Abstract:
Although marriage between men and women is a universal phenomenon, women usually
play a central role in relationship maintenance which often-times places a strain on them.
Existing studies have dealt with different aspects of women’s lives and their spirituality,
there is however a dearth of scholarship in linking women’s spiritual engagement in a
Christian women’s prayer assembly and the stability of marriages. This study was,
therefore, designed to examine the relationship between Christian women prayer
assemblies and the stability of marriages, by exploring the influence of the assemblies on
marriage stability, the benefits, challenges, and the combination of marriage and church
attendance in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Needs and Gender Role theories provided the framework. Convenience sampling and
mixed-methods design were used. Primary data was collected from 346 respondents and
40 informants in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (126 respondents and 12
informants), Joy Cometh Ministries (72 respondents and nine informants), Christ
Apostolic Church (59 respondents and seven informants), New Covenant Gospel Church
(48 respondents and seven informants), and We are Alive in Him Overcomers Ministry
(41 respondents and five informants) using convenience and purposive sampling
techniques. The frequency and benefits of their attendance, spousal support, and the
timing of the programme with their family roles were among the questions answered.
Participant observation was used to collect data on activities within the assemblies.
Books, online articles, and journals were used as secondary data sources. Quantitative
data was analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic and narrative analyses were
adopted for qualitative data.
Respondents age range from 18 to 55 and above, with 53.0% having a bachelor’s
degrees. Marriage length ranged from a few months to more than ten years. Majority
Women (74.8%) believed the prayer assemblies had an impact on their marriage
stability. While a few women, however, believed that individual attitude and spousal
communication were most important for marriage stability. They also perceived (25.2%)
that a woman could leave the marriage to preserve her life should prayers and
interventions fail. Majority (96.7%) of women believed that attending prayer assemblies
was beneficial in terms of peace of mind and child training. Most in-laws of women
(87%) did not object to their attendance at the assemblies. However, (13%) had in-laws
who objected. The in-laws who objected were of a different religion. Furthermore,
spousal awareness (64%) and support (87%) were high among the participants.
Participants had opposing views on how to balance routine housework and attend
assembly meetings. The liturgy of the women prayer assemblies investigated was
similar, and the wife of the presiding pastor was head of the assemblies. The
participation of male pastors in offering prayers, as well as the institution and nature of
the annual women's conference, are significant differences among the assemblies
studied.
Women attending prayer assemblies perceived that the meetings contributed to the
stability of their marriage. Further research should explore men prayer assemblies
towards understanding how they are similar or different from women assemblies.