An excellent 1 hour webinar titled, “Full Partners: Women and Men Serving Together in the Church” was hosted by Missio Alliance today. 30 minutes were given to briefly explore the 5 ‘phases’ of a church transitioning from ‘complementarianism’ to an ‘egalitarianism’ model. They opened with the example of ‘Bent Tree Bible Church’ here in Texas declaring their move back in April, 2017, as one specific example how a church pastored their congregation through the switch to both men and women serving in church leadership together. It was not a quick or easy process, yet they went through it. The final 30 minutes of the webinar were for Q&A. Missio Alliance said a replay would be made available, try Facebook here or website here. Also, they are offering a 4 part “Learning community” in February for others that want to delve deeper into this process with the presenting hosts.
Why am I sharing this here? I've been 'transitioning' (in case you hadn't noticed) from a fully complementarian perspective to a more egalitarian view over the past year and a half. I have been quietly reading, asking questions, studying, and acknowledging that God has been working in and through my life and others in ways that, if you are complementarian you would call- 'unbiblical.' (I know I did before.) I have met so many others also on this journey of exploring for themselves what is 'right' and 'Biblical' about a woman serving in roles limited to men (complementarian view). Because I naturally like to share information and I care about leading others well, I will be sharing information that I find that may be useful for further study and discernment regarding women in ministry. I am a current seminary student and my 'catalyst' has been to fully follow God's leading in my life, even if that meant delving into areas that I didn't think I'd be. I'll publicly share more about that some other time so stay connected with me if this is your journey too.
Missio Alliance Webinar resources:
Full Partners: Women and Men Serving Together in the Church learning community (Feb 2, 9, 16, 23rd) $49 with same presenters as today Rob Dixon and April Fiet – https://www.missioalliance.org/togetherinministry-lc
- Part 1 https://www.missioalliance.org/making-the-shift-a-roadmap-to-full-inclusion-of-women-in-church-leadership/
- Part 2 https://www.missioalliance.org/making-the-shift-moving-to-full-inclusion-of-women-in-church-leadership-part-two/
- Join Missio Alliance – https://www.missioalliance.org/friends/
- Bent Tree Bible Church – Shared Leadership Paper – https://benttree.org/shared-leadership/
I am thankful for BGAV for including this webinar in their latest newsletter. That’s how I saw it, signed up, and received great information equipping me – even while in seminary – for the road ahead. I shared about this webinar to my seminary’s women in ministry group where I currently serve as Truett Women In Ministry (TWIM) Team Leader. I appreciated the practical examples and responses given in the presentation and during the Q&A by the presenters, Rob Dixon and April Fiet. I am so pleased they asked my question at the end about resources the presenters would recommend on egalitarianism, which I’ve listed below.
Presenters:
- Rob Dixon – https://www.drrobdixon.com/
- April Fiet – https://aprilfiet.com/
Book recommendation & resources given by presenters when asked during Q&A about egalitarianism:
- Rob Dixon “Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships” https://www.amazon.com/Together-Ministry-Women-Flourishing-Partnerships/dp/1514000709/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
- Alice Mathews “Gender roles and the people of God” https://www.amazon.com/Gender-Roles-People-God-Rethinking/dp/0310529395
- Ronald Pierce, Cynthia Westfall, Christa McKirland “Discovering Biblical Equality” https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Biblical-Equality-Theological-Perspectives/dp/0830854797
- CBE International https://www.cbeinternational.org/
- The Junia Project https://juniaproject.com/
- Christian Egalitarianism- https://margmowczko.com/
- Building God’s Church Together (free) Bible Study – https://www.faithward.org/building-gods-church-together-bible-study/
What about you?
What are your experiences? Do you have thoughts to share from either the webinar or your experience with transition from the complementarian to egalitarian view as a individual or in your church? Have you read or interacted with either of the resources shared here and can provide input? Are there other resources that you would add? Thank you!
Do you want to stay connected?
Sejana Shines 