The Remnant Radio's Podcast The Untold History Of Women In The Assemblies Of God: Interview With Dr. Joy Qualls
Dec 4, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Dr. Joy Qualls, a Pentecostal scholar and minister at Biola University, dives into the complex history of women in Assemblies of God leadership. She reveals the tension between empowering women through Pentecostal theology and the institutional barriers they face. Qualls shares inspiring stories of early Pentecostal heroines and critiques how respectability often stifles women’s roles. The conversation challenges traditional assumptions and emphasizes the need for honest dialogue around women's ministry in contemporary churches.
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Spirit Empowerment Enabled Early Women Leaders
- Pentecostal theology historically tied Spirit-empowerment to active ministry for women, not merely private piety.
- Dr. Joy Qualls shows early Pentecostal rhetoric affirmed women’s public ministry despite later institutional pullback.
Policy Versus Local Practice
- The Assemblies of God embeds women’s roles into its constitution and bylaws, not only position papers.
- Local autonomy and voluntary fellowship structure mean national policy often fails to consistently shape local practice.
Representative Roles Open Broader Doors
- Creating representative national roles for women and ethnic groups opened pathways to broader leadership.
- Dr. Qualls credits these EP positions with enabling women and minorities to later win non-representative executive roles.
