Relationships

Preparing to Leave a Church You Love

Even when you know it’s time to move on, you’ll likely face mixed emotions.
Preparing to Leave a Church You Love
Image: Noel Hendrickson/Getty

Leaders don’t always get to stay where they want; sometimes they need to go where they’re called. This means that we may find ourselves leaving churches we love in order to see the plans of God unfold.

We left our local church two years ago—a church we served, led, loved, and still love. A place where we knew we were supposed to be until we no longer were. ...

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Ministry Marriages

Learn to appreciate each other’s gifts for a healthy ministry and marriage.
Ministry Marriages
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Marriages in the body of Christ are burning to the ground—and that includes the marriages of Christian leaders. Is it hopeless? Does God have a plan for our marriages, or will the devil continue to make so many of our ministry marriages look like reality TV? Ministry marriages can survive under siege, in distress, in crisis, and under pressure when we learn to love like ...

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How to Honor Singles in Your Church

Singles need space for grieving and celebration—and the church can offer both.
How to Honor Singles in Your Church
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One of the most popular topics on WomenLeaders.com in the past year has been singleness, so we sat down with Joy Beth Smith, author of Party of One (Thomas Nelson, 2018) to learn how the church can better serve singles, and how her research applies to single women in ministry. —Amy Jackson

WomenLeaders.com: Who did you write this book for?

Joy Beth Smith: The book is written ...

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How to Ask a Man to Mentor You

In light of #MeToo, some men are more reluctant than ever to mentor a woman.
How to Ask a Man to Mentor You
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Thankfully, the #MeToo movement is pointing out the longtime abuses that powerful men have held over women. As women, we rejoice in the fact that justice is being served and look forward to a kinder future in which our dignity and safety are respected and, hopefully, even valued.

One unintended effect this movement may be having, however, is to make even good men nervous, as ...

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How to Make Finding a Mentor Less Awkward

Three shifts in the way I thought about mentoring freed me.
How to Make Finding a Mentor Less Awkward
Image: Weekend Images Inc./Getty

Why does finding a mentor feel like dating? You look for someone who meets all the qualities you desire in a role model. You weigh the pros and cons of a long distance relationship over Skype and the classic coffee shop face-to-face. You wonder if the person will be into it or just say "yes" to be nice.

Then there is all the anxiety around popping the question, “Will ...

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Lead Well Alongside Men

5 tips for co-laboring for the kingdom
Lead Well Alongside Men
Image: Lightstock

Gender plays a significant role when we talk about how women and men can lead well together in the church and workplace. As a lead pastor of a church and a program director at a seminary, I have come to see that it is both an opportunity as well as a challenge to co-labor with men in leadership. It doesn’t take long to realize that we will never be done learning to do ...

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Unresolved Relationship Issues

Recognizing, addressing, and helping others deal with transference.
Unresolved Relationship Issues
Image: Lightstock

We were in the second week of a five-month discipleship program when one of the participants casually said, “I can’t tell you how much you remind me of my mother.” I knew she was not giving me a compliment because moments before, she had shared in great detail how difficult her family of origin was.

As the group continued, it became clear Karen* still followed ...

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Poured Out for the Church

Releasing the desire to be right, even when you’ve been wronged
Poured Out for the Church
Image: Lightstock

It’s one of those days that becomes etched in your memory―completely against your will. Try as I might to focus on the chubby legs of my two-year-old toddler scurrying around my ankles as we navigated the petting zoo, my mind was racing. My breath felt short and my heart beat erratically.

I felt the need to scratch a nagging itch―an odd sensation―relentlessly screaming ...

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Mean Girls in the Church

How to become women who embolden rather than undermine
Mean Girls in the Church
Image: Lightstock

Several years ago I endeavored to write a Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount for several hundred women. The Bible study was a labor of love, passion, and joy. When the books arrived for us to distribute to our three hundred or so women, it felt like Christmas morning. Almost all of the women were just as excited as I was because many were on the editing and writing journey ...

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How to Keep Leading When You Feel Like Falling Apart

5 things to do when you face tragedy and turmoil
How to Keep Leading When You Feel Like Falling Apart
Image: iStock

I just can’t do this without her. The defeating thought came without warning and forced its way into my heart. I could barely breathe. We had worked side by side in ministry for years, and now she was gone. I’d lost her—my confidante, prayer partner, and best friend.

We sat on the front row at church before Sunday morning service when she gave me the news: ...

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