By Suzanne Davis
NEW ORLEANS - During an October women’s ministry workshop, held at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS), professors Rhonda Kelley and Chris Adams shared their insights on inter-generational leadership and equipping women for the next level of women’s ministry.
Adams, NOBTS adjunct professor and senior lead women’s ministry specialist for LifeWay's church resources division, reflected on her beginnings with women’s ministry in the 1980s. She began at her local church in Tyler, Texas, by participating in a young women’s Bible study group. “It grew as a ministry to each other as we raised our kids together and helped each other. The more I got involved and discipled, the more I wanted other women to experience that, too.”
Eventually, her desire to disciple women in the church led to a small part-time position in her church and then to a full-time position as special ministries coordinator. In 1994, LifeWay invited Adams to join their team, and she’s been helping women reach women in churches nationwide ever since.
Though Adams is quick to point out that women’s ministry has always been a ministry and not a program, she acknowledges that today’s young women see and do ministry differently than when she started. Inter-generational leadership is a big focus for her and other women’s ministry leaders right now.
“I want to see this generation not just handing off the ministry but walking with them as they take the ministry in new directions – to be an encourager, but at the same time walking it with them,” Adams said.
Kelley, professor of women’s ministry at NOBTS, agrees that women’s ministry is about people, not programs. At NOBTS, she says, the seminary is intentional about offering courses that offer relevant training to a wide variety of topics, ages, and stages of life.
“We don’t want to say your ministry has to look a certain way, we’re saying you can learn to do ministry in a way that fits your personality and calling.” Kelley said.
A Common Purpose
Regardless of their generation or calling, Adams says that all the women she comes in contact with during her training have a one common purpose. “They all have a heart for women and a heart to make a difference. Outside of that, things are different. They come from differing size churches, different age groups and cultures.”
Kelley says she’s seen a variety of types of women’s ministry in her women’s ministry classes. “Some of the women who come through our program are not in women’s ministry, per se, but they are ministering to women through their own ministry – whether through speaking, or Bible teaching, or going on the mission field.”
Kristy Mullins, an insurance investigator in her day job, serves in women’s ministry at Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport, La. She’s (taking) working toward a Women’s Ministry certificate by taking classes at NOBTS. “My full-time job is investigating insurance fraud which means I deal mainly with men all day, so doing women’s ministry is something very different for me. What I appreciate is the different perspectives and different ideas that you can take home,” she said.
Fellow student Rachel Moyers, of Corinth, Miss., serves as her church’s youth/children’s director. She’s interested in getting a girls ministry started at her church, but says she’s also interested in helping to promote other women’s ministry opportunities. “Women are our teachers and our leaders and they need something where they can get fed. Of course, we’re fed through the worship service, but there are times when women need women.”
Different Ages & Stages
Kelley says one key to helping churches bridge the leadership gap in women’s ministry is to intentionally involve the different generations. “At the seminary, we’re very intentional about choosing classes that are relevant to traditional and younger women,” Kelley said. “You have to be very intentional about it [diversity] and not just let the ministry become about one group of women.”
Mullins’ church in Shreveport is seeing growth in their ministry from an inter-generational approach. They host a multi-generational knitting group that focuses on service projects. “We have all ages from third grade girls to women in their 70s, and everyone is welcome,” she says. The group, which is in its second year, has knitted scarves for children in a Mongolian orphanage the church helps sponsor. They are currently knitting baby blankets for a local crisis pregnancy center.
In addition to reaching across the generations, Mullins says the knitting projects have helped them reach beyond the church’s doors. “We’ve had women come and get involved in the church through the knitting group that might not have otherwise,” she said.
Moyers also says she hopes that her women’s ministry training will help her in other aspects of ministry. “Right now, I’m looking very seriously at doing some things for the youth girls, and maybe by doing something for them, someone will also step up and want to do something for the boys.”
Current Trends
Adams says younger women are very interested in ministry and making a difference in their world. “The next generation wants to be involved in spontaneous ministry ? but they don’t want to study about it; they want to do it.”
“Today more and more women are getting out in the community, going on mission, and feeding the homeless and building relationships,” Adams said.
One of the current trends she sees is a desire for deeper Bible study that is “less topical and more verse-by-verse” with a focus on application. “The most important thing for them, though, is building community. It’s how does this apply to my everyday life,” Adams said.
The application and relationship building offers an opportunity for the more mature women to walk alongside the younger women for encouragement and support, she said. “When we were doing research we found that their biggest need is in building relationships. So many have come from dysfunctional backgrounds, they don’t know what a healthy relationship looks like.”
Since 1997, NOBTS has also been helping equip women to reach women of all ages and stages of life. The seminary offers two certificate programs for women’s ministry as well as a bachelor’s degree and three masters degrees. A variety of class options are offered to accommodate different types of students, including short workshops, online courses, independent studies and traditional semester classes.
As for the future of women’s ministry, Kelley say, “I think there will always be women’s ministry in the church – because you’re always going to have women in the church and community who have needs that Christ can meet – whether or not you call it women’s ministry, women’s ministry must be done.”
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Suzanne Davis is a master of arts student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and an editorial assistant in the seminary’s public relations office.
Linking up with Women’s Ministry
You can find more information about women’s ministry education and issues by contacting:
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
1-800-662-8701, ext. 3334
www.nobts.edu/womensacademic
LifeWay Christian Resources
www.lifeway.com/womenreachingwomen