31 was based on Vernon’s established criterion that includes an expert continuum. That is, “the level of expertise sought varies according to the needs of the study.”17 The selection is controlled for expert knowledge and as a result is non-random and subjective in nature.18 The current study had two expert panels based on the age of the panel members. One panel included millennial women 18 to 35 years of age and the other panel included non-millennial women 36 years old and older. The panel age range was established based on the generational divide between the millennial generation and those who are older. At the time of the current study, millennials were between the ages of 16 and 35 years old. It was anticipated the two panels would reflect different ideologies regarding ministry with women based on the prevailing literature.19 The Delphi process consisted of four rounds of questions with feedback from two panels of experts using an Internet-based data collection system. Contact was scheduled with the expert panels by e-mail one week after the survey was delivered to encourage completion of the data collection process. Following guidelines from the literature,20 consensus was achieved when a minimum of 70% of the expert panel indicated agreement. A five-point Likert scale was utilized for rounds 2 and 3.21 The range was: 1 - unimportant: 2 - less important: 3 - do not know/depends: 4 - important: 5 - essential. Four research questions were addressed: 1) What will be the purpose of women’s ministry during the next 20 to 25 years; 2) How will women’s ministry implement change over the next 20 to 25 years; 3) What factors will have the greatest impact on women’s ministry over the next 20 to 25 years; and 4) What are the differences in how millennials and older generations view the future of women’s ministry? Agreement was established when a minimum of 70% of the experts agreed as indicated by the score on the Likert scale for each women’s ministry attribute. When an attribute received less than 70% agreement on the Likert scale, the attribute was returned to the panel for reranking. All items reaching 70% or more agreement were moved to a consensus list for priority ranking in round 4. THE FUTURE OF WOMEN’S MINISTRY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
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