{"id":42449,"date":"2025-10-30T11:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T18:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=42449"},"modified":"2025-10-30T11:33:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T18:33:39","slug":"where-calling-meets-opportunity-the-power-of-mentorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/where-calling-meets-opportunity-the-power-of-mentorship\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Calling Meets Opportunity: The Power of Mentorship"},"content":{"rendered":"

The topic of women in leadership within the Church remains deeply personal to me. I write from within an ongoing process of healing, shaped by past experiences related to this subject, aware that certain memories can still resurface and momentarily unsettle my spirit. While the purpose of Anna R. Morgan\u2019s Growing Women in Ministry<\/em> is clearly to empower and affirm, and I desire to engage it in that light, I cannot overlook the ongoing reality that many faith-based institutions continue to limit or overlook women\u2019s leadership within the body of Christ. This awareness stirs a kind of grief\u2014not bitterness, but a desire for the Church to grow in its ability to recognize and nurture the full range of gifts God has entrusted to His people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Morgan opens her work with a paradigm-shifting statement: \u201cfor women to gain power, men do not have to lose it.\u201d[1]<\/a> With this, she challenges the zero-sum view of power that often shapes attitudes toward women\u2019s leadership in ministry. Rather than treating leadership as a scarce resource, Morgan reframes it as a shared calling rooted in the abundance of God\u2019s design: \u201cLeadership is not a finite resource. It can be created, perhaps infinitely.\u201d[2]<\/a> This conviction shapes her argument for an egalitarian theology\u2014one that affirms that \u201cthe ministry gifts of the Holy Spirit\u2014such as apostleship, pastoring, teaching, and leading\u2014are distributed equally to both men and women.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Morgan presents a holistic model of leadership development for women, one that integrates spiritual, cognitive, emotional, social, physical, environmental, and ministerial growth. She explains that leadership formation is not simply about acquiring skills but about the integration of inner transformation and external support. As she writes, \u201cwhile a woman\u2019s spirituality, cognition, and emotional intelligence are being formed internally, two external processes are also shaping her as she interacts with her environment.\u201d[4]<\/a> Her framework emphasizes that leadership is cultivated through relationships, personal growth, and ministry contexts that either nurture or hinder a woman\u2019s capacity to lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would love to highlight all of these aspects, but for the sake of brevity, I will focus on the importance of mentorship. Morgan notes that \u201cwomen become motivated to accept their leadership calling when their church leaders affirm it.\u201d[5]<\/a> She goes on to explain that \u201conce a woman realizes she has been called to local church ministry, she must engage the process of discovering her gifts and then develop those gifts. This is not simply self-discovery but a process of becoming more like Jesus as the gifts grow.\u201d[6]<\/a> Later, she adds that \u201cfor women to become leaders, skills learning must be accompanied by new-identity learning. A woman must learn to view herself as a leader and recognize her influence as it develops.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Morgan\u2019s own story illustrates this truth in a personal way. Reflecting on her early years of ministry, she writes, \u201c\u2026practical mentorship not only taught me the skills for planning and executing high-quality and impactful worship experiences but also gave me authority in our church.\u201d[8]<\/a> Mentorship, then, is not merely about instruction\u2014it is about empowerment. It bridges the gap between calling and opportunity, affirming that the process of leadership formation is both spiritual and relational. Healthy mentorship creates the kind of environment where women can develop not only their abilities, but also their sense of identity, belonging, and spiritual authority.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I continued reading, I found myself reflecting on the irony that some of the strongest resistance to women\u2019s leadership in ministry comes not from men, but from women themselves. I once worked for a ministry-based organization that operated in many ways like a church. When the time came to search for a new president, I suggested to the head of Human Resources\u2014a woman\u2014that we consider a female candidate. Without hesitation, she replied, \u201cI don\u2019t believe a woman should be in that role.\u201d The response caught me off guard, given that the organization had been founded and led by a woman until the mid-1900s. The conversation left me confused and aware of how long-held ideas about women and leadership can continue to shape decision-making, even among women of faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also think back to my experience in a traditional church environment that did not lend itself to affirming women in leadership. To be candid, women had few opportunities for meaningful ministry beyond nursery care, children\u2019s programs, and hospitality. Morgan names this reality when she writes that \u201ca woman often faces unrecognized societal expectations that govern how she speaks and engages others, creating an impediment to successfully moving people forward.\u201d[9]<\/a>Yet in nearly every faith-based setting I\u2019ve been part of\u2014in my own circles and ministry contexts\u2014women have been the first to step forward, the most dependable in service, and, around the world, the majority presence on the mission field. Still, opportunities for women to serve in pastoral or executive leadership remain uncommon.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Brett Fuller writes, \u201cI do not believe it was God\u2019s intent to restrict a woman in her gifting and potential simply because she is a female.\u201d[10]<\/a> His words echo Morgan\u2019s conviction that \u201cleadership is found in relationships and in the communication that shapes those relationships,\u201d[11]<\/a> and that \u201cpower can be life-giving.\u201d[12]<\/a> Leadership, then, is not about holding authority over others but about cultivating trust and empowering others to flourish. Morgan\u2019s vision invites a broader imagination for what faithful leadership can look like in the Church\u2014a vision in which mentorship, affirmation, and shared stewardship allow both men and women to reflect the generosity and creativity of God\u2019s Spirit at work in all His people.<\/span><\/p>\n

Morgan cautions that \u201cif we do not provide leadership development opportunities for gifted young Christian women inside our local churches, then they may well pursue leadership opportunities outside the church, thus weakening it.\u201d[13]<\/a> Her words reflect a clear reality: when women\u2019s gifts are unrecognized or confined, the whole body of Christ loses strength. Yet her vision does not end in concern but in hope. As she writes, \u201cthis egalitarian mutuality does not diminish or devalue the role of men but instead elevates women leaders to stand alongside their male partners to steward the work of God.\u201d[14]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

If the Church is to live into this vision, it must become a place where women are mentored, encouraged, and trusted to lead. Mentorship bridges the gap between calling and opportunity\u2014it\u2019s where women begin to see themselves as leaders and are affirmed by those who believe they can be. When the Church embraces this kind of mutuality, leadership becomes shared rather than guarded, and both men and women reflect more fully the image of God as they join together in His work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

[1]<\/a> Anna R. Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry: Seven Aspects of Leadership Development<\/em> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2024), 1, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 1, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 16, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 34, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 44, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 45, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 57, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 120, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 6, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Brett Fuller, High Ceilings: Women in Leadership<\/em> (2023), 16, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 10, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 12, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 7, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, 54, Kindle edition.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The topic of women in leadership within the Church remains deeply personal to me. I write from within an ongoing process of healing, shaped by past experiences related to this subject, aware that certain memories can still resurface and momentarily unsettle my spirit. While the purpose of Anna R. Morgan\u2019s Growing Women in Ministry is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":208,"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":[1],"tags":[2967,284],"class_list":["post-42449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp03","tag-morgan","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42449","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\/208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42449"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42452,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42449\/revisions\/42452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}