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The Ordination of Women and the Church of England Today: Two Integrities, but One Pattern of Decline in Membership Statistics*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2009

Carol Roberts ,
Mandy Robbins ,
Leslie J. Francis  and
Peter Hills
Leslie J. Francis
Affiliation:
1.j.francis@bangor.ac.uk
Peter Hills
Affiliation:
Peter Hills was Honorary Research Fellow at the Welsh National Centre for Religious Education, University of Wales, Bangor.
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Abstract

The Church of England remains deeply divided over the ordination of women. The present study charts the debate from the early 1990s and reanalyses centrally collected statistics to identify how the 42 mainland dioceses have responded so differently to the opportunity to ordain women to the priesthood. Then the rate of growth or decline in terms of membership statistics within the dioceses is assessed against their attitude toward the ordination of women. The data demonstrate that dioceses which have apparntly encouraged the ordination of women have overall experienced neither greater nor lesser decline in terms of membership statistics than dioceses which have apparently discouraged the ordination of women.

Keywords

clergywomenChurch of Englandchurch growthchurch declineempirical
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Anglican Studies , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , December 2006 , pp. 201 - 218
Copyright
Copyright © SAGE Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore) and The Journal of Anglican Studies Trust 2006

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