A Comparative Study of Women in Ordained Offices in the Mainline Denominations and Pentecostal Churches

The discourse on women in leadership positions in churches has occupied a ' significant space in theological debate in the Church today. Things like feminism, womanist movement and Human Rights have compelled discussions on the position and role of women in every aspect of human endeavor. The culture and religious practices and beliefs that suppressed women are been attacked and some are already giving way. In the Church today, the main issues revolve around ordained offices and leadership positions. A cursory' survey reveals that most Pentecostal Churches have no problem ordaining and giving leadership positions to women. Today, there are many Pentecostal Churches and ministries manned by women only. Further, most Pentecostal pastors have their wives as co-pastors or assistant pastors. There are however, fewer mainline Churches that have ordained women. The issue of women ordination encounters greater struggle in the mainline denominations than in the Pentecostal Churches. The reason for the difference lies in the theological and ecclesiological foundations of these two groups of Christians. The mainline denominations hold to well defined tradition and have an elaborate administrative structure. To critical analyze the issues involved, this paper will adopt historical and theological perspective.