New Zealand Christian church attitudes to the ordination of women : a selective bibliography

Abstract

Although most New Zealand Christian churches now permit female ordination, it remains controversial. There is still vigorous debate within denominations, and ordained female ministers are not always well accepted by church members. This bibliography is designed to improve access to material about this topic. It focuses on official views, debate within denominations, and the experiences of ordained women. It also focuses on the reasons for these responses, whether church attitudes are primarily a question of theology, tradition, or social changes, including the influence of feminism. Some of the new forms of ministry that are emerging, especially team ministry involving lay people, are also examined. The bibliography covers the mainline (Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian) and the main Pentecostal denominations (Assemblies of God, Apostolic, Elim, New Life and Destiny) from 1945 to 5 June 2006, one week before the completion date for the bibliography.