The importance of women in ministry

Comments after reading "3 messages the girls in your ministry can't hear enough" - Neely McQueen http://www.simplyyouthministry.com/from-the-field-68.html

For years there has been a debate over whether or not women should be in the ministry. I would like to submit that this argument is not about ministry, it is about authority. But that's not what I want to talk about.

A quote Neely had impressed me as to the importance of women doing ministry. Here's what she said:

"Whenever we do a series in our youth ministry about people in the Bible, we make a special effort to include a female. You can imagine how confusing it is to a young girl to hear that God wants to use her, but every example she hears from the Bible is a guy. Sure there are transferable principles from every life in the Bible, but it is tremendously meaningful for a teenage girl to hear about Jael, Esther, Deborah, Lydia, Hannah, Ruth, Mary, the bleeding woman, Rizpah, etc… Women who made themselves available to be used in a powerful way to change the course of history."

The reason this thought impressed me so much was because for one, I am a guy, and secondly, we all have a wonderful role model to look up to in Jesus. But he was still a guy, so for girls he is sometimes glossed over as someone teenage girls can look up. Don't get me wrong, we should all strive to be like Jesus, but think about who you look up to as role model. They are the people in your life, people older than you, people in leadership positions that have influence in your life.

At Word of Peace we are lead by a wonderful staff. We have two wonderful women, Kristin and Lisa that lead the education program! Their influence eventually fades away and is handed over to myself, Derek and Pastor Rick for confirmation and Senior High Youth group. Granted, we have women volunteers who help lead and teach the small groups (their help is invaluable), but there is no longer any women who are consistently up front speaking the language of teen girls.

As much as I have tried to do so...I can't speak the language of teen girls. It is cryptic and confusing because what they say and how they say it confuse me to no end. How on earth do you speak to the multitude of internal and external emotions, feelings and desires of teen girls unless you have been through them yourself?

This is why it is important for women to be in ministry. Without them I would be running a boys club because that's what I know.

But what I also know, thanks to Neely for reminding me, is that teen girls need constant encouragement and that is something I must remember. We need to constantly tell girls that they are created in God's image, they are valued and have value to God, and God will use them because He values them so much.

The strange part of this is knowing that when teen girls hear that from women is one thing and carries some weight, but to hear it from a guy....that means a lot. This means these messages must come from every direction, not just guys or girls, because then they have a better chance of sticking.

I pray that we as a community lift up the teen girls of this congregation. I pray we will encourage them to no end and drill into their confused heads that God loves them as they are and values His creation above all else.

Blessing,

dain