Cheryl Catford

A New Era for Pentecostal Women Leaders?: a Case Study: Explaining the Increase in Numbers of Women Leaders in the Crc in Australia 1990-2005 Cheryl Catford

In the fifteen years from 1990 to 2005, the number of women pastors in the Australian Pentecostal denomination, the Christian Revival Crusade (CRC) rose from six to 68 and the percentage of women credential holders from 3.5 % to 18.7 %. This trend was mirrored during the same period among the vast majority of Pentecostal denominations in the western world. Could this change signify a new era for women leaders in Pentecostalism? Using the CRC as a case study, this book systematically examines five possible explanations for the increase, testing each hypothesis by analysis of primary documents, statistical analysis of survey responses, interview transcripts and written survey comments. The findings are surprising and the conclusions of this book suggest that the ?new era for women? is not as deep-rooted in theology as it is a response to pragmatics and cultural pressure. This leaves it far more vulnerable to future societal shifts than Pentecostal women leaders would find comforting.