Women in Leadership in Theological Education

Theological education has always been an important aspect of leadership development in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Part of ensuring that seminaries and divinity schools can prepare leaders who are able to meet the needs of the present age means that schools must have qualified, visionary and diverse leadership to oversee their academic missions. Part of the shift that is taking place across theological education is the increasing number of women in key leadership positions. Today, women serve in key leadership positions at all of our theological institutions, with two of them in particular having women in the top leadership position. Dr. Kristine Culp has served as Dean of the Disciples Divinity House of the University of Chicago for more than twenty-five years and Dr. Charisse Gillet has served as president of Lexington Theological Seminary for over seven years.

Throughout the history of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), women have taken on roles as leaders.  In the 1800s, women spurred the church to action both domestically and abroad, leading to the creation of the Christian Women’s Board of Mission and the National Benevolent Association. In 2005, the Disciples elected Sharon Watkins as the first woman as head of a mainline protestant denomination in the US. As demographic shifts lead to more women students in seminary and more women in church leadership, it is certainly important that more of that diversity be reflected in the leadership of theological education.