Gifted for Leadership

Comments

I am blown away. This article is such an encouragement. It is right on. Something I am experiencing in my Christian environment. I have backed off and am now sidelined from what I considered God's call to teach a women's Bible Study in my church. I am not alone. I thought I was.

Posted By: Ardnas | April 29, 2009 9:48 AM

Oh, yes. I've been accused of "divisiveness" many times. Often for well-thought, constructive, RESPECTFUL criticism or disagreement. Even when men have said almost the exact same thing! I usually do my best to respond graciously by explaining to people that it is not wrong to have a respectful debate and agree to disagree with one another. Some women have been raised or taught that the only way to be a "good" woman is to be QUIET. Well, God gave me a voice. And sometimes it's a big one. And he gave it to me to USE it, not to silence it.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of POWER and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

P.S. I wish I could read the review! Particularly since it was written by one of my MR sisters!

Posted By: Robyn | April 30, 2009 11:52 AM

Guys view women strangely, especially when it is out of their context to see women as equals.

I'm co head with my husband of a church planting organization and recently we were asked to come to help an ailing church that needed leadership input. We have taken a team in there to do just that and my husband and I are now the church leaders until such time as the church has recovered and new leaders can be found for it.

Last week I chaired the meeting and another senior woman preached; there was a male song leader and some testimony by guys. However, later an email was sent out by one of the guys saying the church needed to start a 'save the males' campaign! He took exception to the preacher because she looked 'sharp' dressed in black and red, and to me, likening me to a junior school head teacher and saying that he's a bit scared of me!

The preacher preached a fantastic word which was in no way feminine, just the Word of God. I'm told I led with warmth and humor as well as authority.

It's like shooting fish in a bowl to criticize women calling them divisive or calling to account the ease of authority they minister in. However, it's a common occurrence and in the end we just have to learn to deal with it with grace and love, with a strong dash of humor thrown in. A leader is all the better for being able to laugh at themselves and such situations as this. When these guys get to heaven, they'll know better, in the meantime... we need to be easy forgivers.

Posted By: Bev | May 1, 2009 9:12 AM

As a pastor's wife who has endured much criticism from others. I would like to make a valid point. There is a right way and a wrong way to express criticism. Make sure your criticism is constructive and not destructive. My husband was asked to leave our former church due to some power-hungry destructive critics. The only thing they could say was we just don't like the way you lead or preach.They could not tell him one thing he did wrong just in their opinion- he didn't.... You don't try to destroy someone's ministry or calling based on your opinions. And what I have experienced has been mostly someone's opinion that differed from the way I did things.
Constructive criticism is meant to help not hurt. Destructive is just what it says - it is meant to destroy. I have experienced a lot more of the latter in ministry.
If you are going to criticize, do it for the right reason - to help!

Posted By: Rhonda | May 1, 2009 9:46 AM

I, too, had the unfortunate experience of being "tagged" when I expressed to the leadership of my church that I felt called to ministry. Both men and women responded negatively to the mere idea of a woman in any leadership position, and I was considered "unsubmissive" and "critical" because I disagreed. In prayer the Lord told me to be "wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove." I served and honored the people who dishonored me for several years and considered this an opportunity to let Christ mold my character. If indeed I heard Him right and was called to eventually lead I would need all His character to do it for His glory. Be encouraged if you are in a similar situation...

Posted By: Rebekah | May 1, 2009 10:33 AM

I think the world is ready for critically thinking women, but I am not convinced the church is.

I was on staff at a fast growing church in the South that is considered cutting edge or seeker friendly. Given this overview, one might think that they would be a bit more ready to accept the role of the godly woman leader in the church. However, in this church, the staff was composed of many young Christians most still growing in their faith with no seminary or Bible training. This type of training is not essential to leadership, but it does assist one in recognizing error. While most knew it, I didn't advertise that I had been to seminary nor did I try to make waves over non-essentials of the faith. I was happy to be serving and eager to do my part in children's ministry. However, there was a teaching going on that was concerning me. After months of prayer, I did raise some questions to the pastoral staff that I was concerned we were wavering from the essentials. (In this case the Trinity) When they disagreed with me and told me to keep quiet on it because they didn't want any issues over it, I respected their authority. However, from that moment on things changed and I became suspect to them.
Knowledge regarding theology or the essentials of the faith is intimidating or threatening to those who have not wrestled with the truth and prefer to just have Jesus without doctrinal standards. It is even more intimidating for some if the person who raises the questions is a woman.
Shortly thereafter, I was asked to leave staff.

If you are going to be a woman who utilizes critical thinking, and who takes on stand for things that are essential to the faith or important to your role as a godly woman, you must also be ready to count the cost. When it comes to defending the faith there is neither male or female. We should all be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us but do so with decency and respect. Then put on your pit helmet and be ready for the fall-out. No matter what, it's worth it...not because you are a woman, but because you are standing firm for Christ.

Posted By: Eve Lynn | May 1, 2009 11:29 AM

My daughter and I both decided to leave the church we'd been members of for over 20 years because we both felt the leaders were moving so far away from the truth of the Bible in the essentials. We could have stayed and hoped to bring them back to the Biblical truth in areas such as Christ is 100% God and 100% man, He rose from the dead, He is the only way to the Father and eternal life, God consists of 3 in one, God the Father - God the Son - and God the Holy Spirit etc., but every time we tried to work it out with any of the leaders or members, we were looked at as trouble makers who were looking to split up the church (which is already struggling to survive), so instead, we found a church that was firm in the essentials and spoke authoritively from the Bible, both women and men. It was so hard leaving friends of 20+ years and going to a new church, but my daughter and I felt God was compelling us to do so because of the path the minister and elders were leading it down.

Posted By: Debra | May 1, 2009 1:53 PM

Check an article that also came out today, 5-1-09, ministrytodaymag.com,Home,Ministry Leadership,Pastoral Care, She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not. The title and accompanying picture do not match the good article which lists a second true title as "Responding to criticsm in the church" The picture is a posturing angry woman speaking to a male whose eyes show disgust. Someone thinks they match and this is the point.

This is only one example of wrong Christian views of women that is published or spoken and just accepted without question by people that should know better.

There is so much that could be said, like the Bible says to not help someone who is wrong. It is wrong to attack a man or woman falsely. And wrong is helped along right in the church by very important people. Don't we think God sees? Isn't this one of the things God wants cleansed? Isn't this one of the things we are being punished for: hiding evil and harming righteous people who happen to be women?

By the way check the difference in definition between critic and critical.

And then take a new deeper prayerful look at the story of Adam and Eve. Check some of the sermons and commentaries and then wait for the Lord to help you really see what the true problem was and is. It seems to be that both Adam and Eve sinned by seeking to dominate outside God's will using different methods. So then, why are men, in general, encouraged to dominate women with their mind and brute strength as if women are the problem? Adam was right there and said nothing to stop Eve and then blamed her. Said nothing. From the rest of the story it would seem he was punished also.

Another way the disobeyers of the 2nd Greatest Commandment justicy their continued harm to God's children is to say it is more important to get people adopted into the family so don't rock the boat with concern for how we treat the people once they are in the family. Lets just keep packing them in and blame them for any problem they have or for seeing any problem we have. It is about the numbers, isn't it?

Yes. Our experiences in churches have made me think about this issue of discerning people, who some are women or even a child, learning to hear and talk more clearly and dearly; who make some men afraid enough to target brutal attacks against God's child and their neighbor. They should shake in their boots for what they have done to God. Shame on them. Shame.

And I have known some Godly men who did come and repent after God spoke to them. But it is time for all Christian leaders to read what the Bible says and adjust their behavior to the truth and not adjust the Bible. Now.

Posted By: Carla | May 1, 2009 11:07 PM

Let us take this to heart and challenge ourselves and other women to relate to each other in more lovingly effective ways. We will need to lead on this - even lead the men - because in this we have fallen into the natural sinful inclination of women to not hold each other up but stand on top of each other inorder to protect ourselves. This in turn has undermined the very gifts we have been given as women to serve Jesus as He prepared for us to do.

Posted By: Sue | May 4, 2009 10:52 PM

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