Abstract
The phenomena where religion decides to break its own boundaries, is one where a lack of information exists. This study sought to explore the lived experiences of clergywomen inside the churches considering the limited local studies and literature conducted about clergywomen in the country. In light of this, additional knowledge is contributed to the few existing bodies of literature, specifically information about clergywomen’s challenges, roles, and how they view themselves, highlighting the essence of clergywomen in the country. Purposive sampling was used to select participants with predetermined standards of serving the church as a clergywoman and actively participating in religious activities. This study utilized phenomenology, which included conducting one-on-one semi-structured interviews to gather data. The findings presented “ascension to pastoral ministry", “roles and responsibilities", “financial difficulty", "mockery", and "disagreement” as themes. It was also found that the participants have positive relationships, a supportive environment, and “positive view of themselves” even though they experienced struggles. The participants had different roles in the church, encountered several struggles, and had painful yet pleasing experiences as they defined them, leading them to have a positive view of themselves. Based on the findings, it is recommended to women in clergy, religious institutions and to the community to be more accepting of clergywomen in religious organizations. Moreover, further studies regarding clergywomen with different backgrounds such as single and married clergywomen as well as other members of the church including LGBT+ members are emphasized for future researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomena.
