Encouragement

The True Source of Our Authority

We can’t depend on our education, willpower, or gifts.
The True Source of Our Authority
Image:

“Study Scripture. Paul did not allow women to teach or preach in the churches. Keep studying, God is not liberal.”

It’s unsettling to get this Facebook message from a total stranger. It’s even more unsettling to receive it six times in one day. The unfortunate truth is that most women in ministry receive some version of this in their inboxes on a regular ...

continue reading

I Grew Up with Two Women Pastors

Seeing two women lead our church gave me the freedom to pursue the gifts God had given me.
I Grew Up with Two Women Pastors
Image:

I was brought up under the leadership of two women pastors, Sister Opal Eckert and Sister Mary Slaughterbeck. It was a small country church, and God chose these women to mentor me in leadership, especially church leadership. These women knew how to serve others, loving and caring for those around them. They knew their Bibles, not only for information but for transformation. ...

continue reading

Influence Across Gender Lines

Catherine of Siena is an unlikely example of bold leadership.
Influence Across Gender Lines
Image:

I feel a connection with Catherine of Siena, even though she lived in the 14th century. The first inkling I had that we might be kindred spirits was through a “Holy Week Personality Type” chart that imagined how the saints would fall on the Myers-Briggs personality test. Whoever put this chart together decided Catherine of Siena was an INFJ like me. That was just ...

continue reading

God Calls All Women

But we don’t all have the same calling.
God Calls All Women
Image:

Understanding our identity in Christ gives us purpose. God has a specific purpose for each of us, a unique calling for each individual. Our shared and primary purpose is to become disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ. Our secondary callings are unique and are birthed out of our submission to the primary calling.

The body of Christ misses out when we attempt to force all women ...

continue reading

Make a Difference for the Kingdom

Whether or not your name eventually appears in history books, we’re all called to do our part.
Make a Difference for the Kingdom
Image:

Editor’s Note: As we wrap up Women’s History Month this week, we want to remind you that you have a valuable role to play in God’s plan—even if your name never appears in history books. Today we celebrate all the women who have fought the fight, lived fully, and loved generously without public recognition, and that includes you. —Amy Jackson

When ...

continue reading

Easter Is Good News for Women Leaders

Though the world tells us we don’t matter or that we’re less-than, God clearly says otherwise.
Easter Is Good News for Women Leaders
Image:

The Easter story makes me laugh. Namely because it’s so relatable to women leaders in the church. Consider the scene at dawn on Easter morning. All four Gospels record the story, yet there are some differences. Did you know, for instance, that each Gospel lists different women discovering the empty tomb?

Matthew lists Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary.” Mark’s ...

continue reading

Lead Like Your Introversion Is a Strength

Because it is!
Lead Like Your Introversion Is a Strength
Image:

Hello, my name is Angie, and I am an introverted leader.

I confess that it took me many years to make that statement with boldness. For years I thought that to be a good leader, I had to be an extrovert. Most of the leaders I knew seemed to have boundless energy for people, and to be energized by them in return. I, on the other hand, would get tired, irritable, and impatient ...

continue reading

The Legacy of Women in the Black Church

I stand on the shoulders of the strong black women who have gone before me.
The Legacy of Women in the Black Church
Image: Kheel Center/Flickr

I am a pulpit preacher. I do not come down to the floor in an effort to connect better with the congregation. I do not wander around the sanctuary with anxious energy meandering through my sermon, like a child in a corn maze. No, I stand firmly in my pulpit. Because when I am preaching from the pulpit, I am standing on the shoulders of women who are the propagators of the ...

continue reading

Step Out of Fear into Your Calling

How to overcome insecurity in ministry
Step Out of Fear into Your Calling
Image:

The non-denominational church I started wasn’t even a year old when a successful church-planter declared: “Your church will never make it!”

“Why do you say that?” I asked, feeling instantly wounded.

“Because you’re way too insecure!” He thoughtlessly replied.

Ouch. All these years later, I still feel the sting from his words.

On ...

continue reading

No Need to Downplay Your Leadership

God calls us to both humility and confidence.
No Need to Downplay Your Leadership
Image:

You've heard these phrases. Maybe you've said them:

  • It's not me—it's all God.
  • I'm nothing. Any talent I have comes right from God.
  • Oh thank you, but to God be all the glory!

They sound good, humble, even biblical. But are they?

And why do Christian women, in particular, tend to dismiss commendation and demean their own competence? Why can't we simply ...

continue reading

Follow us

FacebookTwitterRSS

free newsletters: