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Women in Leadership (Part 2): Calling

I want to take women in leadership further and make it tangible. Let’s take a closer look at the word: calling. No matter how we slice it, relationships are vital in a calling. One can’t simply be called and pursue it all on their own and succeed (if you hear of someone, let me know!). Here’s a snapshot of some relationships that influenced my calling:

The first student event I ever attended, my calling began to show itself. In a stadium filled with students from across my home state of Mississippi, I watched four women walked out on the platform in their totally 90’s attire and begin to sing about Jesus – they began to lead worship. I looked at my student pastor and said, ‘That’s it. That’s what I am going to do.’ I’m so grateful for Nathan Fitts.

Shortly after, we got a new music minister at my home church that saw something in me that I didn’t know how to develop on my own.  He spent hours working with me on music and harmonies. He even took me to different studios to learn about the recording and technical side. I am forever indebted to him for his introducing me to there being more than just stage for music – it’s a process. Thanks, Daniel Lee.

As our student ministry grew, my mom was placed as a teacher in the college Sunday School (shout out: where you at, Sunday Schoolers?!).  Two guys named Chris and Tim in her class were traveling and leading worship. She approached them about what I was wanting to do, and they were so kind to allow me to tag along to different events to learn how that kind of ministry happens. They taught me how to build relationships.

So what does the above have to do with women in leadership and YOU?

Three takeaways on
women in leadership
from these three relationships:

(1) As a follower of Jesus all God ever asked of me as was to remember not what I am but WHOSE I AM.

Doors never opened for me to ever be the ‘artist’ I wanted to be, but for me to lead as I ministered, to lead in worship, to lead people to Jesus.  I’ve spent a better portion of my Christian journey believing that I could only do so much since I am a female, because that was the example and instruction implied around me.  All I ever needed to focus on was WHOSE I AM.

(2) My role as a follower of Jesus within the church is to seek God with all my heart and then to share that with everyone I know.

Fast forward to now and I am living in the reality where I see ministry differently. Whether that’s on the road or inside the church walls on my home church staff: My role within the church isn’t to decide what I can do, it’s to be faithful with the task I have been given. If you follow Jesus

LET GOD DECIDE AT WHAT LEVEL AND CAPACITY THAT YOU WILL LEAD – MALE OR FEMALE.

And lastly,

(3) Who we surround ourselves with MATTERS, because what we all do MATTERS in the Kingdom of God – whether you are male or female.

YOU MATTER IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

God was setting up what I would be doing for Him all along not only in relationship with Him, but also through the people around me. Each one of those people prayed, guided, scolded, sharpened what I am doing today. All of those people weren’t just doing their ‘jobs,’ they were building the Kingdom by leading a loud, smart-mouthed student into a confident relationship with Christ through what I loved most: music. They weren’t worried if I was a female. They weren’t focused on what I couldn’t do. No, they were following the course God had given them and leaving it up to God to do the rest.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.
For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal. 3:28

I am no different than you when it comes to being called. That’s what the subject of women in leadership is really all about – the calling. I believe that we are all called. Are we listening? Or are we doing what I mentioned last week: setting our own parameters of who we can be in Christ based on what we see or don’t see happening within the church?

As we remain faithful in our callings, He responds with more. It’s His graceful response to male or female that He wants us to lead and lead well, so that the world can know about His great love (1 Peter 2:9). So, how do women in leadership lead well? We’ll talk about that next week 😉 . Until then, I would love to continue this discussion with you through social media, email or comments below.

 

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