In the Sydney Anglican Diocese, complementarian ministry is typically considered a sign of adherence to Scripture and Anglican identity (Cameron 2016). This ministry practice can limit the experience of women and queer Christians. However, there is little research on the consequences of complementarian ministry in Sydney, or on the lived experiences of those who work and worship in Sydney Anglican churches. Existing work focuses on history and theology (Cameron 2016; Jensen MP 2012). Research in other church communities tells us that the score card for complementarianism is mixed. It has been identified as an identity marker, with little lived currency (Gallagher 2004a; Gallagher & Smith 1999), and as a barrier to church growth (Aune 2006, 2008a). A growing body of research identifies complementarian beliefs as contributing to intimate partner violence in faith communities (Aune & Barnes 2018; Baird & Gleeson 2017; Maddox Pidgeon 2021; Powell & Pepper 2021; Truong et al. 2020). At the same time, women in the Sydney Anglican Diocese advocate that complementarian ministry fosters spiritual flourishing (Smith 2012; Treweek 2014), and former Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen (2012), claims that gender complementary ministry is key to successful evangelism. In this thesis, I contend that to understand the contradictory social consequences of complementarianism, it is necessary to analyse complementarianism not as theology but as a specific ecclesial discourse, which shapes lived Sydney Anglicanism. I combine textual analysis of printed literature produced by diocesan leaders, with insights learned from the lived experience of Anglican parishioners and ministry staff, which were gathered through interviews, surveys and fieldwork from July 2019 – November 2020. Drawing on Foucault (1995 [1975]), Ahmed (2010, 2017) and Scott (2018), I suggest that complementarianism is an exclusionary and regulatory discourse that directs Anglicans towards ‘right’ belief and ‘right’ behaviour. I argue that complementarian discourse sets the standard for orthodoxy and orthopraxy, and measures individuals against it. It uses gender to maintain power, define orthodoxy, and shape the debate between complementarian and egalitarian Christians. To make the church a safer, more inclusive space, I advocate learning from the experiences of those who resist complementarianism.
Anglican Bodies: complementarian discourse, gender and evangelism in the Sydney Anglican Diocese
Shorter, R. C. (Author). 2025
Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis