“For Such a Time as This”
Gender Issues in Twenty-First Century Norwegian and Swedish Pentecostal Churches
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.v15i2.31409Keywords:
Gender, twenty-first century, Norway, Sweden, Pentecostal, churchAbstract
Although there has been a shift from a restrictive to a more egalitarian view regarding women in leadership in Norwegian and Swedish Pentecostal churches, new research has shown that relatively few women are actually ministering as pastors and elders. Although there are no pronounced theological obstacles for women as leaders, many Norwegian and Swedish women still view the movements as male dominated. This article traces the recent debate about women in leadership in Norwegian and Swedish Pentecostalism and highlights some of the female voices that have spoken out against the negligence of male leaders to promote women into leadership positions or as speakers in national conferences. The article further reflects on the relationship between gender issues in society and the situation of female leaders in the Pentecostal Movements and concludes by giving a number of suggestions of how to overcome the status quo.
References
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Benvenuti, S. “Anointed, Gifted and Called: Pentecostal Women in Ministry”. Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 17 (1995): 235.
Bergh, J. and A. Carlson. “Jämställdhet i Pingströrelsen: Informella och formella hinder för kvinnor” [“Equality in the Pentecostal Movement: Informal and Formal Obstacles for Women”]. 2013, www.pingstung.se/91-nyheter/100927-las-pingst-ungs-rapport- om-jamstalldheten-i-pingstrorelsen (accessed 19 February 2016).
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Cuadrado, I., E. Ferrer, F. Molero, J. F. Morales and M. Navas. “Gender Differences in Leadership Styles as a Function of Leader and Subordinates’ Sex and Type of Organization”. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 42.12 (2012): 3083–113.
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Kristoffersen, S. and A. Hegertun. “Kvinner ønsket” [“Women Wanted”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (19 December 2014): 30.
Langberg, Ø. K. “Likestillingslandet Norge har blitt likestillingssinke” [“The Egalitarian Country Norway has become Egalitarian Delayed”], Aftenposten [Evening Post] (2 March 2015), www.aftenposten.no/okonomi/Likestillingslandet-Norge-er-blittlikestillingssinke-7921980.html (accessed 24 February 2016).
Lindberg, A. Förkunnarna och deras utbildning: Utbildningsfrågan inom Pingströrelsen, Lewi Petrus ideologiska roll och de kvinnliga förkunnarnas situation [The Preachers and Their Education: The Issue of Education in the Pentecostal Movement, the Ideological Role of Lewi Pethrus and the Situation of the Female Preachers]. Lund: Lund University Press, 1991.
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Madden, C. “Mentoring Women”. In Clifton and Grey (eds), Raising Women Leaders: n.p.
Myklebust, A. “Flere pinse-kvinner, takk” [“More Pentecostal-Women, Thank You”]. Vårt Land [Our Country] (29 November 2014), www.vl.no/2.616/flere-pinse-kvinnertakk-1.302225 (accessed 20 February 2016).
Nilsson, N.-O. “The Debate on Women’s Ministry in the Swedish Pentecostal Movement: Summary and Analysis”. Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 22 (2000): 61–83.
Nyli, T. O. “Etterlysning kvinner” [“Women Wanted”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (7 February 2014): 36.
—. “Kvinnenes tid er nå” [“The Time for Women is Now”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (5 February 2016): 36–7.
Oskarsson, G. N. “Kvinnorna marginaliserades när väckelsen etablerats: ‘Systrarna’ länge utanför församlingsledningarna” [“Women Were Marginalized when the Revival became Established: ‘The Sisters’ Were for a Long Time Outside the Leadership of the Congregations”]. In C. Waern (ed.), Pingströrelsen: Verksamheter och särdrag under 1900-talet [The Pentecostal Movement: Activities and Characteristics during the 20th Century], vol 2. Örebro: Libris, 2007: 267–83.
Parbing, B. “Focus: Leadership and Prostitution”. NIKK Magasin 1 (2009), www.nikk.no/ wp-content/uploads/NIKKmag20091.pdf (accessed 23 February 2016): 2.
—. “Somebody Is Making You Feel Stupid”. NIKK Magasin 1 (2009), www.nikk.no/wpcontent/uploads/NIKKmag20091.pdf (accessed 23 February 2016): 8–11.
Pinsebevegelsen i Norge. Visjon og ordninger: Grunnlagsdokument for Pinsebevegelsen i Norge [Vision and Ordinances: Foundational Document for the Pentecostal Movement]. Oslo: Pinsebevegelsen, 14 March 2013, http://pinsebevegelsen. no/_Resources/Persistent/0aa4a900564d51c1a76ed1b5c9ed0f912c0bad0b/ Pinsebevegelsens-Grunnlagsdokument14.03.13.pdf (accessed 24 February 2016).
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Seljestad, T. “Likestilling, likestillingspolitikk og kjønnsroller: En tilpasning til den maskuline dominans?” [“Equality, Equality Policy and Gender Roles: Becoming Accustomed to Male Dominance?”]. MA thesis, Universitetet i Agder, 2008.
Vrabel, B. M. S. “Kvinnelige eldste og forstandere? En undersøkelse av endringer i synet på kvinnelige eldste og forstandere i den norske pinsebevegelsen gjennom de siste hundre år” [“Female Elders and Senior Pastors? An Examination of the Change of Views of Female Elders and Senior Pastors in the Norwegian Pentecostal Movement Over the Last Hundred Years”]. MA thesis, Det teologiske menighetsfakultet Oslo, 2007.
Yukl, G. Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2010.
Arntsen, I. O. “Mannsdominert bevegelse” [“Male-Dominated Movement”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (28 November 2014): 26.
Basford, T. E., L. R. Offerman and T. S. Behrend. “Do You See What I See? Perceptions of Gender and Microaggression in the Workplace”. Psychology of Women Quarterly 38 (2014): 340–49.
Benvenuti, S. “Anointed, Gifted and Called: Pentecostal Women in Ministry”. Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 17 (1995): 235.
Bergh, J. and A. Carlson. “Jämställdhet i Pingströrelsen: Informella och formella hinder för kvinnor” [“Equality in the Pentecostal Movement: Informal and Formal Obstacles for Women”]. 2013, www.pingstung.se/91-nyheter/100927-las-pingst-ungs-rapport- om-jamstalldheten-i-pingstrorelsen (accessed 19 February 2016).
Bergstrøm I. I., “Gender Differences in Leadership a Myth”. Kilden Kjønnsforskning [Kilden Gender Research] (11 January 2013), http://kjonnsforskning.no/nb/node/7872 (accessed 23 February 2016).
Björk, A. Ledarskap i svenska pingstförsamlingar – då och nu [Leadership in Swedish Pentecostal Congregations – Then and Now]. Stockholm: Teologiska Högskolan Stockholm, 1999, www.pingst.se/om-pingst/fakta-och-forskning/digitala-resurser (accessed 19 February 2016).
Carlsson, B. “Organizations and Decision Procedures within the Swedish Pentecostal Movement”. Skrifter utgivna av Insamlingsstiftelsen för pingstforskning [Writings Published by the Collection Foundation for Pentecostal Research] 1 (2008), www. pingst.se/resources/nr-2-organizations-and-decision-procedures-within- the-swedish-pentecostal-movement-2carlssonorgani_-699901620-pdf (accessed 18 February 2016).
Catford, C. “Women’s Experiences: Challenges for Female Leaders in Pentecostal Contexts”. In Clifton and Grey (eds), Raising Women Leaders: n.p.
Clifton, S. and J. Gray. “Introduction to Raising Women Leaders”. In Clifton and Grey (eds), Raising Women Leaders: n.p.
Clifton, S. and J. Gray (eds). Raising Women Leaders: Perspectives on Liberating Women in Pentecostal and Charismatic Contexts. Sydney: Australian Pentecostal Studies, 2009 (Kindle edition).
Cuadrado, I., E. Ferrer, F. Molero, J. F. Morales and M. Navas. “Gender Differences in Leadership Styles as a Function of Leader and Subordinates’ Sex and Type of Organization”. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 42.12 (2012): 3083–113.
Flemmen, H. “Den skjulte makten: Ingjald Nissen og hans samfunnskritikk” [“The Hidden Power: Ingjald Nissen and His Social Criticism”]. MA thesis, Universitetet i Oslo, 2010, www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/25009 (accessed 24 February 2016).
Fogarty, S. “Gender and Leadership Behavior Among Senior Pastors”. Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 12 (2009): 137–67.
Fugleseth, W. “Kvinnene kommer” [“The Women are Coming”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (22 January 2016): 18.
Gunnestad, K. T. “Kvinner i lederskap i Pinsebevegelsen i Norge: En undersøkelse av endring i synet på kvinner i eldste- og forstandertjeneste i Pinsebevegelsen i Norge” [“Women in Leadership in the Pentecostal Movement in Norway: An Examination of the Change of View of Women in the Functions of Elders and Senior Pastors in the Pentecostal Movement in Norway”]. In K. W. Sæther and K. I. Tangen (eds), Pentekostale Perspektiver [Pentecostal Perspectives]. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget, 2015: 203–20.
Halsaa, B. “Kvinneforskning” [“Gender Research”]. In J. Lorentzen and W. Muhleisen (eds), Kjønnsforskning: En grunnbok [Gender Research: A Foundational Book]. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget, 2006).
Hegertun, A. “Kvinner er ønsket som ledere” [“Women Wanted as Leaders”]. Verdidebatt [Value Debate] (12 December 2014), www.verdidebatt.no/debatt/cat12/subcat13/ thread11544407 (accessed 20 February 2016).
Hovden, J. “Når kvinner blir sand i maskineriet: Kjønn, interaksjon og makt i idrettspolitiske beslutningsprosesser” [“When Women become Sand in the Machinery: Gender, Interaction and Power in Sports Politics”]. Sosiologisk tidsskrift [Journal of Sociology] 3 (1999).
Kristoffersen, S. and A. Hegertun. “Kvinner ønsket” [“Women Wanted”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (19 December 2014): 30.
Langberg, Ø. K. “Likestillingslandet Norge har blitt likestillingssinke” [“The Egalitarian Country Norway has become Egalitarian Delayed”], Aftenposten [Evening Post] (2 March 2015), www.aftenposten.no/okonomi/Likestillingslandet-Norge-er-blittlikestillingssinke-7921980.html (accessed 24 February 2016).
Lindberg, A. Förkunnarna och deras utbildning: Utbildningsfrågan inom Pingströrelsen, Lewi Petrus ideologiska roll och de kvinnliga förkunnarnas situation [The Preachers and Their Education: The Issue of Education in the Pentecostal Movement, the Ideological Role of Lewi Pethrus and the Situation of the Female Preachers]. Lund: Lund University Press, 1991.
Lindvåg Forsker, A. “Kvinner ydmykes på arbeidsplassen” [“Researcher: Women are Humiliated at the Workplace”]. Vårt Land [Our Land] (10 May 2014), www. vl.no/2.615/forsker-kvinner-ydmykes-p%C3%A5-arbeidsplassen-1.81367 (accessed 20 February 2016).
Madden, C. “Mentoring Women”. In Clifton and Grey (eds), Raising Women Leaders: n.p.
Myklebust, A. “Flere pinse-kvinner, takk” [“More Pentecostal-Women, Thank You”]. Vårt Land [Our Country] (29 November 2014), www.vl.no/2.616/flere-pinse-kvinnertakk-1.302225 (accessed 20 February 2016).
Nilsson, N.-O. “The Debate on Women’s Ministry in the Swedish Pentecostal Movement: Summary and Analysis”. Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 22 (2000): 61–83.
Nyli, T. O. “Etterlysning kvinner” [“Women Wanted”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (7 February 2014): 36.
—. “Kvinnenes tid er nå” [“The Time for Women is Now”]. Korsets Seier [The Victory of the Cross] (5 February 2016): 36–7.
Oskarsson, G. N. “Kvinnorna marginaliserades när väckelsen etablerats: ‘Systrarna’ länge utanför församlingsledningarna” [“Women Were Marginalized when the Revival became Established: ‘The Sisters’ Were for a Long Time Outside the Leadership of the Congregations”]. In C. Waern (ed.), Pingströrelsen: Verksamheter och särdrag under 1900-talet [The Pentecostal Movement: Activities and Characteristics during the 20th Century], vol 2. Örebro: Libris, 2007: 267–83.
Parbing, B. “Focus: Leadership and Prostitution”. NIKK Magasin 1 (2009), www.nikk.no/ wp-content/uploads/NIKKmag20091.pdf (accessed 23 February 2016): 2.
—. “Somebody Is Making You Feel Stupid”. NIKK Magasin 1 (2009), www.nikk.no/wpcontent/uploads/NIKKmag20091.pdf (accessed 23 February 2016): 8–11.
Pinsebevegelsen i Norge. Visjon og ordninger: Grunnlagsdokument for Pinsebevegelsen i Norge [Vision and Ordinances: Foundational Document for the Pentecostal Movement]. Oslo: Pinsebevegelsen, 14 March 2013, http://pinsebevegelsen. no/_Resources/Persistent/0aa4a900564d51c1a76ed1b5c9ed0f912c0bad0b/ Pinsebevegelsens-Grunnlagsdokument14.03.13.pdf (accessed 24 February 2016).
Scott, H. G. Dear Mighty Things: Mapping the Challenges of Leadership for Christian Women. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014.
Seljestad, T. “Likestilling, likestillingspolitikk og kjønnsroller: En tilpasning til den maskuline dominans?” [“Equality, Equality Policy and Gender Roles: Becoming Accustomed to Male Dominance?”]. MA thesis, Universitetet i Agder, 2008.
Vrabel, B. M. S. “Kvinnelige eldste og forstandere? En undersøkelse av endringer i synet på kvinnelige eldste og forstandere i den norske pinsebevegelsen gjennom de siste hundre år” [“Female Elders and Senior Pastors? An Examination of the Change of Views of Female Elders and Senior Pastors in the Norwegian Pentecostal Movement Over the Last Hundred Years”]. MA thesis, Det teologiske menighetsfakultet Oslo, 2007.
Yukl, G. Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2010.
Published
2016-11-16
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Smidsrød, Åse-M. (2016). “For Such a Time as This”: Gender Issues in Twenty-First Century Norwegian and Swedish Pentecostal Churches. PentecoStudies, 15(2), 200–220. https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.v15i2.31409
