Finding Work-Life Balance

The role of women in the church has been an ongoing debate. On the one hand, the Complementarians maintain that women should only play a supportive role in church affairs. On the other hand, the egalitarians believe that the Bible expressly sets women free to be church leaders, including being ordained as church ministers. International Church of Christ (ICOC), Nairobi, has excelled in including women in the full-time leadership roles of the church. The pastors¿ wives, aka women¿s ministry leaders (WMLs), serve alongside their husbands in the ministry by leading the women in the church. This model has produced a robust women¿s ministry and minimized the rampant cases of male pastors being inappropriately involved in sexual scandals with female congregants. Theological reflection gave examples of people who faced challenges with workload and the measures they adopted including rest, proper nutrition, being with God, and developing new leaders. Context analysis of ICOC, Nairobi revealed that the extended family structure and the absence of conveniences make it more difficult for the WMLs to juggle their roles, unlike their Western counterparts.