2017
We Need a Cascade Effect in the Church
A pack of wolves makes their way to the winding mountain stream for a cool drink of water. They are healthy and strong—their coats wave back and forth in the crisp mountain breeze. As the sun pierces through the trees and illuminates the wolves, a glowing effect is created on the insects dancing in the air. The river glistens—it, too, is healthy. A sight for sore ...
Break Your Day into Thirds
I was only a couple of years into ministry and already on the verge of burn out. As the director of a youth outreach organization, my job often involved early morning breakfast meetings with donors, followed by administrative duties throughout the morning and early afternoon. Most of my direct time with high school and middle school students started in the late afternoon, ...
8 Guidelines for Ministering to Men
My cell phone gets me. If I type the letter “B,” it knows I probably want to text my husband. If I enter the word “World,” it suggests “Relief,” knowing I’m probably headed in that direction. My phone knows how to read the room and respond accordingly. It’s a skill much of evangelical Christianity has not cultivated, particularly ...
Find Your Place in God's Story
A large group of college students gathered around a wise old woman as she spoke wisdom into their lives. Now in her eighties, she had a wealth of knowledge and experience from a life well lived. They leaned in close, for they wanted to glean from any specific lessons she had learned. Her life had been a testimony to everything they believed and wanted to be.
Growing up in the ...
My Winding Road to the Pastorate
There I sat. The good, supportive wife, watching my husband become the senior pastor of a rural church in Missouri. As various church members stepped forward to hand him symbolic items—a bowl and towel for servanthood, a Bible for the ministry of the Word, a chalice for the administration of the sacraments—I wept. Sobbed would be more honest. And they were not ...
10 Ways to Help Single Women Flourish in Ministry
I am fortunate to know many amazing single women in ministry. They serve in student ministry, women’s ministry, missions, small groups, teaching roles, and church planting. I’m encouraged and challenged by their obedience to God’s call on their lives, and I have personally benefited from their ministries in countless ways. As someone who has served in several ...
You Are Enough
This article has been excerpted from our new resource, Navigating Singleness in Ministry.
If you are a single woman in ministry, you have probably asked yourself the question, “Am I enough?” at least once―or a hundred times if you’re anything like me. The short answer is yes―you are enough just the way you are. You are called and equipped by God to lead.
Now ...
How to Advocate for Singles in Your Church
Based on the messaging in many evangelical churches today, one might think that Christians believe that people are only able to fully practice Christianity as spouses and/or parents. This is a bit ironic because the two men whose teachings have formed the foundations of our faith practices—Jesus and Paul—were neither! Meanwhile, the last census revealed that 45 ...
Pariah and Paragon
I went to a liberal arts college for my bachelor’s degree, and while it was a great experience in many ways, I can’t count how many classes I attended where the professor asked, “Is anyone here a Christian?” Nine times out of ten I’d be the only person who’d raise their hand. I began to dread that question because my opinions or explanations ...
Lamenting Failure
I knew my idea was going to work. The younger women were complaining they needed someone to advise and help them. The older women were sad about feeling sidelined and losing their sense of purpose. So, the obvious thing was to start a mentoring ministry. We’d pair younger women with older women and everyone would benefit.
We asked anyone interested to sign up, and we ...