Women in Indian Pentecostalism

Abstract Many women contributed to the emergence of Pentecostal communities in Thiruvananthapuram, the southernmost district of Kerala, India. Among them, four unmarried women: L. Kamalam, L. Baby, N. Thankam, and J. Jagadamma (popularly known as Kodangavila sisters) exercised their spiritual capital and crossed gender boundaries in the ministry space. They navigated their gender identity amidst the existing gender prejudices in the Pentecostal community. They exercised their spiritual capital as missionaries, Church planters, preachers, teachers, exorcists, leaders, prophetesses, etc. They influenced many people, including men, to dedicate their lives to the ministry. They worked ‘with’ male leadership without ‘openly’ challenging the patriarchal social etiquette and traditions. However, they covertly challenged the authority of male leadership. They followed the ‘accept-cum-reject’ approach for the male-female power equations in the ministry. This article attempts to narrate the unique characteristics of the life and ministry of the Kodangavila sisters, particularly how they used their spiritual capital to overcome the ‘disabilities’ of the female gender in an androcentric ministerial space/Church. They speak to contemporary Pentecostals, particularly women, and motivate them to channelize their spiritual capital as a tool of empowerment for equalizing ‘gendered’ space in ministry and community.