Female songwriters and worship leaders in Evangelical churches face limitations that would be foreign to their male counterparts: they are expected to represent the balance between competent leader and submissive follower; to collaborate with men only in the presence of a group lest they become a temptation, and to dress in a way that is culturally appealing yet modest – to name a few examples. This dissertation examines women's experiences in the contemporary worship music industry by exploring representational issues of race, gender, class, sexuality, and identity as they relate to church culture and leadership styles. It takes an intersectional approach to understanding the layered forms of oppression faced by women in the industry, considering in particular the role of whiteness and heteronormativity as agents of homogeneity.

Grounded in Monique Ingalls' suggestion that contemporary worship music serves as a locus for the identity formation of those who participate in music making (2018), it is integral to consider which gendered beliefs and practices contemporary worship music upholds, and to interrogate how women see themselves represented in worship. Through ethnographic interviews with women songwriters and worship leaders in the industry, I examine their experiences “off stage” (as songwriters, producers, or audio/visual supports) and “on stage” (as worship leaders, instrumentalists, or background vocalists). I present case studies of women who have been "kicked off the stage," interrogating how industry values intertwine with women's personal and private lives. Drawing on feminist and womanist liturgical values (Proctor-Smith 1990; Allen 2021; Walton 2022), this dissertation ultimately constructs a vision for contemporary worship that counters gendered and racial limitations and moves towards a fuller vision of God's diverse and liberated kindom.