| abstract |
This dissertation examines the relationships between ordained and unordained pastors in the context of one United Methodist annual conference--the Tennessee Annual
Conference--to describe the sources of social stratification between these groups. The United Methodist Church has two primary categories of clergy serving as lead
pastors in its congregations: ordained elders and licensed local pastors. While members of both classifications of clergy leadership serve pastoral roles in
congregational settings, their relationships with the wider structures of the denomination differ considerably. These differences relate to the rights, privileges,
and responsibilities in their annual conferences (the geographic and administrative bodies into which United Methodists are divided), with elders holding privileged
positions in their ability to make decisions for larger church structures, their higher levels of salary, and their guarantee of a church position from year to year.
Additionally, local pastors and elders often view their roles and approach their work differently at points, due to differing theological outlooks as well as the ways
that the two groups' educational experiences differ. Because of these structural, educational, and attitudinal distinctions, the United Methodist Church has a de
facto two-tiered structure for its pastors, with unequal power dynamics between them. There exists an inherent (if not consciously acknowledged) competition for
positions of power among these various clergypersons. In this dissertation, the sociological work of Pierre Bourdieu provides a framework for analyzing the ways
in which this competition for privileged positions in the religious field of an annual conference takes place. Bourdieu's conception of capital allows for discussion
of the goods being pursued in this field (ordination, pastoral positions with greater pay and church memberships, etc.), while his concept of habitus describes the
inherent dispositions that differ between these groups of clergy.
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