AbstractThis book addresses the evolving structure of the three traditional women's organisations of the Methodist Church in post-apartheid South Africa, and the experiences of women in leadership roles within the church. These organisations are still more or less divided along racial lines. The aim of the fieldwork - carried out from 1995 to 1997 and in 2000 - was to find out if these racial boundaries would begin to dissolve and if women would find more empowerment in their congregations after the democratisation of the country. Further topics are the renaissance of African traditions and religious practices that came about with the end of apartheid. The methodology follows an ethnographic approach that relies heavily on interviews and participant observation, with the analysis bringing South African women's voices to bear on these issues, rather than providing an external and analytical analysis of the issues.

AbstractIn 2016 the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) celebrates 40 years of the ordination of women, which signifies a milestone in the ministry. While this calls for celebration, it is also important that we lament the challenges women ministers are still facing in the church. The chronicle of how the church came to ordain women as ministers in the MCSA cites tensions and debates as well as theological arguments for and against the ordination of women. This paper reads this chronicle with a hermeneutic of suspicion. The paper holds that the decision of the church to ordain women has not translated to women being ordained ministers like men within the church, but rather that the decision created a patronage system within the ministry where male ministers (and their wives) are patrons and female ministers their clients. The woman minister in the MCSA joins the woman in the Luke narrative who continues to go to the judge (the MCSA) and laments: "Grant me justice!"

AbstractAttributed in Christian scripture to Jesus’s very lips, the intriguing Aramaic phrase ‘ Talitha, Kum! ’ has emerged as an important refrain within gendered African theological scholarship. African women’s experiences in the hands of religion and culture do so resonate with the two tangled stories that comprise the phrase’s literary context. The resonance is such that African women’s Bible reading strategies have come to be referred to as ‘ Talitha cum African women’s biblical hermeneutics’ or some variant thereof. The ensuing panegyric by a male admirer engages the fresh ways whereby African women biblical hermeneutics (aka Talitha) are breathing new life into (African) biblical scholarship. In appreciation and tribute to African women theologians’ fragrant contributions to Christian life and reflection, the ode samples their work in a manner that in places feels intrusive whilst certainly nowhere near complete.

AbstractThe discussion of the inclusion of women in die offices of minister and elder has become an increasingly burning and dividing issue in the Reformed Churches in South Africa (Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika) over the past Ave decades. Since 1973 until 2016 various Synods of this denomination have struggled with the topic by way of several intensive study reports, which resulted in many decisions on hermeneutical and exegetical grounds. A first article dealt with the history of the case as it developed from 1973-1988.1 It was concluded that the Synods in this period did not consider the issue sufficiently in light of a biblical-theological hermeneutical perspective. This article deals with the period 1994-2016. The purpose of this ongoing research is to identify the reasons for the continuous decisions, in this period also, not to include women in the particular offices in this denomination. As was the case in the first article, the central theoretical argument of this study is that the hermeneutical approaches of the various Synods in the period 1994-2016 also displayed a significant shortcoming. This shortcoming is the constant neglect of the important role of systematic biblical-theological testimony and a biblical anthropology as fundamental hermeneutical tools. These tools were not applied proficiently because they were obscured by a one-sided grammatical-historical angle of approach to certain parts of Scripture. This hermeneutical deficiency lies at the heart of the prohibition of women in the offices of elder and minister.

AbstractThe matter of the ordination of women in the offices of pastor and elder has become a burning issue in the Reformed Churches in South Africa (Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika). From 1973 to 2016 various Synods of this denomination struggled with the topic by way of several intensive study reports, which resulted in various decisions on hermeneutical and exegetical grounds. This article is the first in a series of two that investigates the history of the case as it developed from 19731988. A second article will deal with the period 1994-2016. the intention of this research is to analyse the reasons for the consistent position not to include women in the particular offices of this denomination. The central theoretical argument of this study is that the hermeneutical approaches of the various Synods are deficient. The role of systematic biblical-theological testimony, as well as a well-developed biblical anthropology as important hermeneutical tools, were not applied efficiently and were obscured by the one-sided grammatical-historical angle of approach.

AbstractThe purpose of this article was to obtain feedback from women pastors in and around the Tshwane metropole in South Africa on their experiences of their role as pastors. The question at stake was: are woman pastors more often approached for counselling? Therefore, half structured interviews were conducted in order to explore their life stories. The four core tasks of practical theological interpretation, according to Richard Osmer, were used as the framework for this article.

AbstractThe article examines the views on the ordained ministry of some church union schemes, as well as the question of ordained women ministers, to throw light on church union discussions in South Africa. A New Testament orientation, largely dependent on E Schweizer, is given, various schemes on union are glanced at, and the conclusion is reached that no one form of ministry can be insisted upon. The decisive context must always be the gospel and the total ministry of the church. The article further advocates the ordination of women. The New Testament evidence is indecisive, yet there are more positive indications than sometimes thought. Furthermore, the gospel at its centre in the justifying grace of God in Christ pushes us towards the recognition of the ordination of women.

AbstractRape is an act of humiliation that leaves the survivors ashamed. They therefore often try and hide from others and rarely seek help. Informal discussions with female ministers revealed that some of them had counselled female rape survivors. A descriptive phenomenological study, aimed at exploring and describing the experiences of female ministers in counselling female rape survivors through individual interviews, was conducted. Six ministers were interviewed. They experienced the dichotomy of being a woman and being a minister during their encounter with rape survivors. As women, they became emotionally involved in the suffering of the rape survivors, and as ministers they experienced that prayer and scripture reading in collaboration with counselling promote healing. They also experienced that rape survivors perceived them as approachable because of their gender, but less approachable because of their status as ministers.