Women provide strength for churches, Barna finds

Women are the backbone of Christian congregations in America, according to a recent survey by the Barna Research Group.
   
While women only represent half of the United States’ population, the survey indicates there would be nearly 60 percent fewer Christians without them.
   
Nearly half of the nation’s women have beliefs which classify them as “born again,” compared to just over a third of men, according to the study. That means there are between 11 million and 13 million more born-again women than men.
   
Women also tend to be “spiritual heavyweights” compared to men, the study says. Nearly eight in 10 women (79 percent) said the term “spiritual” describes them accurately, compared to 63 percent of men. Nearly seven out of 10 women (69 percent) identified with the phrase “deeply spiritual,” compared to 50 percent of men.
   
“Historically, women have been the backbone of the church,” said Beverly Miller, executive director of Alabama’s Woman’s Union (WMU). But Miller believes men are becoming more involved in the church, citing the fact more husbands now see themselves as partners in childrearing.
   
The study said more than 40 percent of female respondents indicated they have set specific spiritual goals they hope to accomplish during the next two years, compared with 29 percent of men.
   
Women are also more likely than men to say religious faith is very important in their life, by a margin of 75 percent to 60 percent.
   
“I think women tend to be more involved with the hands-on things,” said Peggy Sanderford, associate pastor of Southside Baptist Church, Birmingham.
   
Sanderford said men get involved in planning, or “executive-type” things like the finance committee, whereas women want to do something like work with a missions project for WMU.
   
Carolyn Ellis, chairperson of deacons at First Baptist Church, Auburn, said “it is invigorating to be part of a church that recognizes and encourages women to get involved wherever their gifts may be.”
   
Ellis said she has been fortunate to be a part of churches with numerous  opportunities for women to serve.
   
Opportunities have always existed for women to get involved, Ellis said, but limitations were placed on someone because of gender.
   
“I think it’s sad when I go to a church where women are treated as second class,” she noted.
   
The study found women more active than men in 12 of 13 areas of religious participation. They are twice as likely to be involved in discipleship, and:
    –57 percent more likely to attend adult Sunday School.
    –56 percent more likely to hold a church leadership position.
    –54 percent more likely to participate in a small group.
    –46 percent more likely to disciple others.
    –39 percent more likely to have a devotional or quiet time.
    –33 percent more likely to volunteer for a church.
    –29 percent more likely to read the Bible, attend church and share their faith with others.
    –23 percent more likely to give to a church.
    –16 percent more likely to pray.
   
In one religious activity — seeking a spiritual coach — men and women participate equally. About 19 percent of each said they are involved in such an activity.
   
“Women, more often than not, take the lead role in the spiritual life of the family,” said George Barna, president of Barna Research. “Women typically emerge as the primary — or only — spiritual mentor and role model for family members.”
   
“I think there are a lot of churches that give lip service to openness to women, but put a lot of parameters on that position,” said Amy Jacks Dean, associate pastor for missions and education at Riverchase Baptist Church, Hoover.
   
When asked to identify conditions that would create a desirable life, 75 percent of women said having a close, personal relationship with God was “very” desirable, ranking only behind having one marriage partner for life and good health. Other desirable conditions for women include having a clear purpose for life, living with a high degree of integrity and having close friendships.
   
While 59 percent of women said being deeply committed to the Christian life is very desirable and 49 percent strongly desire to be personally active in a church, Barna said there is evidence many women are “burning out” from too much involvement. He noted a 22 percent slip in church attendance since 1991 and a 21 percent decline in the percentage of women who volunteer in a church.
   
“Churches need to consider whether or not they are providing sufficient opportunities for women to receive ministry and not just provide ministry to others,” Barna said. Otherwise, he warned, churches might continue to lose women dropouts by the thousands.
   
While churches are offering more opportunities for women, the demands are taking a toll on them, both professionally and at home.
   
Alica Kirkpatrick-Bremer, minister of Christian formation at First Baptist, Auburn, said she never thought she would be living in Alabama. A graduate of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., Kirkpatrick-Bremer said North Carolina and Virginia have a more open history of church positions for women.
   
She considers herself blessed because of her supportive husband. Her church is also conscious and “aware of demands on clergy.”
   
Juggling a career and her two sons, one of which is autistic, takes a toll. She is planning to take a sabbatical soon to “ponder, retreat and hopefully be refurbished.”
   
“We’re all having to deal with” busy women, said Teresa Dickens, communication specialist with WMU and children’s minister at First Baptist Church, Columbiana. “Women have so many time demands. WMU’s goal is to involve women in leadership … to mobilize and organize women.”
   
In years past, Dickens said, there were more stay-at-home mothers, “but in today’s culture women have less time for the church.”
   
Churches that have parents night out or mothers day out programs help families become stronger by giving women and men time to fellowship. Parents are happy to have their children in a safe environment, she said.
   
Magazines produced by WMU provide more options for women to get involved with missions on an individual level. The group knows women may not have time to go to a monthly meeting, so it likes to provide other avenues to maintain a level of involvement.
   
Dean said churches need to find ways to help families spend time together.
   
While women dominate the ranks of lay leaders in the typical church, Barna said, that is not true of ordained clergy. Only 5 percent of the nation’s churches are led by a female senior pastor.
   
“I look forward to a day where it is people in ministry, not identified by gender,” Dean said. “I have no agenda, no axe to grind. I’m trying to do what it is God called me to do.”
   
The research is based upon six telephone surveys in late 1999 and early 2000 among 4,755 men and women in 48 states. The margin of error is estimated at plus-or-minus 2 percent.
   
The Barna Research Group is an independent marketing-research company located in Ventura, Calif. The organization has been studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. Information on the study is available at Barna’s Web site at www.barna.org. (ABP, Dianna L. Cagle contributed)