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Ministering to Women in the Church

Transcript - ML505 Ministering to Women in the Church © 2019 Our Daily Bread University. All rights reserved.

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LESSON 21 of 24ML505

Women’s Ministries: Missionary Endeavors

Ministering to Women in the Church

This is lesson number 21: How Women’s Ministries Are Received in Missionary Endeavors. All over the world, women are serving God in different capacities—in mission organizations, church planting, Bible translation, teaching in colleges and seminaries, serving in numerous church roles from pastor to secretarial assistants. Some of these positions have been questioned by various groups. We have discussed what the Bible says about women in ministry and how different religious groups interpret that word. The range is from that of no participation by women in the church in any leadership capacity to that of being the senior pastor. Sometimes the battle’s waged so strongly, I wonder if the focus is on winning battles rather than being obedient to the Word of God.

I once had a couple in my office who told me that when they find themselves in the heat of an argument, they lose sight of who’s right and who’s wrong, each just want to win. I want us to focus on some of the different roles both here and abroad and look at the differences in ministries—how they look in the United States and how they look overseas.

What about the role of single women in present-day missions? When we consider all of the hardships that will arise, we need to see that we are already dealing with a significant part of the total missionary force when we consider the role of single women. From North America alone, even thirty years ago single women made up 61 percent of the total force. That’s a ten to one ratio of single women to single men. When you combine single and married women, the ratio is six to four. By the 1820s, women were generally conceded the right to organize for fundraising, for prayer, and for educating themselves and their children with respect to missions. It was not until 1826 that the first unmarried woman, Miss Cynthia Farrar was appointed by an American agency to serve overseas. Her appointment as an assistant missionary came into response to an urgent request for a single woman made by the Marathi Mission of India.

Lucy Mabery-Foster, PhD Experience: Professor of Pastoral Ministries,

Dallas Theological Seminary (1990-2002)



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When we go back to the founding of some of our mission boards, we see a leader like Hudson Taylor, the founder and longtime director of the China Inland Mission, now called the Overseas Missionary Fellowship. He is regarded by some as the founder of the faith missionary movement because of his insistence that missionaries who were part of his organization not be salaried or solicit funds. His recruits were largely unordained laypersons, including large numbers of single women. In fact, in the first CIM group that sailed to China, seven of the fifteen new recruits were single women.

On the field, single women often were stationed far into the interior and were responsible for evangelism and church planting in large regions with immediate male supervision. Taylor was criticized in 1898 in the Missionary Review of the World magazine. The writer of the article, Julius Richter, reflecting the attitude of many mainline churchmen, criticized Taylor’s philosophy and practice with these words, “Hudson Taylor makes extraordinarily ample use of the services of unmarried ladies. Whole districts of the Chinese mission field are exclusively under the management of mission sisters.” In reply to Richter’s criticism that “this practice of the free employment of single mission sisters in the midst of entirely heathen districts is unbecoming and repellant to our German ideas,” Hudson Taylor’s reply was that Richter’s problem was that he viewed the situation through German or European eyes instead of from a Chinese standpoint. Taylor emphasized the advantage in relying on women for the work of cross-cultural evangelism when he said,

The native catechist never comes to true inward independence at a station where he works under a European missionary. He feels himself to be only the dependent journeyman of the other and is hardly noticed by the Chinese and presence of the overwhelming superiority of the European. It is quite otherwise when he is associated with a missionary sister. Then the whole work of teaching and preaching and representing the mission to outsiders lands upon him. He counts as the head of the mission and must act independently, but at the same time, he is under the control of the mission sister who is with him to advise and instruct him and to report about him. The sister herself has a sufficient sphere of activity in the female part of the heathen population and the Christian church, and if sometimes men also listen to her Bible lessons, no offense is given. Of course, a great deal of tact is necessary for the sister and the catechist to maintain their mutual position.



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Taylor not only eagerly recruited single women to run the stations in China, he also expected married women to do their share of mission work. To a male recruit he wrote, “Unless you intend for your wife to be a true missionary, not merely a wife, homemaker, and friend, do not join us.” Jennie Taylor, his second wife, certainly fit the description of a true missionary. In 1878 when Taylor was ill in England, she agreed to leave him and her young children behind in order to return to China with a famine-relief team.

Some of the greatest traveling evangelists in China during the first decade of CIM work were women. Women such as Margaret King and Jessie Gregg traveled widely, preaching in churches and evangelistic meetings. Other women opened up new stations and did pioneer work in regions that had never before been reached by missionaries. Mildred Cable and Francesca French began their work in China in 1890, later to be joined by Evangeline French. For twenty-one years they conducted routine missionary work and then shocked the missionary community when they insisted that God was calling them to the unevangelized areas of China’s great northwest. They traveled for months by cart, finally arriving at the last town before the border. Along the way, they conducted Bible lessons for a group of untrained Christians, and after they arrived, they began a ministry to traders and merchants. They were ideally located on an important trade route; and they were convinced that such a location was most suitable for their work.

Fredrik Franson, founder of the mission that later became known as The Evangelical Alliance Mission (or TEAM), was a contemporary of Hudson Taylor’s and wrote a paper called “Prophesying Daughters,” in which he said,

The fields of labor are large, and when we realize that nearly two-thirds of all converted people in the world are women, then the question of women’s work in evangelization is of great importance. In China, each day thirty thousand people go into eternity without having heard the gospel. There is no prohibition in the Bible against women’s public work; and we face the circumstance that the devil, fortunately for him, has been able to exclude nearly two-thirds of the number of Christians from participation in the Lord’s service through evangelization. The loss for God’s cause is so great that it can hardly be described.

Franson recruited a volunteer named Malla Moe who immigrated to Chicago from Norway in 1880s to go to Swaziland where she served fifty-six years. She filled many roles, including that of



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evangelist, church planter, preacher, and bishop. She was not ordained and was never referred to as a bishop, but she functioned as one—assigning pastors to the churches she founded and overseeing their continued growth and development. Franson said,

It is amazing how one can get such a false idea as that not all God’s children should use all of their powers in all ways to save the lost world. There are so-to-speak many people in the water about to drown. A few men are trying to save them, and that is considered well and good. But look over there, a few women have united a boat also to be of help in the rescue; and immediately a few men cry out, standing there oddly looking on, and, therefore, having plenty of time to cry out, “No, no, women must not help. Rather let the people drown.” What stupidity.

A. B. Simpson founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance in 1887. He said that if women furthered the primary mission of the church to reach lost souls for Christ, then he enthusiastically endorsed their ministry to achieve that objective. He was criticized for his open policy for women in ministry, but he was quick to defend his position. After a series of meetings in Atlanta, he responded to attacks by saying the matter was an issue “which God has already settled not only in His Word, but in His providence, and by the seal which He is placing in this very day in every part of the world upon the public work of consecrated, Christian women.” He concluded by chiding the pastor who led the attack with “Dear brother, let the Lord manage the women. He can do it better than you, and you turn your batteries against the common enemy.” How have times changed since the initiation of our missionary societies? Today the church clearly acknowledges the fact that thousands of women, both married and single, have efficiently and effectively served overseas and given their lives in faithful love to Christ in the building of His church. Fortunately, women missionaries in general are no longer considered to be assistants, but are regarded as full-time workers. The recently conducted interviews and polls seem to indicate that women workers are not aggressively demanding the right to take over positions of dominant top leadership, but they are asking to be given appropriate recognition for the work they are accomplishing: to be treated with respect for the work they are accomplishing; to be treated with respect as coworkers; to be regarded as human beings capable of making intelligent decisions, sound judgments, and contributing important insights to the overall program of foreign missions.



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The wide variety of roles filled by women in missions today reflects the versatility, adaptability, and competency with which they serve. Although a few tasks remain predominantly carried on by men, women are now able to explore more avenues for the expression of their gifts and abilities than formerly. Many of the frustrating persistent barriers are due to cultural factors rather than male dominance. For instance, in Islamic countries, female missionaries often are limited to a ministry among females, especially when working outside of large urban centers. Physical strength sometimes presents a natural obstacle, although many women have proven their strength in rugged, demanding circumstances with amazing physical endurance. Travel and overnight housing can present difficult problems to a single woman who is serving in a male-oriented culture. Natural limitations such as these must not be confused with restrictions imposed by a missionary agency. In general, restrictions on women’s roles are being lifted. I would like for us to look at some of the wide range of contemporary roles available to women.

First of all, the area of education. Women have traditionally been accepted in the general field of education and have contributed immeasurably to the training and development of Christians around the world. Women are involved in many different kinds of educational work, such as schools for national children or orphanages, Bible schools for national workers, schools for missionaries’ children, schools for women, government secondary schools, universities, short-term schools, home Bible classes, correspondence courses, teacher training, and medical schools.

The second area of interest is health services. These services are many and varied, sophisticated and primitive, and are performed by highly trained personnel as well as by isolated missionaries located in remote areas who pore over medical books by kerosene lamp light—physicians, dentists, eye doctors, neurologists, gynecologists, nurses, midwives, medics, clinicians, researchers, lab technicians. In this field, the list seems endless. Women have founded hospitals, leprosariums, clinics, mobile health centers, and first aid stations.

Women’s work is the third area. Only women can reach women in some countries, and this ministry, one of the oldest in which women have engaged, is still flourishing. Women can serve as housemothers in missionary’s children schools. Many missionaries are dependent on dedicated women to serve as spiritual mothers to their children, as well as providing an example of appropriate



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Christian behavior. Women can serve as hostesses. These are true Marthas who provide warm hospitality and perform many tasks for missionaries and guests. Clerical workers, secretaries, bookkeepers, and office workers are the unsung heroes of mission work. Their work is indispensable to the program.

The fourth area is that of linguistics—the Wycliffe women, for starters. Many boards use women in this work. An Australian journalist, Mary Fischer, has been studying Cantonese in Hong Kong and has been accepted for study in the Institute of Linguistics in Peking. She is only the second missionary to be selected for this program; the first being a Jesuit priest.

The fifth area is radio ministries. Women serve as scriptwriters, announcers, program planners, station managers, and shortwave radio operators.

The sixth area is that of music ministries. Some women are especially gifted in teaching music, organizing musical groups, conducting, and composing. Ethno musicology, a relatively new field in which the music pattern of the distinct culture is preserved, is being developed by women in some fields. Recordings—what missionary can forget gospel recordings founded by a woman.

The seventh area is that of counseling. New demands are being made for the services of Christian psychologists, psychiatrists, and lay counselors.

The eighth area is relief work. The management of relief projects, including the handling of funds as well as distribution programs, is now being successfully carried on by women in some countries.

The ninth area is Christian education. As larger churches are developing in urban centers, missionary women are assisting in setting programs and training workers to run them.

And the tenth area is administrative assignments. Occasionally women receive appointments to fill administrative positions, acting as a field representative, serving on the field executive committee, and other administrative roles.

In 1989, the Evangelical Missions Quarterly published a list of issues of importance to women in missions. The first area was that of leadership. When a woman is asked to chair a committee in which men are serving, occasionally it seems as though her



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leadership is resented by the men working with her, therefore creating tension and limiting the productivity of the group.

The second area of concern is that of program planning. At times, it seems as though the ideas presented by women are either ignored or belittled. Many women would like to be involved at the program planning level but are reticent at voicing their desire for fear that they might be considered pushy.

The third area that female missionaries talk about is that of policy-making. Women in general are perceptive, practical, realistic, and innovative. They would like to see things work. They like to make things move. Often they are able to see down-to-earth solutions to confusing problems; however, they feel reluctant to express their ideas lest they be considered too aggressive.

The fourth area of concern is that of mission finances. Many missionary families would be on the rocks financially were it not for the little woman who miraculously manages the budget. Yet seldom do women missionaries serve on committees that make financial decisions.

The fifth area of concern is the allocation of missionaries. Women are creative. They are creatures of intuition and sensitivity, who usually respond quickly to interpersonal relationships. They seem to sense the possibilities or problems developing between certain personalities. They would enjoy an increased opportunity to make suggestions as to station assignments.

The sixth area is spiritual ministry at mission conferences. Frequently, women are asked to give station reports, but rarely are they given the privilege of sharing God’s Word with the conference in a message or even a morning devotional. Women, from their quiet, personal walk with God have much to share that would be profitable to all. Some women would appreciate such an opportunity.

The seventh area of concern for the female missionaries is that of work assignments. Most women would like an opportunity to express their feelings about work assignments. With many it is a matter of a deep conviction about being involved in a certain kind of ministry; and they would like to feel that they can have some influence in making decisions that affect them. This is especially true of single women, many of whom are specialists in a specific occupation or profession.



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The eighth area is responsibility in ministry. Many women have an extensive training in a wide variety of skills and would appreciate having special consideration given to their abilities. These would enjoy a position of increased responsibility, one that would be demanding, challenging, and fulfilling. There is at present a great reservoir of untapped human potential in this category.

The ninth area of concern is advanced training for ministry. Many single women would greatly appreciate the opportunity to obtain further training and education during their term on the field by attending special seminars and leadership conferences, such as are frequently sponsored by mission agencies. Advanced study opportunities during furlough time could be utilized to great advantage for both the individual and the mission being served.

The tenth area of concern is communication channels. Women need to know that their voice will be heard, their suggestions received, and their ideas respected. They need the assurance of a two-way communication channel. They need to be encouraged to voice views and share their insights with the same freedom as their male colleagues.

The eleventh area of concern is that of top leadership roles. Not many women, if any, aspire to become a field chairman, a field director, or to fill the top position of leadership. However, many women would enjoy serving in leadership roles as directors of special projects, managers of special departments such as publications, and so on. Many women are extremely competent in these areas traditionally filled by men.

This article in the Quarterly went on to state “opportunities such as these would give a sense of worth and personal fulfillment especially to single women; and their valuable services could greatly enhance the total program of mission.” Women like opportunities to function according to their abilities, rather than merely filling the traditional women’s roles. I have found that women who have graduated from Dallas Seminary have voiced some rather different feelings from the concerns of this article, as they fill different missionary positions all over the world.

In 1989, I sent a letter to every woman graduate of the seminary up to that date asking four questions. Number one, “What type of training for women would you like to see at Dallas Seminary?” Number two, “How did Dallas Seminary equip you for the present ministry?” And number three, “What were the weaknesses you



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saw in the program for women while you were in school here?” And number four, “How is your ministry being received by men with whom you work (by women as well)?” I received responses to my questions from Spain; Hong Kong; Kenya, Africa; Cairo, Egypt; Indonesia; Vienna, Austria; Malaysia; Cambridge, England; Camp Verde, Arizona; Winnetka, Illinois; Glen Ellen; Arkansas; Burley, Idaho; New York, New York; Queens, New York; College Point, New York; Garland, Texas; California; Houston; and really many, many letters from Dallas.

One female student who went to Austria as a missionary responded this way:

I was and remain very grateful for the preparation I received through the Master of Arts and Biblical Studies program. As I have come to understand what the Lord is doing in the part of the world in which He has put me, I have appreciated the sense of preparedness I have had as it was revealed to me in different ways over the last eighteen months. There are only a few aspects I feel that I did not get that I could have definitely benefited from in retrospect.

First, of course, specifically on counseling women, both domestically and cross-culturally. This could surely be a course in itself. I have found that one of our biggest challenges has been to encourage women who have no concept of personal ministry in terms of evangelism, encouragement, teaching, even the eternal value of faithfulness in raising children and keeping a home, or making the most of the single years, as we certainly have constant questions and requests for personal time to talk through the individual life struggles and dilemmas as human beings but also specifically as women. Also, I would like to see the women’s ministry course, in particular, focus on the variety and creativity of ministry available to women. That would include a strong basis—maybe at least half of the semester—in the scriptural teaching about what femaleness, as well as maleness, really involves and what God uniquely did in creating both, as well as the different ways women were used in the Bible, both explicitly and implicitly. I have found that having a theological base in God’s created male and female, and sorting through how they complement each other, has given me greater flexibility, enthusiasm as a woman, and creativity in my own situation, as well as encouraging women in situations very different from what we encounter as American Christians. Rather than carrying out forms of ministry for women with us, we can look discerningly and creatively at the



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opportunities God would use uniquely with women in these other cultures, and maybe some fresh ideas in our own culture.

I remember very much appreciating the lectures from several different DTS profs in my women’s ministry class, each holding a different position on the practical application of women in ministry. It was good to be exposed to what was in the Scripture, the overall tone of it, then having to come to my own conclusion on what that meant practically for me and how to encourage other women that same way.

In terms of what I saw as weaknesses in the program for women at DTS, I really don’t have any complaints. I felt it was up to me to choose what I really needed for preparation, and it was all available to me. I thoroughly appreciated the attitude toward women on campus and had a very positive experience. I would only suggest possibly two specific additions to the curriculum for women—women in ministry and counseling women.

And finally, my ministry has been extremely well-received by the men in my mission, as well as by the men we are ministering to. As we work with the wives of the pastors and the laymen in training, their husbands are expressing enthusiasm for the time we spend with these women, because the women are understanding the vision their husbands now have, so are more supportive, as well as seeing their unique opportunities among other women and children in the churches. My teammates, primarily men, are seeing the ministry to women as a vital part of what we are doing to strengthen the church in the USSR and Eastern Bloc, so include us in all their planning, their goal setting, and their execution of those plans. They have been a pleasure and privilege to work with, and the women themselves are starting to see the potential they have for ministry as they see who God is, what His heart looks like, and what He has created and equipped them for, and so are becoming motivated as they sense the value of their own personal input. It has been thrilling as it is just beginning to blossom after three years now of rapport building, relationship development, and curriculum development tailored to their needs and their situation.

Another letter from a graduate who is now in missions in Hong Kong described the atmosphere there.

Here in Hong Kong, women do everything. They preach, they lead men, they run the church. It’s never crossed their minds to consider



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what the Bible says, because what they’re doing is culturally acceptable and expected. DTS needs to train their women to deal with such situations and others like them in a consistent biblical, yet sensitive way. I didn’t feel prepared to deal with this current situation I’m facing.

In the culture I’m working in, men are very open to women in ministry and are much more accepting and encouraging then American men, in my opinion. Women in Hong Kong have many opportunities for ministry that they probably wouldn’t have in the United States, some of which may be unbiblical.

From Cairo, Egypt came this reply:

Thank you for your inquiry about my field of ministry. I only just received it as our mail goes to Cyrus and then is hand-carried to us in Egypt. My husband and I are serving as missionaries here. We are part of a team to plant churches among the Muslims, Lord willing. We have been here close to five years, and thus far have been mainly involved in Arabia study and building relationships with nationals, sharing Christ as we are able.

We have not seen any converts yet after five years, but realize this takes time and perseverance. When the Lord does give us converts, we plan to disciple them and gather them into house-type churches. This is our long-term goal.

I would like to see more practical training and men too. By this, I mean more courses like Larry Moyer’s course on evangelism, which had many specific how-tos. Courses on how to disciple would be most helpful—how to disciple young men and women—as this is the crux of the Great Commission according to Matthew 28:18–20. All mature Christians should be involved in sharing their faith and developing believers, including pastors, pastors’ wives, missionaries, and so forth.

Of course, our particular line of work is dependent on such one-to-one and small group skills, as we are in a closed country and must keep our profile low, and also, I find as a busy wife and mother of three that there are times in my life that my time for outside ministry is greatly restricted, but it seems generally possible to always be building relationships with one, two, or a few women and sharing Christ and discipling them in the midst of those relationships.



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Thus, I feel that practical help and personal evangelism and disciple-making is especially helpful for women, as many of them will have families and thus often have to focus mainly on personal work, at least for a time.

My ministry is well-received here by men and women. We are all a team working toward the same goal. In our organization, the wives are full-status members and expected to minister as they are able, considering family responsibilities, right along with their husbands. We are all learning the language, making friends, sharing the gospel, and trusting God to bring some of our contacts to Himself and into the church.

A letter from Indonesia revealed that women worked with the men as teams and were very well-received. A graduate, who is now a pastor’s wife in a Methodist church in Malaysia, related how conservative the Methodist churches were there. She said this:

I spend most of my time helping out in Bible classes and Sunday school. I also do some teaching in our local Bible school here. The training that DTS helped me a lot in teaching the Bible, and I really appreciate that. It gives me the confidence that I need in order to teach; however, whenever I share and talk with the brothers and sisters in the church, I found out that they are looking for advice and counseling from me. This makes me feel so inadequate because I always feel that I’m never trained to do this.

A letter from a woman who is a pastor’s wife in a small town revealed some frustrations with her circumstances there. She shared that there was considerable disunity among the women in her church, so that she was wishing for a course in conflict management. She added that the women in her church simply didn’t know how to show love and hospitality, and so she was frustrated and needed help. She shared the desire for a mentor, someone she could share with and hash out questions with. She would love to hear from an older, wiser woman words like “You’re special; you’re going to make a difference in someone’s life someday.”

She had this to say about her ministry being received by men: “My ministry is being received okay by men, but my husband feels that the men here are left out and the women need to love their spouses unconditionally and, if necessary, attend a couple’s study instead of going to so many women’s-only studies.”



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One graduate, who is serving the Lord in this country, voiced strong dissatisfaction with formal Bible training for a lot of reasons. She said this:

I have recognized a barrier as to where women may function. Leaders of the church seem to have a very narrow view. This narrowness goes beyond biblical guidelines. Women’s ministries are valuable, yet a seminary degree unnecessary.

Since I have an MABS degree, let me share what I have experienced. It is useful for a woman to have an MACE (a Masters in Christian Education degree) because it is acceptable for a woman to be used in Christian education or to lead neighborhood Bible studies. Not having an MACE degree has caused consistent limits to my usefulness. The cry has been, “Why don’t have you have an MACE degree?” My husband and I wish we would have known this predicament when we entered DTS. Even though my undergraduate work was in CE, it makes no difference. We have found that I am as knowledgeable in theology and Bible as a man; it is of little practical value to me. The MABS was very limited in its usefulness. My degree has equipped me to minister in a man’s world, and I have little opportunity to use it.

I have had the opportunity to work with men. Each experience has been different. Where there is an opportunity for service, if encouraged by him, it has been good. If encouraged by a board or a church, the relationship can be tense and frustrating.

A woman with the same degree presents a different focus. She said,

I feel more qualified than most pastor’s wives have the privilege to be, especially where we are. I led a Bible study with the women in our church and the training I received has been most helpful. Mostly, the basic theology classes I have had helped me maintain a grasp of what I believe and how to convey it to others.

The nature of this letter seems vastly different from the one I previously read, because there is no dissatisfaction in this one.

The counseling class has also helped me deal with people. I’m not in a position where I’m leading men, only women in a Bible study, but I do feel that I am respected by men and women because of my degree, and I’m proud to be graduate of DTS. I praise God for the opportunity I had to attend. I’m sorry I don’t have more



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positive criticism, but my experience at DTS was so positive that have never come up with any negative aspects.

I think we can begin to see that women from different parts of the country and from different areas of ministry are finding their training helpful or not so helpful, but we need to see the vast differences.

Another woman had accepted the position as coordinator for the women’s ministries in her church. This type of ministry had never been formally done before at that church, and since it was new to her as well, she was really needing guidance. A Campus Crusade workers stated that the men in that organization weren’t threatened because women teach women and men teach men.

Another woman said that she would like to have more teaching experience. She felt that she had adequate knowledge, but wasn’t as prepared to deliver that knowledge. A graduate who is ministering in Texas said,

My present ministry is with single women in our church. I teach a weekly study with ten to twenty women. My primary ministry has been small-group studies, discipleship with loose structure, and general pastor’s wife help jobs. The latter are the “be there” kind of things. I don’t necessarily do much at those events, but I am expected—lots of expected situations. I do occasionally get to be involved with premarital counseling. I also plan big events—retreats, trips, and so on. Fortunately, I also have a home to run with a one-year-old child.

My ministry is received fine since my husband supports me 100 percent, but women don’t teach much or ever here. Maybe an occasional sharing with men present. Teaching wise I have been received well. I try to make studies deeper than devotions, and I also let others teach often. However, I struggle with going deeper, but not too deep to lose those who really want a nice twenty-minute devotional message and a share time.

Oh, lastly, you might, if you run low on stuff to talk about, mention how to run a good short ministry. Women go on and on in meetings. They talk forever. They rarely stick to the agenda.

A woman wrote from Houston, Texas, saying that she was working for the Texas Department of Human Services interviewing people to determine if they are eligible to receive food stamps, welfare



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checks, or Medicaid. She has a lot of time to devote to church work, so she is presently serving as the Sunday school director, women’s missionary union director, director of the children’s church, and assistant to the youth director. She said,

Over the years, the Lord has continued to confirm to me that He wants me to serve Him in a Spanish-speaking country. Although that has not come about yet, nor has a full-time position here, I am content in the assurance that I am doing what the Lord wants me to do right now.

The greatest benefit I received from Dallas Seminary was a solid, biblical foundation in all areas, including the question of women in ministry. I learned the associated practical lessons from the seminary of life; an attitude that shines forth humility, willingness to work cooperatively, and submission to authority is essential. While academic sophistication and biblical accuracy are important, a ministry can be destroyed instantaneously if these are emphasized at the expense of a proper attitude. This attitude naturally leads to action. There are so many church-related tasks that are appropriate for a woman to do, that she should not even have time to think about that which would not be appropriate for her to do.

In summary, there were about fifteen things that the graduates would like to have experiences in. The first area is that of counseling women—domestically and cross-culturally. We need to know, and we have had some of our lessons devoted to counseling, that if you are going to be a woman in ministry, you are going to be counseling. I have found through the years that when you teach an hour, you will probably counsel three. If you’re not willing to feed into the lives of the woman you work with, then they’re not going to listen to what say when you talk about God’s Word, because they want to know the practical aspect of that Word.

The second area of interest that women wanted to see was a variety and creativity of ministry available to women. They want to know some wide ranges of opportunities, and we’re going to be looking at some of these wide ranges of opportunities in our remaining lessons.

The third area that they wanted to see was preparation for culture shock, what they will be facing when abroad, and how to fit other cultural norms into Scripture. This is a tremendously wide



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question. Now when I have traveled abroad to other countries, I find that it is extremely important too that you read up on the culture of the land to which you’re going, because some type of just inappropriate action on your part might close the door to your witnessing to someone in another culture in which you would never think of being a problem. So preparation for culture shock is an area that we all need to work with if we are going to consider missions, either short-term or long-term abroad.

The fourth area is more practical training in evangelism and in small-group dynamics. These are areas of great importance because if God truly has told us to go into all the world and give the gospel, then we have to have good tools in evangelism. We have to be willing and able to give an account of the hope in Jesus Christ that we have within ourselves. Small-group dynamics is a new field that is just growing rapidly. We can accomplish a lot in small groups that we cannot in large groups, and so these women who were graduating wanted more information on small-group dynamics.

The fifth area is hands-on experience. So often we get a lot of head knowledge; and if we’ve never actually experienced any of these things, it’s very frightening to us. We need more internships, more walking along beside someone who has done it before, so that we can have mistakes and be able to interact with somebody who has been there with us.

A sixth area is to develop individuality and creativity. As women of God, we are all uniquely different; and we need to not try to fit in someone else’s mode, to use the Bible as our base, as the ground upon which we stand, but also to allow God to work through our individuality. We saw this constantly in the writing of Scripture. You know that Luke, who wrote the Scripture, we know that he was a physician. You know that Amos was a farmer. We need to use the uniqueness that we have as women in communicating to others.

The seventh area is to learn how to do conflict resolution. Regardless of where you’re going to be placed, you will come into conflict, and you need to understand good dynamics of conflict resolution.

The eighth area of desire was that of mentoring. We’ve talked about this in previous lessons of older women mentoring younger women. We need mentoring. We need to be able to have role


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Women’s Ministries: Missionary EndeavorsLesson 21 of 24

models out there that we can count on.

The ninth area is clearly explaining limitations. We need to know what our limitations are within the parameters of Scripture and be able to work within those. Critical issues facing women today—we need to know what those issues are. We need to not close our eyes to them.

Practice teaching opportunities. We need to have situations in which we can comfortably teach and have good feedback. We need to have experience in compiling small-group studies, and we need to know how to locate good speakers for women. There are a group of women who do travel around the country and speak often. We need to have access to those women and to see if they would fit the personalities of our individual women’s groups.

We need to have placement opportunities after graduation. It’s important after you have gotten training, in whatever type of program you’re in, to be able to be placed in the area that would be best suited for you.

And last of all, difficulties in ministry uniquely related to women, because they’re going to be different from those of a man, and we need to be sensitive to those issues.

I think we’ve been able to see all of these areas of deep concern for women who are going to be in missions of some kind.

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