17155. ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: BREAKING THROUGH THE STAINED-GLASS CEILING OR FACING BACKLASH? RESEARCH DESIGN FOR AN EXPLORATORY STUDY. This paper presents a research design for an exploratory study of attitudes towards women’s changing role in Christian churches across the U.S. The study focuses on gender, denominational, and clergy/lay differences in attitudes towards women assuming leadership roles in the church. A sampling of the relevant literature is briefly reviewed. The proposed methodology uses a grounded theory framework and draws on both quantitative and qualitative methods. Proposed data collection methods include a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Written 2003. 11 pages; 45 footnotes; 41 bibliographic sources. 3,174 words.