The Church of the Global South must empower women by recognising and enabling their potential in service and leadership, Rev. Dr. Julie Ma said at the second Pentecostal Conference last week.
Dr. Ma, who is a professor of Missiology and Intercultural Studies at Oral Roberts University, shared this after giving a talk on Women’s Leadership in Asia and Their Influence on Global Christianity.
“A first step that pastors and ministers can take in empowering women leaders is to be observant. Observe your congregation because at times, women have gifts but [because of cultural circumstances] they are reserved or passive,” she said.
Leadership should be based on gifting and calling, not gender
Rev. Dr. Eva Wong of Malaysia Pentecostal Research Centre dove into the issue further, speaking on biblical equality in Pentecostal leadership in the 21st century.
Sharing from own experience growing up in a context where girls were not treated equal, Rev. Wong discussed the gender gap in Asia in her talk on the second day.
The Asian Development Bank reported that Southeast Asian women earn between 30 and 40% less than men. In Malaysia and Singapore, men earn up to 45% more than women in professional and management positions.
“The patriarchal culture is so deeply entrenched and ingrained among Asians that similar conditions are prevalent in Christian organisations, churches and institutions alike,” she revealed.
Although many women rose up as leaders in the denomination in the early 20th century, the influence of complementarianism and fundamentalism advanced the position of men as the head and women as subordinates.
However, there has been a shift towards biblical egalitarianism in the past three decades in the Assemblies of God movement.
The way forward, maintained Dr. Wong, is to advance policies that uphold gender equality in roles, responsibilities and benefits.
“Leadership should be based on gifting and calling, not gender, with equal support and opportunities for every level,” she added.
Dr. Wong also charged the Pentecostal Church to be a prophetic voice, catalyst for gender equality and advocate for equal leadership roles in Asia, with churches taking drastic measures to model equal empowerment and gender equality in leadership roles and ministry.
In Asia, women face barriers both in the church and society
On a global scale, Dr. Ma pointed out that traditionally, women have been victims of gender inequality in education, employment and leadership growth.
“In Asia, the situation is worse because of its cultural views of women. Women face challenges from identity to exploitation and the lack of opportunity,” the scholar noted.
She listed several challenges faced by women in the Global South:
- Identity – Overcoming restrictions in creating their identity in a particular social context. In many regions of Asia, a woman’s identity stems from husband or children, known more as a wife or mother.
- Human Trafficking – approximately 800,000 persons are trafficked internationally. 50% are minors, 80% are women or girls. The most typical motives are forced labour and the sex trade.
- Women’s Ordination – a contentious and complex issue in the global South
- Confucian influence on the Asian worldview – an emphasis on hierarchy, not equality. For example, a husband is seen as greater than his wife.
- New Christian knowledge – Literature lasts much longer than us and travels much farther. If there’s no publishing, then there’s perishing.
- Women as decision-makers – there’s a glass ceiling for women’s advancement in leadership in many Pentecostal churches.
Amid unfavourable circumstances, however, women missionaries and leaders in history have shown that when empowered by the Holy Spirit, they can be agents of transformation.
History has shown women who rose up to obey God’s call
Unpacking the Spirit-empowered ministry of Pentecostal women, Dr. Ma shared the stories of women whose obedience changed the landscape of society wherever they were.
From Pandita Ramabai Saraswati who led the Mukti Revivals in India in 1905 to Margaret Benson-Idahosa, who became the first African female archbishop in 2009, the Holy Spirit has and continues to use women in Pentecostal ministry.
Over the century, Dr. Ma explained, these women were unyieldingly committed to God’s call in the face of adverse cultural and social forces.
“Their logic was simple: Who is ‘man’ to stop us, if the Spirit has called us?” They knew what they were called to do. When God calls us to do something, no one can stop us,” she said.
Dr. Ma pointed out that first and foremost, they believed in and experienced the power of the Holy Spirit for themselves.
“These women had unyielding commitment to God’s call in the face of adverse cultural and social forces, and shared a passion for the suffering and marginalised in society. The outcome of their ministries was the promotion of rights, equality and well-being of people they ministered to,” she shared.
Another important observation through history was how pentecostal women leaders served as role models for the young generation of women, especially for girls in deprived social contexts.
In Papua New Guinea, research suggests that female missionaries and church planters paved the way for cultural change and helped local women take up leadership roles in their own communities.
In the modern era, many non-Western women have also pursued higher education and had an impact in different academic worlds.
A total of 40 evangelical missionary organisations were also headed by women at the start of the 20th century.
“In culturally unfavourable circumstances, women’s gifts are frequently hidden. As women, we must be very conscious of the opportunities and gifts God has given us,” Dr. Ma concluded by saying.
“Women in the Global South have a chance to play a significant part in creating a new global Christianity… [but] the gospel and the Church must also empower women by recognising their potential and enablement.”
The Holy Spirit is working in and through Asia
In other sessions at the conference, her husband Rev. Dr. Wonsuk Ma shared on Spirit-empowered leadership in Asia and the crucial role of strong leaders in the Pentecostal movement.
Interestingly, whilst classic Pentecostalism is often traced to the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, revival in Asia goes as far back as 1860.
Indian preacher John Christian Arulappan was instrumental in a series of revivals in 1860, and the 1905 Mukti Revival led by Pandita Ramabai was a precursor to the Azusa Street Revival.
Another speaker was Rev. Dr. Vincent Leoh, former General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Malaysia, who encouraged the Asian church to study how God has moved in this region throughout history.
“The key to pentecostalism is prayer and hunger. It’s not something high and lofty that no one can reach. When we are hungry, revival can happen again,” he said.
Organised by the Malaysia Pentecostal Research Centre (MPRC), the Pentecostal Conference was held at the Bible College of Malaysia on 19 and 20 September.
The second edition of the Malaysian Pentecostal Journal was also launched in conjunction with the conference, with the journal a festschrift in honour of the late Rev. Tan Sri Dr Prince Guneratnam.
Participants found the sessions enlightening, keenly appreciating the exchange of learning and various perspectives offered by both the international and Malaysian speakers.
As Dr. Ma said, Pentecostal Conference 2024 wrapped up as an event “demonstrating the promising contribution of Malaysian Pentecostalism for the future of the Asian and world church.”
To explore the Malaysian Pentecostal Journal or learn more about the Malaysia Pentecostal Research Centre, click here. Read more about the Pentecostal Conference 2024 here.
All photos provided by BCM / Mike Soh unless otherwise stated.
