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| author |
Sushama Meredith Cleva Austin-Connor
| | title |
A Theology of Liberative Wellness for Black Women Clergy
| | abstract |
What would a liberative wellness program rooted in Womanist and Black theology look like, and what impact could it have on Black women clergy and lay leaders? What vision of theologically rooted wholeness and support is needed? In this project, I argue that given their unique range of caregiver identities, social pressures, and nuanced stressors around race and Blackness, Black clergywomen need a stronger and more adaptive self-care framework and model for pursuing their physical health and well-being. I then argue that such a framework, undergirded by scholarship from Womanist and Black theology, would be effective and sustainable as Black clergywomen care for themselves and for their communities in the ministry contexts in which they are working. In the first chapter, I reflect theologically on suffering and redemption in sharing my personal story of complicated Blackness, the intergenerational nature of my Blackness narrative, and its side effects. In addition, I reflect on other burdens specific to a Black woman pastor's call and ministry setting. In the second chapter, I provide context to emphasize the obvious gaps in Black women's suffering and contentment by providing an overview of the medical health, mental health, and self-care industry using data, statistics, and lifestyle and popular culture examples. In the third chapter, I share the results of my qualitative research data from two focus groups and nine individual interviews with Black women ministers in various forms and stages of ministry. Themes from my conversations reveal the lived experiences of Black clergywomen, including the self-care practices (or lack thereof), stressors, joys, and burdens of faith leaders. For my interviews, I relied on a representative sample of women ministers in the Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary. In my conclusion, I share practical next steps in creating formal and informal strategies for a liberative wellness framework. I offer lessons learned from three organizations as examples of formal and less formal frameworks. Gleaned from interviews, focus groups, and general research, I also discovered timeless lessons from Black clergywomen's God-talk.
| | school |
The Theological School, Drew University
| | degree |
D.Min. (2022)
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| advisor |
Traci C West
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| committee |
Bernice P Jackson
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| full text | SAustin-Connor.pdf |
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