\u201cThe pastor is not going to support you. He doesn\u2019t believe in single women going overseas. You should give up the thought that this will be your sending church.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was told this by many in my congregation as I felt God calling me to serve Him full-time overseas. I was young and confident in both my calling and my desire for my church to send me, so I set up a meeting with the pastor.<\/p>\n
That is where I learned his philosophy on missions: male church planters should be sent with their wives. Single women, he said, did not have a place on the foreign field. My question was simple:\u00a0What do I do with my calling?<\/em>\u00a0His advice was to take short-term trips.<\/p>\n I did\u2014I became the queen of short-term trips. During that time, I sensed God\u2019s call to North Africa, a place where gender segregation is palpable. A male church planter cannot even enter legally without a different way to find a visa, and he could never disciple or baptize a woman from the host culture.<\/p>\n The years of relationship and prayer softened my pastor\u2019s heart, and he recognized the importance of women, particularly single women, in the foreign field. In 2012, I was the first person (and, I might add, a single woman) sent out by my church. Today, although retired, this pastor remains one of my strongest advocates.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Growing Women in Ministry<\/em>, Anna Morgan addresses the unique challenges women face in full-time ministry. These gender disparities include obstacles to establishing authority,[1]<\/a> differing paths to authority positions, dissimilar communication skills,[2]<\/a> social expectations,[3]<\/a> and the balance between family and ministry.[4]<\/a> Morgan offers research-based solutions and opportunities to address the challenges faced by women in ministry in egalitarian[5]<\/a> contexts.<\/p>\n Her insights are valuable, but they are grounded in egalitarian perspectives. As I was reading, I asked myself, \u201cWhat about my context?\u201d I come from a traditional background where women serve at church with the children, other women, or in the kitchen. My sending organization leans toward progressive complementarianism, and my supporting churches fall somewhere in between. I now serve overseas in a patriarchal Islamic society.<\/p>\n I have chosen to keep my ties to traditional and complementarian churches. I have strong relationships with people, and I also want to help be a voice for change in these contexts. I identified with Morgan when she called herself an \u201cadvocate for women.\u201d[6]<\/a> That is what I do every day in a society where women are not highly esteemed. In my church circles, I strive to be a positive change and advocate for female leaders, regardless of my position or title.<\/p>\n One area where I am especially passionate is serving single women in ministry, particularly those who serve overseas. Not surprisingly, the section resonated with single women in leadership in Growing Women In Ministry<\/em>. Some of the unique challenges single women in ministry have include societal expectations for marriage, limited leadership growth opportunities, their time and efforts being exploited, and loneliness.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n I have experienced all of these as a single female who has served in overseas ministry for 14 years. We make every decision alone\u2014when to rest, how to spend money, or when to take a break. We juggle groceries, bills, ministry, and cultural survival without a built-in support system from a spouse.<\/p>\n Advantages to being single include eating popcorn and cheese for dinner. Single women can be the first to respond when someone is sick, has a baby, or faces a crisis. When they are ill or struggling, they are often forgotten by those with families.<\/p>\n On the mission field, women outnumber men at a ratio of about two to one.[8]<\/a> Two-thirds of the missionary workforce consists of married individuals. Of the one-third that makes up singles, at least eighty percent are single women.[9]<\/a> There are many reasons for this that I could expound on. However, one reason comes to mind: singles on the field are some of the grittiest<\/em> people I know.<\/p>\n Angela Duckworth, in\u00a0Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance<\/em>, defines grit as the blend of passion and perseverance that produces longevity and fruitfulness. She identifies four elements of grit:\u00a0interest, practice, purpose, and hope.<\/strong>[10]<\/a><\/p>\n Choosing a ministry starts with an interest<\/em>; for me, it was for Muslim women. Even in seasons of loneliness, having a clear sense of\u00a0purpos<\/em>e <\/em>and calling gives reason for what we do. Practice<\/em> shows up in the steady rhythms of daily life and learning. Without family distractions, singles often have the freedom and flexibility to focus on their goals. And finally,\u00a0hope \u2014<\/em>the foundation for every follower of Jesus \u2014<\/em>keeps us going. Hope is what we find beyond challenges, isolation, and uncertainty.<\/p>\n Hope often shows up through community: a friend inviting me for dinner, a gift of a seasonal candle, or someone willing to step in when a home repair is more complicated than expected. In every season, God has provided what I need, often through the help of others. This season, I have a ministry partner whose strengths complement mine.<\/p>\n Is it good to remain single?[11]<\/a> In ministry, singleness comes with challenges and advantages. Singles experience things in ways that those married may not. Through my seasons of being single, I have learned the unique joy of dependence: on God, on community, and on grace sufficient for every season. And I am always open to any new adventure God may give me\u2026single or not!<\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Anna R. Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry: Seven Aspects of Leadership Development<\/em> (Baker Academic, 2024), 6.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, <\/em>36.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Ibid, 81.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Ibid, 83.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a> A theological position where men and women are equal and can hold the same leadership roles.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, <\/em>1.<\/em><\/p>\n [7]<\/a> Morgan, Growing Women in Ministry, <\/em>84.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> Marti Wade, \u201cMore Women in Missions: Four Reasons Why,\u201d Pioneers.Org, March 19, 2021, https:\/\/pioneers.org\/article\/more-women-in-missions-four-reasons-why.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> Sarita Hartz, \u201cThe Single Missionary, What the Church Should Know,\u201d Sarita Hartz<\/em>, November 9, 2017, https:\/\/www.saritahartz.com\/the-single-missionary-what-the-church-should-know\/.<\/p>\n
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