Gifted Women:

This morning I spoke with Donna, a church administrator and gifted leader, about a struggle she's facing. God has given her a passion for helping her church develop stronger leaders and mobilize them for ministry. She has taken the initiative to read, attend training workshops, and spend countless hours thinking about what her church might do to elevate its ministry. She has translated her passion and her knowledge into a compelling vision, which she shared with her pastor. The pastor embraced her vision and gave her license to present the vision to the church elders and lay leaders. The church was excited about the vision and the plan. About a month later, the trouble started.

The elders began to question whether she should be the one to execute the strategy, and they reassigned her role to one of the elders. Since that reassignment nothing has really happened, and she has grown anxious. When she followed up on the plan, she was informed that the elders think she has control issues.

Donna believes in male leadership, and she's not trying to upset the authority structure in her church. At the same time, God has given her gifts, passion, and a vision for change–which the church has embraced. She's frustrated that she has not been allowed to carry out the plan which she sees, understands, and communicates so clearly. What should she do?

I told Donna that I would share a little of her story with you–and I'm hoping many gifted women will share their words of encouragement, advice, and suggestions to help her. Donna, if you're out there, feel free to comment with more details about your story.