Untapped Potential
There are plenty of books and content around women’s roles in ministry, the home, and society. Like many secondary issues, there is a huge spectrum of thought on what a woman can do, and what it looks like for a woman to flourish. Dr. Joel Green at Fuller Seminary believes women are equally called to ministry and can hold all offices that a man can. [1] Dr. Brett Fuller identifies as a complementarian-egalitarian and suggests that women are equal in ministry but complementary in the home. [2] John Piper believes women should not have authority over a man in a church setting, in the home, or have any personal directive authority over a man in society. [3] With such a wide spectrum of beliefs, Christians can often be left wondering exactly what this means for their church, themselves, and/or their spouses.
Kadi Cole is a leadership consultant who helps churches identify ways in which they can maximize their congregation and staff’s leadership potential. [4] Cole honors the spectrum of belief on this topic and argues that regardless of where a church falls on the complementarian/egalitarian spectrum, many churches leave untapped potential on the table. In her book, Developing Female Leaders: Navigate the Minefields and Release the Potential of Women in your Church, Cole encourages churches to bring utmost clarity on where the line is, “…Most godly women are very aware there is a line somewhere, and because they are concerned about overstepping that line, they will often stay way below what you believe they have an opportunity to do.” [5]
(graph recreated from Developing Female Leaders, page 18)
Women are often afraid of crossing the line and tend to steer clear of the line, leaving a lot of room on the table for women to contribute. My take on this? We should all work together to utilize the fullness of the body of Christ for the fullness of the kingdom of God. That doesn’t mean that theological convictions have to be compromised, it just means that we have to understand gender tendencies and do our best to help women flourish.
Cole gives dozens of practical tips on how to develop female leaders, but I’ll touch on just one more that resonated with me.
Don’t Set Female Leaders Up on a Glass Cliff
Many female leaders appreciate opportunities for leadership, especially when these opportunities are rare. As a result, women can be willing to take on high-risk leadership opportunities that men are more likely to decline. This “glass cliff” leads to burnout amongst female leaders and can negatively impact an organization’s view of women’s ability to lead. Organizations that are trying to grow females in leadership should be aware of this phenomenon and be intentional about setting up women for success in leadership. [6]
I’ll close with selections of a comedic spoof from David Scholer from 10 Reasons Why Men Shouldn’t Be Pastors [7]:
- A man’s place is in the army.
- Their physical build indicates that they are more situated to such tasks as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for rhythm to do other forms of work.
- Some men are handsome, and this will distract women worshippers.
- Men are overly prone to violence. No “manly man” wants to settle disputes by any means other than fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
- The New Testament tells us that Jesus was betrayed by a man. His lack of faith and ensuing punishment remind us of the subordinated position that men should take.
- Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep sidewalks, repair the church roof, and perhaps even lead the singing on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the church.
These are absolutely ridiculous, right? But unfortunately, women often receive these subtle messages [8]:
- A woman’s place is in the home.
- Women are physically and mentally designed primarily for childbearing.
- Women are highly emotional and have a hard time making clear decisions or communicating effectively.
One can imagine how this type of messaging confuses a young female leader’s understanding of how God created and gifted her. My prayer is that the fullness of the body of Christ can be utilized for the fullness of the kingdom of God.
Questions to consider:
- What are some ways you’ve seen (or experienced) female leaders being developed?
- What confusing messaging have you experienced?
- How have you seen female leaders be developed?
- How can female leaders be developed, even in more conservative churches?
Bibliography
[1] “Equally Called: Women in Ministry,” Fuller Seminary, n.d., https://www.fuller.edu/womeninministry/.
[2] Fuller, Brett. High Ceilings: Women in Leadership, 2021.
[3] John Piper, Should Women Be Police Officers?, August 13, 2025, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-women-be-police-officers.
[4] “About: EMPOWERING LEADERS & ORGANIZATIONS FOR DECADES,” KADICOLE & company, October 31, 2024, https://www.kadicole.com/about.
[5] Kadi Cole, Developing Female Leaders: Navigate the Minefields and Release the Potential of Women in Your Church (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 18.
[6] Ibid, 52.
[7] David M. Scholer, “1 Timothy 2:9-15 & The Place of Women in the Church’s Ministry,” in Women, Authority & the Bible, ed. Alvera Michelsen (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986).
[8] Cole, Developing Female Leaders, 5-6.
About the Author
Christy
14 responses to “Untapped Potential”
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Christy, I can’t wait to read this book for myself! Your review reminded me of an online seminar I attended during COVID on missions, women, and leadership. It was shocking to see the high percentage of women on the field versus the breakdown of those in leadership or on a board being an overwhelming majority male. In this case, it was not an issue of theology, just of representation. It would be interesting to do a similar study for missions orgs and see how those lines and gap compare.
For an answer to your question number 4, I think conservative churches could benefit from leadership and mentoring programs to develop leaders–male or female. From my experience, people are often put in leadership position to fill a role rather than looking at gifts and developing them.
Hi Kari, you’ll enjoy the book! One of the challenges with mentoring female leaders is that in church circles is that women don’t get opportunities for mentorship as often because there aren’t women to mentor them.
We have created strong protections from sexual sin between genders (which can be a great thing), but aspiring female leaders often lack opportunity to be around male leaders as a result.
Thanks for your blog, Christy. I appreciate your comments about not setting women up on a glass cliff. Where have you seen this done well? What are some of the principles you’ve learned in this regard?
Hi Christy, Thanks for delineating three very different approaches to women and leadership. Which approach was primary when you were growing up and has your opinion of that approach changed as your grew both in age and faith?
Christy, considering MY NPO project, I will keep in mind your warning about burning out women pastors. Thank you for that.
Also, you may be interested in following Ryan Burge (he analyzes a lot of data sets about religion and faith). This article is about women and men as pastors: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/how-do-female-pastors-differ-from
Considering what’s been going on in Trump-land this week, your post is timely. (“I will protect women, whether they like it or not.” blech!!!)
How much have you faced gender discrimination or misogeny in your professional life?
Thanks for the article Debbie!
I have been blessed to work with many great male leaders and have only a few cases of outright gender discrimination or misogyny. Thankfully, most of the men I work with desire to see gender equality and empower female leaders, but many some don’t realize the intentionality it takes to go against the tide.
Hi Christy, thank you for your post. I enjoyed reading it.
In your reading, did you discover how the differing views on women’s roles in ministry impact the way churches function and serve their communities?
Thaks Christy. What steps can churches take to better support female leaders without compromising theological convictions, especially in settings where the boundaries around gender roles may feel limiting?
Hi Glyn, thanks for the question. I think the biggest thing is to make it clear where the boundaries are. For some churches, that may mean the office of elder or pastor is limited to males but women can hold all other roles. For others, it may mean that there is no limit. Either way, if churches can make this clear to their body, it will help women live up to their potential.
Hi Christy, Thanks for your post. I have observed that sometimes women leaders (and clergy leaders) are given opportunity without development. This happens when there are few female leaders. 1) the women leaders may be spread thin in their mentoring 2) their may be a threat culture that keeps them from sharing platform and 3) the male leaders shy away from appropriate mentorship for too many other reasons to even get into.
I have experienced opportunity without meaningful feedback even when I have very sincerely asked for it. Recently I was told how important it is for women pastors (including me) to “succeed” because people are watching and opportunities for others hinge on the impact we make and how we are perceived. No pressure. All of this within a denomination whose official polity since founding has been fully egalitarian.
Like it or not, I accept that part of my call in ministry, regardless of role, is to be aware of making a way for other women.
Hi Julie, that does put a considerable amount of pressure on you. I am empathetic to that and also appreciate your willingness to step into the challenge. I am so thankful for the women that have paved the way for me, as I am sure you are as well!
Hi Christy, Thank you for this post. I greatly appreciated our conversations in Washington, D.C., regarding this subject. In a past missions agency I worked for, I expressed my concern about the fact there was no place for women in leadership. The response I got (from a woman) was, “Well, then maybe this isn’t the place for you.” It has often disturbed me how women in traditionally conservative Christian churches and organizations are frequently the ones spreading the confusing messaging! Have you ever experienced this? What can we as women do to stop this confusing messaging coming from “our own?”
Ouch..I have previously felt hurt by a sense of betrayal from “our own”. But then the Lord reminded me that I was once one of those women and it’s a journey that the Lord has taken me on. I usually encourage everyone to do the Biblical research on this topic themselves (hearing both sides of the debate) rather than simply following their tradition. Some aren’t ready for this type of study, but I appreciate those who will actually do the research.
Hi, Christy, that is a very interesting topic. Personally, I believe that women are just as good leaders as men. But when you mentioned women leadership, my mind jump to equate leader as pastor since that is not common in Micronesian churches, even those that are out here in the Mainland, U.S. In our Micronesian churches, focusing on developing women leadership is something that is missing. It is something worth looking into. Thanks again for your post!