Pastoral Ministry from the Margins: Pastors’ Wives in Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study researched pastors’ wives from the Apostolic Faith Church Mission in Zimbabwe as a case study to understand gender-sensitive leadership models in African Pentecostal churches. Women are the majority in both Apostolic Faith Missions and all the churches, hence the focus of pastoral ministry on women. The pastors’ wives’ contributions to the pastoral ministry are hardly told, as effective ministry is accredited to male leadership. Pastors’ wives are not “ordained to the ministry; they are regarded as helpers of their spouses who received a calling to ministry.” In reality, pastors’ wives bear enormous responsibility for the church by contributing financial and human resources to the ministry. Pastors’ wives are not trained; hence, they employ “experiential theology” to meet the needs of their fellow women. The overarching aim of this study was to explore the contribution of pastors’ wives to pastoral ministry in the African Pentecostal churches. The study used “pastoral ministry” as a conceptual framework. The study employed a qualitative methodology, and data were gathered through in-depth interviews. The study concludes that pastors’ wives’ pastoral ministry is a useful tool for church growth and should not operate from the margins.

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