Church And Women's Leadership Inclusion: A Comparative Study of Legio Maria of African Church Mission, Roho Rabbi Church Holy Spirit of Africa, and Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa, Migori County, Kenya

Abstract

The Reformation of the sixteenth century led to the transformation of the Christian faith. In the same spirit, it also led African Christians to initiate their churches. However, five hundred years later, since the Reformation and more than a century since the inception of the first African Instituted Churches, it appears that the church has not fully embraced gender equity in leadership. Thus, this study aimed to examine the gender dynamics and roles of women within the leadership structures of the Legio Maria of African Church Mission (Legio Maria), the Roho Rabbi Church Holy Spirit of Africa, and the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa (PEFA). The following objectives guided this research: to examine the perception of leaders on the biblical teaching on the inclusion of women in leadership in the Church; to survey the history of the Roho Rabbi Church Holy Spirit of Africa, the PEFA, and the Legio Maria; to ascertain the experiences of women in these three churches regarding the leadership within their respective churches; to explore arguments about the exclusivity of women in the leadership of these churches; and to find out ways gender inclusivity is impacting the leadership of the Legio Maria, the Roho Rabbi Church Holy Spirit of Africa, and the PEFA church. The study used two theories: the trait theory of leadership by Carlyle Thomas and the skill theory of leadership by Robert L. Katz. The conceptual framework was based on gender and leadership inclusion, as explained by leaders' perceptions of women in leadership, the history of women's inclusion in the selected churches and the experiences of women. The study was conducted in Migori County, Kenya, and was a descriptive and exploratory research design. A total of 249 respondents participated in the study: 228 questionnaires were randomly sampled from church members, while 21 interviews were conducted with church leaders, who were purposively sampled. The data collection procedures were in-depth interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions, and participant/non-participant observations. Qualitative data was thematically analysed and presented in narrative form. At the same time, quantitative data were coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 software program to generate descriptive statistics in terms of means and percentages. The findings are presented with the aid of tables. The results indicate that 96.4% of respondents from the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa believe that the bible supports women's inclusion in leadership. In contrast, 54.7% of those from RRCHSA accept that the bible endorses women's leadership. While 79% of Legio Maria members are convinced that the bible supports women's inclusion in the leadership of the church, it is overtly extolled, but covertly patriarchal tendencies have crept in. In RRCHSA, women's inclusion in leadership is ceremonial and domestic, and it is hinged on marriage to the more influential ordained male husbands. It is evident from the findings that 76.5% of PEFA's respondents believe that women hold the highest level of leadership positions in their respective churches, with 100% representation in both Legio Maria and RRCHSA. The researcher recommends that leaders from RRCHSA, and Legio Maria be exposed to ecumenical engagements, which will introduce them to other Christian theologies.