News / Education
LifeWay forum equips women for leadership
Passion for serving God at root of desire for training
"LifeWay seeks to help equip women who are leading women’s ministries in their churches to reach and disciple women for Christ," said Chris Adams, LifeWay’s senior lead women’s ministry specialist. "This forum and our other LifeWay sponsored women’s events, training and resources are designed to help women know Christ, grow in Christ and find their place of serving in His Kingdom."
Jennifer Rothschild spoke to the "early bird" group who came in before the official beginning of the forum. She has a new LifeWay Bible study coming out in February, Me, Myself and Lies, based on her book, Self Talk, Soul Talk.
Rothschild told the group that everyone has about 50,000 thoughts per day. Most are organizational, non-reactive types of thoughts like: Where are my keys? I need to go pick up the dry cleaning. Get the kids at school.
But, a small percentage of those thoughts are dangerous: I’m so stupid. My husband doesn’t value me. I’m ugly.
She classified those as ones we need to guard ourselves against.
She used the metaphor of a closet to explain that we all have our "thought closets" where we store all the "stuff" – useful and junky – that we hold on to. Every so often we need to get in there and clean out our closets.
Getting rid of the lies we tell ourselves isn’t easy. Sometimes they come from lies other people have told us. Other times they come from dark places inside us. Often, they come from a culture that only values wealth, power and physical perfection.
Up close and personal
Eleven LifeWay Bible study authors offered forum participants time to learn more about them and their ministries.
Mary Kassian, author of In My Father’s House, Conversation Peace, Vertically Inclined and the newly released Knowing God by Name, shared about her progression from a woman doing a Bible study with college women in western Canada to the successful author of four LifeWay studies.
"It just happened one step at a time," she said. "I was just obedient to what God asked of me at each step and He was with me for the next step."
She said that in Knowing God by Name the main thing she learned was that the more we know God for who He is, the more He begins to transform us.
Getting past fear
Rhonda Kelley, an author and leader of the Women’s Ministry Certificate Program at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where her husband serves as president, told the women attending her breakout session on "Stepping Up to the Mic," that as leaders in their churches they should expect to be called upon to speak at some point.
"Many people are paralyzed with fear when they anticipate speaking in front of others," she said. "But we know that Scripture tells us that fear is not of the Lord. God will prepare you for what He wants you to do."
While disabling fear is bad, Kelley said, "A healthy dose of fear causes me to be totally dependent on God. I know that I am not able to speak to and lead groups under my own power and capabilities, but I also know that with God I can do anything."
She cautioned the women to always do a thorough job of preparation before speaking. Using an outline is a good way to stay on track.
"When you get scared, your mind is the first thing to go," she said, eliciting laughter and nods from the group. "When that happens, take a deep breath and quickly pray for confidence and recall."
Forum attendees spent nearly three days learning skills for growing the women’s ministry in their own churches. But during the final session, David Landrith, pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church, Hendersonville, Tenn., told the audience that leading other women to God must begin with cultivating one’s own godliness.
"In general we recognize, as pastors, the crucial role that women play," Landrith said, adding that a vibrant women’s ministry can serve as a catalyst for other ministries in a church.
He cautioned, however, that even Christian women can "fall prey" to the traps of the world, and encouraged women to pursue personal godliness in order to better help other women do the same.
"Who does God want to use you to call up by the behavior that you exhibit?" he asked. "When your behavior is the kind that God has called you to, that behavior has a huge impact."
In 2009, LifeWay will offer two Women’s Ministry Leadership Training Forums. For more information on both events, visit www.lifeway.com/women. Also visit www.lifeway.com/news.
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