“This is not a time for business as usual.” In the Black Church, this claim feels especially urgent. Although Black women make up about 70–80 percent of active members in historically Black congregations, they remain underrepresented in senior pastoral and denominational leadership. This gap reflects deeper problems in church structures and beliefs that shape who is seen as qualified to preach, lead, and represent God.
Drawing on interviews and survey responses from Black women clergy across several denominations, this paper explores how they navigate these barriers while creating new possibilities for leadership, community, and theology. Using a womanist framework, I center Black clergywomen’s lived experiences as a source of theological insight, describing this work as “womanist futuring.”
Their stories challenge narratives of despair by offering forms of God-talk that reimagine authority, calling, and community. Rather than accepting marginalization, these leaders build networks of support and model justice-centered leadership, offering powerful visions for the future of the church and religious scholarship.