WOMEN IN THE CHURCH
unique and powerful
Church membership roles have a majority of women, yet positions
of leadership tend to go to men. Women are valued in the labor
they do, yet sit on the sidelines when it comes to key leadership
roles. God has a plan for women in the church. He has given them
special gifts, unique to their personality.
Women: How to unwrap, assemble, and begin to use your gifts:
- Don't forget the batteries. Using a gift without the power of
the Holy Spirit is like trying to get a talking doll to say I
love you without a battery. No matter where you are in your
spiritual journey, make your relationship with Christ the
number one priority.
- Seek God's will - not your own ambitions. Start out by
discovering what your spiritual gifts are. Ask God to show
you how to use them. Above all, use them. God has given you
gifts in order to build up the body of Christ, whether it's
reaching out to unsaved neighbors or to unreached people on
the other side of the world.
- Look for every opportunity available to minister in and
through the church. Begin at the local level while being open
to opportunities beyond your own denomination. Seek the
church's blessing on your ministry. Many people have become
active in larger ministries because there hasn't been
opportunities for leadership within their own congregations.
- Be willing to tough it out. Leadership for women is often
harder than for men, not only because of your God-given
natures, but also because it takes courage to step into an
arena primarily inhabited by men. And it's especially
difficult when you are also trying to be supportive wives and
available mothers.
- If you are married, seek the support of your husband. If God
wants you in a certain place, He will make it known not only
to you, but to your husband. If your spouse opposes you,
re-check your timing and God's will.
- Be a mentor. If you are in a position of leadership it is
prudent of you to train those who are to come behind you and
encourage them in the use of their gifts. Any help you give
another person will always be of value in the Kingdom of God.
- Work hard at maintaining a balance between your femininity
and the strengths necessary to use your gifts effectively. A
mature Christian woman can demonstrate inner strength,
confidence in God's leading in her life, and wisdom in
decision-making, while at the same time showing respect and
appreciation for the men to whom she relates. Men and women
are not adversaries - we are meant to be partners.
- Be sensitive to your culture, even when it goes against your
freedom in Christ. Because of the tremendous opportunities
for women in the secular world today, the churches' lack of
opportunity for women can be offensive. Women need to
demonstrate the wholeness and freedom Jesus has granted them,
worshiping Him, and exercising patience with His church -
rather than give up on her.
Lorry Lutz (M.A. Wheaton College) is International
Coordinator of the AD2000 and Beyond Women's Track.
She served with her husband for more than 20 years as
a missionary in South Africa with the Africa
Evangelical Fellowship and later working with
Partners International. She is the co-author of
several books including Mission: A World Family
Affair and Partnering in Ministry.
From Women as Risk-Takers For God by Lorry Lutz. Used
by permission of Baker Book House Company, Grand
Rapids, Mich. Copyright (c) 1997 by Lorry Lutz. All
rights to this material are reserved. Materials are
not to be distributed to other web locations for
retrieval, published in other media, or mirrored at
other sites without written permission from Baker
Book House Company.