Lara Rusch ~ 24
another ministry serving a particular instrumental purpose rather than as a broad-based
group open to their contributions and initiative.
After the interviewee mentioned the presence of one “lady trustee,” I asked if the
core team leader if she had ever experienced difficulty as a woman leader in the church.
She was unequivocal.
No. We don’t have that kind of problem, because most of the people in our
church are women. [Laughs]. Nobody wants this job. The guy that had this job,
he wanted higher things. He went on to – the Progressive Convention, he went on
and did things in that.
In her interpretation, core team leader was not a coveted position and did not inspire
competition from people who used the church to pursue personal ambitions. This small
example suggests a caveat for interpreting women’s leadership in congregations.
Women’s positions should be understood within the context of an organizational culture
and other opportunities for leadership within the institution and its networks.
From the perspective of community organizers, structural autonomy intensifies
the responsibilities of clergy within Baptist congregations. Some clergy from autonomous
congregations describe a worldview of engagement and leadership that emphasizes
maintaining order and knowing one’s place. Therefore the fact that there are more
numerous opportunities for lay members to gain responsibility within independent
Protestant congregations does not guarantee enthusiasm for political organizing and
brings other kinds of challenges for democratic participation, such as internal
competition.
Convention