2016
Three Days Post-Election: Pause Before You Pastor
We are just beginning to unpack the extent to which the nation and church is divided and polarized. There will continue to be an outpouring of analyses, rants, articles, posts, celebrations, and laments about this unusual election, and to be completely honest I am not sure what to do with all of the noise right now. So I asked myself what I can possibly do during this time ...
Moving Forward After a Difficult Week
The shocking election results have created much conversation in Christian circles, especially among women leaders. Some are feeling grief, shock, and even fear. Moving forward in a healthy way requires that we first allow ourselves to experience those emotions, sitting with them even when it’s uncomfortable. In this difficult week, we turned to women leaders to share ...
Rise Above the Double Standard
In a previous ministry, I had a fairly standard and polite disagreement over email with a coworker. It wasn’t heated or contentious, just a discussion about how to use a Greek word. I copied the others from our earlier meeting to keep them in the loop.
“Tough emails, huh?” one observed hours later.
“Which ones?”
“The ones during your catfight ...
Bring Your Full Self to the Table
Do you ever find yourself wondering how you ended up in full-time ministry—but can’t imagine yourself doing anything else? Have you ever looked back at the threads of your life and marveled at the seamlessness of God’s handiwork and precision, time and time again?
These questions are at the heart of Insil Kang’s story. A 30-something Korean-American ...
Ministry as a Young Mom
Last week I averaged five hours of sleep a night, attended a meeting wearing a shirt that was covered in what I hoped was drool, and received a text message from my babysitter that my daughter had rolled over for the first time—and I wasn’t there to see it because I was at work. I know that healthy and productive ministry comes from overflow, from the abundance ...
Overcoming Gender Bias
I did something the other day that I immediately regretted. Worse, it was in front of my 2-year-old daughter. I had come down with a nasty head cold that turned into a nasty chest cold, and my daughter, who already shows an incredible amount of empathy, looked at me with concerned eyes as I coughed yet again. I didn’t want her to be worried, so I did what any good parent ...
13 Tips for Women Church Planters
When planting a church, many leaders focus on the plethora of organizational decisions that must be made. For instance, how will you prepare yourself: seminary training, extensive reading, studying church planting strategies, or an apprenticeship? You’ll also need to decide whether to plant independently or with a denomination, where to plant, how to finance the church, ...
6 Leadership Lessons I've Learned from Millennials
We talk a lot about Millennials. It often involves a lot of eye-rolling.
The stereotype is nicely summed up by the title of a 2013 Time Magazine article: “The Me Me Me Generation.” This thought is not limited to secular circles, either. Earlier this year, Watermark Church created a song (which then went viral online) called “Gotta Love Millennials.” ...
Called to Ministry? Start Here.
When did you know you were called to ministry?
Maybe it was one of those lightning-bolt moments that changed the way you see yourself. Or maybe it came to you through a slow building of conviction you can no longer ignore. Perhaps it was through a life-changing conversation or a quiet nudge in a corner of your mind. Maybe it’s simply that you experience tremendous joy ...
Ministry after Becoming a Mom
I have two major callings on my life: motherhood and ministry. Navigating these callings simultaneously can be challenging to say the least. Most days I feel successful with one and a failure with the other. Then there are days where I feel I have failed miserably at both. So on those rare occasions when I feel like I can maintain that delicate balance, I celebrate.
As a little ...