Recently at a YOU Lead women’s leadership training, we had a panel of leaders answering questions submitted by attendees. Several past and upcoming posts address those and try to help answer them.
There are quite a few answers and formats for what this leader asked so here goes:
1. You have been created especially to do what God has called and led you to do. So, make sure you are living out your calling. Sometimes we are “put into positions” that God has NOT called us to fill! Ask for discernment and clarifying of your personal call to serve Christ.
2. Get a one LifeWay’s women’s leadership books and use as a personal development tool. Then teach it to your team members, chapter by chapter. Or get copies for the team and divide the chapters up. Have different leaders present the material in each chapter as a way of training each other. Look at Women Reaching Women, Transformed Lives or Women Reaching Women In Crisis as possibilities. Also, look at Bev Hislop’s books, Shepherding a Woman’s Heart and Shepherding Women in Pain.
3. Attend and/or take you team to a training opportunity. Check out local ministries to see when they offer training. One resource is your Southern Baptist state convention leader whether you are in an SBC church or not. See link here for contact information. Check out any LifeWay training event, especially YOU Lead and our Women’s Leadership Forum .
4. Read women’s ministry blogs. LifeWay Women offer two blogs. One for leaders Women Reaching Women and one for all women, All Access. Watch what other women’s leaders and author are writing (I am not listing others here as I know I will leave out someone!).
5. Watch web casts such as LifeWay Women Live . Each month we address various topics that are beneficial to women’s ministry leaders. We already have 2012 scheduled and ready to go and are beginning planning 2013!
6. Many seminaries now offer women’s ministry leadership training. Check out these seminaries for information. Also check out Western Seminary .
7. Read, read, read. As long as we read and learn, we will grow as a leader. And the MOST IMPORTANT reading of course is the Bible. As you grow spiritually, your leadership grows as well!
