{"id":42427,"date":"2025-10-29T10:11:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T17:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=42427"},"modified":"2025-10-29T10:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T17:12:42","slug":"42427-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/42427-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Women in Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we visited Washington, D.C., I asked a question that still echoes in my heart: Is there any hope for the church here?<\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote about that trip in my earlier reflection<\/a>, walking past cathedrals and Capitol buildings, feeling both awe and ache. The city felt like a paradox\u2014full of faith communities doing beautiful work, yet weary under the weight of ambition and division.<\/p>\n

But amid that noise, I saw something hopeful: women leading with grace, courage, and quiet strength.<\/strong> Pastors, professors, planters, chaplains\u2014faithfully holding together congregations, teaching Scripture, and embodying Christlike humility in a place defined by power. Their leadership wasn\u2019t loud; it was rooted. It reminded me that God\u2019s work rarely depends on prominence\u2014it grows through faithfulness, character, and calling.<\/p>\n

That same hope is alive in our own church. We are blessed with women pastors and emerging women leaders\u2014mothers, sisters, students, and daughters\u2014who sense God calling them to lead, teach, and shepherd. Watching them grow has been one of the great joys of ministry for me. We talk often about our church being “greenhouse” where leaders can be incubated, tended, supported and grown. But it\u2019s also a reminder that leadership development in the church must be intentional. If we want to see the next generation of women thrive in ministry, we have to prepare the soil for them to grow.<\/p>\n

A Whole-Person Approach to Leadership Development<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As we’ve read Growing Women in Ministry<\/em> by Dr. Anna R. Morgan, who co-pastors a church in the D.C. area and serves as Vice President of Academics at Ascent College. Morgan brings both pastoral and academic insight to a vital question: How do women actually grow into ministry leadership?<\/em><\/p>\n

Through her research, she identifies seven aspects of leadership development\u2014three inward and four outward.<\/p>\n

Inward dimensions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Spiritual calling<\/em> \u2013 recognizing God\u2019s call and deepening spiritual formation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Giftedness<\/em> \u2013 identifying and honing the gifts God has placed within.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Emotional intelligence<\/em> \u2013 developing self-awareness, empathy, and resilienc<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Outward dimensions:<\/strong>
    4. Home-life supports<\/em> \u2013 how family systems and rhythms sustain leaders.
    5. Ministry context<\/em> \u2013 the church\u2019s openness, culture, and structure.
    6. Leadership relationships<\/em> \u2013 mentors, peers, and sponsors who invest in women leaders.
    7. Communication<\/em> \u2013 developing one\u2019s voice and confidence in leading, teaching, and preaching.<\/p>\n

    Morgan\u2019s framework is both theological and practical. It names what many of us have observed: leadership development isn\u2019t just about skills\u2014it\u2019s about formation. It involves the whole person and the whole community.<\/p>\n

    This whole-person vision resonates deeply with the work I\u2019ve been doing on Sabbath for Everyone<\/em>. Just as Sabbath creates space for people to rest and flourish, developing women in ministry requires creating space for them to lead and grow. Both are acts of trust\u2014trusting that God\u2019s work continues even when we release control. True leadership is about making space for others to flourish.<\/p>\n

    Why Women\u2019s Leadership Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    For me, this isn\u2019t a theoretical issue. It\u2019s personal and theological.<\/p>\n

    As a pastor, brother, and dad, I see daily how God gifts women for leadership. My wife Kealy is a gifted teacher and leader. My sister pastors faithfully in her own context. And my daughters are watching\u2014seeing what kind of space the church will make for them in the future.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s why I hold an egalitarian view of ordination and leadership. I believe that God\u2019s design is for men and women to co-labor as equals in His kingdom.<\/p>\n

    \n

    \u201cI believe that God\u2019s desire for His Church is that men and women equally co-labor for the Kingdom and the Gospel. In my opinion, there is evidence in Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience that compels us to change our thinking on this issue.<\/p>\n

    Throughout Scripture, while uncommon, women are given roles of leadership in Israel (Miriam, Deborah, Esther) and in the early church (Mary, Phoebe, Junia, Priscilla). Jesus valued, taught, and discipled women\u2014and appeared to them first after His resurrection. Paul worked alongside women, commended their faith and leadership, and reminded the church that in Christ, old hierarchies are erased: we are all one (Gal. 3:28).<\/p>\n

    It is my prayer that we would embrace that vision\u2014where women and men serve side by side, reflecting the fullness of God\u2019s kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    When women are empowered to lead, the entire church becomes stronger\u2014more balanced, more compassionate, more reflective of Christ\u2019s body.<\/p>\n

    Reflection Questions for Church Leadership<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    If we want to grow women in ministry, we must become a church where calling is named, gifts are nurtured, and barriers are removed. Here are a few questions our leadership team\u2014and yours\u2014can prayerfully consider:<\/p>\n

    1. Calling and Formation<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n

      How are we helping women discern and name their call to ministry?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    • \n

      Do we provide safe, affirming spaces to explore that calling without fear or hesitation?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      2. Giftedness and Opportunity<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • \n

        What leadership or teaching roles are open\u2014or closed\u2014to women in our church?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        How might we intentionally open new pathways for women to use their gifts publicly?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        3. Emotional and Spiritual Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • \n

          Are we modeling healthy rhythms of rest, family, and Sabbath that sustain long-term ministry?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        • \n

          How are we equipping both men and women to grow in emotional intelligence and resilience?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          4. Relational and Cultural Systems<\/strong><\/p>\n

            \n
          • \n

            Who are the mentors and advocates championing women leaders in our context?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

          • \n

            What assumptions about gender or leadership might still be shaping our culture\u2014spoken or unspoken?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Flourishing Together<\/strong><\/h3>\n

            Leadership in the kingdom of God has never been about hierarchy or control. It\u2019s about faithfulness, service, and the empowerment of every image-bearer of God.<\/p>\n

            As Anna Morgan reminds us, growing women in ministry isn\u2019t simply a \u201cwomen\u2019s issue.\u201d It\u2019s a church health issue.<\/p>\n

            When women flourish, the whole body of Christ flourishes.<\/p>\n

            Our daughters, sisters, and future pastors are watching. Let\u2019s give them more than permission\u2014let\u2019s give them pathways.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            When we visited Washington, D.C., I asked a question that still echoes in my heart: Is there any hope for the church here? I wrote about that trip in my earlier reflection, walking past cathedrals and Capitol buildings, feeling both awe and ache. The city felt like a paradox\u2014full of faith communities doing beautiful work, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[563,1],"tags":[3499],"class_list":["post-42427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure-mystery-sci-fi","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp03-morgan","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/196"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42427"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42430,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42427\/revisions\/42430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}