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Teaching Opportunities for FMCUSA As part of our work, we're providing the Center for Pastoral Formation with names of women who would like to be considered for teaching opportunities for FMCUSA at the national level. If you would be interested in being included in that list, please send your name, contact information, current appointment, educational credentials (minimum of master’s degree required), relevant experience, and topics of interest to advocatesforfmwomen@gmail.com We also need help vetting resources. The following books need review: Keeping the Faith by Marie Fortune Making Christianity Manly Again: Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, and American Evangelicalism by Jennifer McKinney Email Us

Preac H er Sunday Sunday, March 2nd, 2025 The Free Methodist Church ordains women. Sure, you know that. But does your congregation? The next PreacHer Sunday will be Sunday, March 2nd, 2025. PreacHer Sunday is the first Sunday of each quarter. Other PreacHer Sunday dates for 2025 will be: June 1, September 7, and December 7. FMC women have difficulty getting appointed to senior positions, and when they do, large segments of the church often leave. One reason is that they never see a woman in leadership—or in the pulpit. We need to change that. You can’t accept what you’ve never imagined. You can’t imagine what’s never been. You can’t be what you don’t see. PreacHer Sunday is a joint initiative of the FM network Advocates for Women in Leadership and the Strategic Catalyst for Love Driven Justice. The goal is for every church in the FMC USA to have a woman deliver the main service message at least four times a year. AWL is ready to assist your church in accomplishing this goal in several ways: Suggestions for different ways this goal can be accomplished Suggestions of women who can preach/teach in your church A list of qualities you might look for in women in your congregation who can teach and preach Support for women in your congregation who have gifts of preaching but might be hesitant to speak on a Sunday morning Resources to teach your congregation about the importance and biblical welcome of women in ministry Contact us here to get started.

Book Recommendations The books below are linked to Worldcat which will tell you the closest library that owns a copy. You will find links there to purchase the book from various booksellers. You can also recommend that we add a book to this list using the button below. Recommend a book Empowering Women for Service in the Church These books offer support and practical steps for removing barriers to women's empowerment for God-ordained service at home and in the church. Creating Cultures of Belonging Creating Cultures of Belonging: Cultivating Organizations Where Women and Men Thrive Authors: Beth Birmingham and Eeva Sallinen Simard Starting with both the theological and the statistical reasons to create organizations where women, too, can thrive, these authors write from their experiences in missionary organizations to explain the practical steps required to change organizational culture. They recognize the ways that racial disparities are intertwined with gender disparities, as well. Although written specifically with missionary organizations in mind, the book is eminently applicable to any church or denomination. Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling: Equipping and Encouraging Female Pastors Author: Christine A. Smith This book emerged out of the studies conducted by Pastor Smith (initially along with Rev. Kasey Jones). Through surveys, interviews and small groups, women from 9 different free will or autonomous denominations were able to share their stories. From this and widespread further research, Pastor Smith gives women encouragement and advice, as well as warnings, about the path ahead. When Women Lead When Women Lead: Embrace Your Authority, Move Beyond Barriers, and Find Joy in Leading Others Author: Carolyn Moore Rev. Dr. Moore adds something to the conversation of women in church (or any) leadership by positing that we unfairly position women for failure when we fail to notice that they lead differently and in different situations than men. If we force molds written only for men, we fail these women in empowering them to the best extent possible. With much scholarship and data to back her up, she offers a better way. Together in Ministry Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships Author: Rob Dixon One of the best resources we have found so far, this book offers practical steps for developing mixed gender ministries. Not Without a Struggle Not Without a Struggle: Leadership Development for African American Women in Ministry Author: Vashti M. McKenzie After summarizing the background of women in ministry in the first century, Rev. Dr. McKenzie looks at the tradition of women's leadership in Africa and African American culture, describes leadership approaches both in the Bible and today, and ends with practical suggestions as well as inspiring letters from Black women in leadership today to the next generation. Buried Talents Buried Talents: Overcoming Gendered Socialization to Answer God's Call Author: Susan Harris Howell After describing the messages girls absorb from our culture that hinder them from pursuing their call as adult women, the book provides direction for overcoming these barriers. An important book for both men and women. Redeeming Power Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church Author: Diane Langberg A biblical examination of the use and misuse of power in the church On Repentance and Repair On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World Author: Danya Ruttenberg A rabbinical process for repentance with much to teach us today. Helpful for deciding how to make repairs for past sinful behaviors marginalizing women. God's Protection of Women God's Protection of Women: When Abuse is worse Than Divorce Author: Herb Vander Lugt A biblical argument in favor of divorce in cases of abuse. The link allows you to download a free copy. Athena Rising Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women Authors: W. Brad Johnson, David Smith Tools, techniques and reminders for how and why men should mentor women . Note that the military language and some assumptions of men’s (weaponized) incompetence are off-putting, but this book offers many sound principles. You can get a list of the book's principles here . Developing Female Leaders Developing Female Leaders: Navigate the Minefields and Release the Potential of Women in Your Church Author: Kadi Cole Great help particularly for men who want to develop women leaders. However, the wonderful material is mixed in with some problematic opinions or advice. Biblical and Practical Support for Women in the Church These books analyze both the Bible and US culture around the topic of empowering women in the church. I'm Still Here I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness Author: Austin Channing Brown A first-person description of the white evangelical church's ongoing barriers to the beloved community. Liberating Tradition Liberating Tradition: Women's Identity and Vocation in Christian Perspective Author: Kristina LaCelle-Peterson This book provides biblical support and discussion for a liberating place for women in ministry and marriage. Required reading for any pastor who works in a denomination that ordains women. See a detailed review here . Imagining Equity Imagining Equity: The Gifts of Christian Feminist Theology Author: Karen Strand Winslow A deft reclamation of the word "feminist" and an analysis of the place of the marginalized in the Bible that undergirds the empowerment of women today. This Holy Calling This Holy Calling: Daily Wisdom from Women in Ministry Authors: Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Six months of daily reflections by and for women in ministry. Past and Present These books offer histories, both recent and from early Christianity, to help us understand the roles women took in the past and how our current church culture was shaped. The Making of Biblical Womanhood The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth Author: Beth Allison Barr The fairly recent history of the marginalization of women in the church I Bring the Voices of My People I Bring the Voices of My People: A Womanist Vision for Racial Reconciliation Author: Chanequa Walker-Barnes A clear-eyed look at the history of racism in the evangelical movement, its effects on African-American women in particular, and their importance in the journey towards reconciliation. Stained Glass Ceilings: How Evangelicals Do Gender and Practice Power Stained Glass Ceilings: How Evangelicals Do Gender and Practice Power Author: Lisa Weaver Swartz For Free Methodists in particular, this comparison of the practices of gender and power at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with those at Asbury Theological Seminary reveals some of the less overt patterns that continue to bar women from flourishing in the FMC. Jesus and John Wayne Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Author: Kristin Kobes Du Mez The history of the worship of power and masculinity in white evangelical churches. Daughters of the Church Daughters of the Church: Women and Ministry from New Testament Times to the Present Authors: Ruth Tucker, Walter L. Liefeld Setting the record straight on the vitality of women's leadership from the early church to today. Nobody's Mother Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament Author: Sandra L. Glahn Dr Glahn has made much sense out of Paul’s inexplicable statement in Timothy about women being saved through childbirth. She also explores the reasons Paul probably included the verses on women learning in silence. Drawing on evidence regarding the Artemis cult and its effects in Ephesians, she presents an excellent case. Biblical Interpretation and Theology Particularly important for those who preach, these resources raise awareness of the importance and pitfalls of certain texts and theologies for women's Shalom. Womanist Midrash Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne Author: Wilda Gafney Using her sanctified imagination, the author gives us stories, prayers and laments for each women of the Hebrew Bible, named and unnamed. She Who Is She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse Author: Elizabeth A. Johnson A biblical theology of God from a woman's perspective. Women's Bible Commentary Women's Bible Commentary, 3rd edition Authors: Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe, Jacqueline E. Lapsley Written by women scholars, this commentary offers the same interpretation of the Bible as any other, but does not omit to discuss aspects of the text of relevance to women. Also Recommended: Maelstrom - Carolyn Custis James The Cross and Gendercide - Elizabeth Gerhardt Women, Abuse and the Bible - Catherine Clark Kroeger and James R. Beck

Articles Articles on issues related to anti-sexism in the church abound. It order to help you find what you need, we have sorted them into the topics below. Each subsequent link will lead you deeper into the topic... Biblical Interpretation and Tradition Is there a particular passage you want to know more about? Click here to learn more. How To's You're convinced that women should be equal partners in the church, but you want to know more about how to make that happen. Click here to learn more. Marriage and Engagement Resources You need resources for your church that support egalitarianism in marriage. Click here to learn more. Abuse and #MeToo Whether you are interested in reading about spousal abuse or clergy abuse, click here to learn more. What else? Is there a topic you don't see here? Let us know! Email

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Story Blog Personal stories from women about their leadership journeys Share Your Story All Posts Calling Power Share Your Story Search advocatesforfmwome Feb 8 3 min Suspicious Spouses and Our Ability To Minister 0 comments 0 Post not marked as liked advocatesforfmwome Sep 27, 2022 3 min Problematic Teaching Experiences 0 comments 0 Post not marked as liked Laura J. Hunt Jun 1, 2022 1 min Share Your Story Share Your Story: Do you have a story to tell? Send it to us. 0 comments 0 Post not marked as liked

Latest News Sep 21, 2022 Imagining Equity The gifts of Christian feminist theology Read More Sep 21, 2022 Meghan Markle is not holding back. Duchess of Sussex has opened up about her personal life. Read More Sep 21, 2022 ARCHETYPES on Spotify Meghan Markle has started a new podcast on Spotify that explores some of the language used to describe women. Read More

Latest News Sep 21, 2022 Imagining Equity The gifts of Christian feminist theology Read More Sep 21, 2022 Meghan Markle is not holding back. Duchess of Sussex has opened up about her personal life. Read More Sep 21, 2022 ARCHETYPES on Spotify Meghan Markle has started a new podcast on Spotify that explores some of the language used to describe women. Read More