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Making Space for Others

SUSAN TYNER | CONTRIBUTOR Let’s scoot over.  Make room. Here, take this spot and sit by us.     If you are walking into a space as a new student, neighbor, or church visitor, those can be some of the kindest words ever spoken. As a woman in my mid-fifties, I’m shocked that the awkwardness of junior high floods back so quickly when I am in a new situation. And, as a ministry leader who usually runs the room, I can forget how it feels to walk into an unfamiliar  one. Like when I’m on vacation and walk into a local church service.  Where are the bathrooms? Am I taking someone’s spot? Is it ok to carry my water bottle in? Will they notice if I don’t know the words to the songs?  Or, when I moved to a new city and attended a couple of local fundraisers. I felt like Cinderella dressed up going to the ball. But, once I walked in, I realized my new clothes weren’t “quite right” compared to what the other women wore. Not to mention the feeling of standing against the wall as everyone but you seem to be chatting. Thank goodness for my phone so I could camouflage my awkwardness as a busy text thread. These kinds of situations remind me how it feels like to an outsider. I feel hot and self-conscious not to mention, guilty about every time I avoided “the new girl” in the room....

Making Space for Others2025-08-23T14:07:18+00:00

When You’re Weary at the Start of a New Ministry Year

SUSAN TYNER | CONTRIBUTOR I thought I’d be ready. More rested. Eager to begin. Instead, as I look down the barrel of my calendar, I feel tired. In May I imagined the summer months would give me the rest and rejuvenation I needed after a hard spring. But, as I face August and the upcoming “kick offs” of ministry, my body is slow to move. My brain sputters as I start making lists. My heart questions once again if God will provide the volunteers. I focus on my present limitations much more than I remember God’s past help. But thankfully, God reminds me of a time His disciples felt the overwhelming ratio between a need and their ability to meet it. This story—found in all four gospels—gives me a template for facing a new year of ministry: the sack lunch approach. When Jesus and His disciples were chased down by the crowds in a remote area, and it was approaching dinnertime, He told the disciples to feed the crowd of 5,000. What did they have on hand? A first century Lunchables: a boy’s two fish and five loaves of bread...

When You’re Weary at the Start of a New Ministry Year2025-08-08T13:50:24+00:00

Eve: A Helper and Hope Bearer

MEAGHAN MAY | CONTRIBUTOR Ministry life can feel like a strange mix of beauty and burden. You might find yourself wearing multiple hats, holding sacred confidences, and offering wisdom to others while you are weary. You truly love the Lord and His Church, but some days isolation and confusion seem more pressing. As expectations swirl— both spoken and unspoken—you question your adequacy, your purpose, your place. You’re not alone. Eve was the first woman and ministry wife, but she also stood in a place of tension—called by God, yet wrestling with doubt. She struggled to trust His words, to wait for His timing, and to understand her place in His redemptive story. Eve’s life reminds us: we are not the first to waver, but also not the last to be sustained by grace. Her story, like ours, is complex, marked by beauty, brokenness, grace, and growth. And in her story, we find perspective for our own. Like Eve, we are learning to trust and are invited to listen again to the voice of God. His voice still beckons us out of hiding, clothes us, and sends us out with hope. Eve’s Calling, Struggle, and Growing Faith Eve was created with purpose: to live in relationship with God, to reflect His glory, to walk alongside her husband as a helper (ezer) and life-giver. Eve’s identity wasn’t an afterthought; it was intentional. Before God created her, He let Adam name the animals but among them, no suitable companion could be found. This is the first “not good” in all of creation (Gen. 2:18). Afterward, God caused Adam to sleep and took a rib from his side, fashioning it into the woman. When Adam saw her, he exclaimed with joy and recognition: “At last, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!” (Gen. 2:23). She was an ezer—a strong helper—a word used of God Himself in Scripture (Deut. 33:26; Psalm 121:2). Yet Eve struggled. “She saw that the fruit was… desirable… so she took it and ate” (Gen. 3:6)....

Eve: A Helper and Hope Bearer2025-07-31T23:35:51+00:00

Cherish: Encouragement and Equipping for Ministry

HANNAH STARNES|GUEST Not quite two years into full time ministry, I attended my first WE (Wives of Elders) event at Women’s Leadership Training in Atlanta. WE was just getting off the ground and as a young pastor’s wife, I was thrilled there was a ministry specifically for the wives of elders. Though my husband had not been a TE (Teaching Elder) for long, we were already weary, and I found myself continuing to take on more than I should because I believed that was expected of me. A joke had been made more than once that when my husband was hired, they had gotten “two for the price of one” because I had a hard time saying no. Without a mentor to guide me, I burned out quickly. But at the WE meeting, I felt relief for the first time. I was pregnant and therefore already emotional, but as I left the room I cried as I recapped the experience to my mom, telling her that I had met and connected with women who understood what I was going through. I was no longer alone! It was a special time of sharing one another’s burdens as well as rejoicing with one another through the cheerful parts of ministry. I saw 1 Corinthians 12:26 working out before my eyes, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” I came away feeling refreshed. In early 2024, I joined the WE team to be a liaison for the new WE cohorts. I wanted others to feel the way I did after that first WE meeting—connected, cared for, understood. It is a privilege to be a part of a group that seeks to connect elders’ wives to one another to fight against the feelings of isolation, bitterness, and misunderstanding. These cohorts have changed and altered over time but still maintain the purpose of connecting both teaching and ruling elders’ wives together for the purpose of encouragement and glorifying God together...

Cherish: Encouragement and Equipping for Ministry2025-03-12T14:52:54+00:00

Cherish: A Safe Place for Growth

KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR A few years ago, my husband, a pastor, and I experienced a significant crisis in our ministry life. We were crushed. I went from being a pastor’s wife who loved the church and could imagine no better life, to being a pastor’s wife who thought it would be great if her husband found a different line of work. I went from viewing gathered worship as a place of ministry, hospitality, and joy to a place that my head knew was necessary and good, but that my heart struggled to be present for. I couldn’t imagine ever being able to truly love and trust a local church again. I’m thankful that during that season, I had access to counseling for pastor’s wives through Cherish. Connecting with Cherish I have a vivid memory from the summer of 2019. My husband had gone ahead of me to his new pastoral call while I stayed behind to finish the packing, house-selling, and other necessities. As I sat amongst boxes, I took a break and scrolled on my phone and saw a post on social media about a new program from the PCA: Cherish. It offered free and discounted professional counseling for PCA pastor’s wives. I’d seen this promoted online before, but it didn’t seem like the right time for me to pursue counseling. We were in the middle of a big move that was stressful; adding something else to my life seemed like a bad idea. Yet, in that moment, nudged by the Holy Spirit, I thought I should check it out...

Cherish: A Safe Place for Growth2025-02-24T16:05:10+00:00

Thriving in Women’s Ministry Leadership

KENDRA KAMMER|GUEST As I drove home from a women’s ministry meeting with a friend one evening, tears started running down my face. All my fears and frustrations burst forth in a torrent. I kept thinking: Does anyone think I can do this job? Am I going to get the hang of it? Why is it so much harder than when I served in women’s ministry previously? As the new Women’s Discipleship Director at my church, I craved wisdom. Suddenly, I understood why Solomon asked for wisdom above all riches when he took on the leadership of Israel. In 1 Kings 3:7-9, Solomon said to God, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant Dad my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you… And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.” Solomon felt ill-equipped to fill his father’s shoes. His greatest concern was to be worthy of the great calling he had received. Two years ago, God called me to be his faithful servant in a job that was too big for me. Since I had served in women’s ministry leadership for over twenty years, I thought the job would be an easy fit. But instead, God had a challenge for me. By the third month on the job, I was already burned out. A surprising (but not unexpected) gift came in the form of a two-week sickness, which slowed me down enough to reorient my priorities and recommit to my calling...

Thriving in Women’s Ministry Leadership2025-02-12T16:58:30+00:00

Equipping You For A New Women’s Ministry Year

MARIA CURREY | CONTRIBUTOR With a new Women’s Ministry year peaking on the horizon, leaders’ minds are perking with everything from finalizing calendars, setting the fiscal year budget, and encouraging and recruiting existing and new team volunteers—just to name a few likely thoughts on your prayerful punch lists! Sometimes, facing new year expectations seems daunting, like scaling a ministry-Mt.-Everest. Fortunately, we have the best gear for whatever climb we face: God’s Word, prayer, and leaders before and behind us as “spiritual sherpas” of sorts. Jesus is first and always at the front as our guide and hems us in from behind, but it is also helpful to know the resources and relationships of trusted leaders who have climbed similar mountains. The Priority of Prayer The combination of God’s Word and prayer first informs our preparations. Pulled from God’s Word, prayer was the pacing of Jesus ministry from His baptism in Luke 3:21 to His final breath in Luke 23:46 and in His consummation of blessing and breaking bread with His disciples in Luke 24:30. As we follow in Jesus’ perfect footsteps, trusting established placement of our feet, He gives us the critical cues to pray without ceasing as we prepare. Jesus, who was perfect in every way, relied on prayer as the lifeline with God His Father; if it was critical for Him, it is even more essential for us...

Equipping You For A New Women’s Ministry Year2024-07-24T13:50:16+00:00

How Can the Church Serve Families Touched by Autism?

CHRISTINE GORDON | CONTRIBUTOR According to Autism Speaks, the non-profit research and awareness organization, 2.7 percent of children and 2.2 percent of adults in the United States have autism. So, in a church of just 200, at least two children and two adults probably have autism. Your church probably has autistic brothers and sisters attending. Do you know their names? Autistic people can feel intimidating to neurotypical (non-autistic, having typical neurological patterns and makeup) people. Autistic children and adults may or may not be able to read social cues, may dress differently, speak differently or not speak at all. They may not easily fit into the usual Sunday school classes, youth groups, and adult community groups. They may need quiet spaces, breaks from worship or group meetings, and predictability. How can the rest of the church love these brothers and sisters? And how can the autistic community in the church love the neurotypicals?  We must begin by acknowledging a few basics. All humans are made to image God, and all do so differently. Neurotypical people are not morally better or of more value to God by design. They may navigate relationships more easily and assume more traditional roles in society, but those on the autism spectrum bring unique skills and abilities to the table that neurotypical people may benefit from.  Having said that, perhaps we can reframe the question. Families touched by autism do need help. And the church should be a part of serving those needs. But the church must also recognize the dignity and gifts of those who have what is now officially called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), especially those who are adults. Perhaps our question could be framed in this way: How can the church dignify, serve, and celebrate the gifts of those among her who have ASD?..

How Can the Church Serve Families Touched by Autism?2024-03-19T13:26:36+00:00

Go and Make Disciples

MARIAH CUNNINGHAM | GUEST This past summer, I piloted a children’s curriculum that focused on missions. The final lessons focused on “going.” I have had a focus on missions most of my life through serving on churches’ missions committees, studying missions as an undergrad, and working for MTW. I am all about the “going,” but while I was teaching this curriculum, I saw the “going” in a new light. There are three Scriptures that were used in the curriculum that resonated with me about Kingdom expansion and simplified my understanding of the “going.” Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you.” In this passage the Lord is telling Abram to GO! Not only does He tell Abram to go, but He also tells him to leave his country, his people, his family, and all that he knows behind. This is where questioning and doubt start to come in. I am a planner and like to be organized, so this type of thinking really gets me worked up, but the last part of this Scripture is the best. It says, “I will show you.” I love this so much because it is such a powerful encouragement displaying that God is faithful, He is with us, and He will show us. We may not always see the path nor is the path always easy, but He will show us the way to go and be with us in that journey. Jonah 1:1-2 “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ’Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’” This is another passage where God says GO! After God directs Jonah on the where, He tells him the what, “Call out against it.” God was direct with Jonah by telling him the where and the what, but it was the why that Jonah struggled with. Although he grumbled, complained, and made the journey very difficult on himself, Jonah still went and, in the end, God was glorified. I know in my own life, my attitude reflects more of Jonah than of Christ. I complain when things do not go according to my plan. I grumble when people don’t show up at the last minute and sometimes, I even ask, “what is the point?” Even through my poor, pitiful attitude God can be glorified and the more I grasp onto that concept, the more joy I will find in the journey. Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”...

Go and Make Disciples2023-10-21T15:25:19+00:00

Working Together Across Gender in the Church

HOLLY MACKLE|CONTRIBUTOR When my pastor, Bob Flayhart, asked me to help adapt his life sermon into a book, my immediate wash of excitement quickly turned to a flood of fear. In my experience, it’s hard not to dignify any relational conflicts that arise in inter-gender work with a weight they should never carry. This feels especially constraining in the body of Christ, where an often unspoken sense of higher stakes in working together betrays an underlying level of disunity in the church. As such, I imagined all the ways working alongside Bob could go terribly wrong—all the scenarios in which I could disappoint, frustrate, or annoy him. I spoke my hesitation to a friend who wisely didn’t quash it, but rather turned the tables to the what if. “What if one or all of those things do happen?” she pressed. “I don’t knoooow,” I whined. “What would I do?” Instead of looking at me like I had three eyeballs, in a level, somehow non-judgmental tone she replied with the answer whose obviousness still stuns me to this day: “You waltz.” Oh right. Got it. It seemed my wash of fear would be a good place to employ the very framework Bob asked me to help adapt from sermon into book form, which he termed the Gospel Waltz. It also happens to be the precise skill to which I am witness number one as to its transformative power. Yet how quickly I forget. I am a writer who works largely in collaborative contexts, sometimes alongside the men of our church, which means this is hardly the first time this fear has flared. And I know I’m not alone, as so many women in the church labor alongside men in ministry and service contexts. The questions of what to do if I disappoint him or annoy him aren’t unique to me, and the truth is they barely scratch the surface of the deep-seated fear. It strikes me that the real question as we seek to work together across gender is: how do we do this well? How do we honor the Lord in our projects, planning, and partnership both within the church and out into the larger world?...

Working Together Across Gender in the Church2023-11-15T22:00:50+00:00
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