"Do You Know Any Female Church Planters?"

When Anne Jackson was at COMMUNITY last week we had lunch and I was asking her about potential campus pastors and church planters. I'm always looking for the best and brightest who are interested in planting a new campus or church. So I asked Anne, "Do you know any women who you think would be good campus pastors or church planters?" No one came to mind, but she said she would ask her friends through her blog. She gets a lot of traffic on her blog and she posted the question and has received a lot of comment and some fascinating responses. So if you have an answer to my question you can leave a comment here OR you can click over to Anne's blog and join the conversation on her blog.

After I posted this Kevin Miller posted an appropriate critique of Exponential 09 and the lack of women church planters calling it, The Final Church Barrier for Woman: Church Planter.  It's an important read.

Comments

[missional girl]

Hi Dave

I just popped you an email earlier about a woman I just met who fits the bill. Thanks for posting the question.

http://regeneratex.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/7-questions-women-church-planters/

[Trish Davis]

Hey Dave

Had a great time at Exponential! I'm not sure if you would want to or be open to but as a woman leader I have a lot of thoughts and life experience that I would love to channel your way as it pertains to women in church planting. Maybe not any solutions but definitly perspective that may be helpful in the area of recrutiment.

As I went to find the restroom at the conference I noticed that there was a line for the men's room which you rarely see! Then the thought came to me "wow there are a lot of men and not a whole lot of women here" and many of the woman there were running booths or had young children. Maybe some of them were church planter seekers... that I don't know. What I do know is that not only do I have a passion to help people find their way back to God my heart beats to see people become fully engaged in the gifts that God has given them.... as a woman leader this can be a bit harder to find. :)

What if NewThing became a pioneer not only for church planters but also in ushering woman with their God given leadership gifts into the world of church planting/campus pastoring?

Just thoughts.... :)

Trish Davis

[Kit McDermott]

Hey Dave,

The three women I know are part of our team planting imagine/northampton in Northampton MA

[Malcolm Tyree]

I know of two female church planters.

Patrice Turner is in Dolton, IL and has recently opened her church. Her story if great as she was raised Muslim.

Check out Patrice's church GracePlace http://graceplacecog.net/default.html

Also, Debbie Salters in Vincennes, IN has launched a church on Thursday nights. "Thursday Church" runs around 200+ each week.

Check out Debbie Salters church http://www.thursdaychurch.org/Home_Page.html

BTW Great Job with Exponential!

[Rich Schmidt]

I know one: Angela Grupe is getting a church started in Michigan City, Indiana: http://www.avenuefamily.org

Fresh out of college, she and her husband moved there with no financial support -- just trusting that God was leading them to work with young people in that financially-stressed city. It's slow and hard work, but they're making it happen!

[Holly Ostlund]

When I first sought to become a church planter I was told, by my denomination, that they would never hire a woman....they eventually did: me.
I've spent two & a half years as a church planter and have loved being on the 'front line' of working for Jesus.
Unfortunately, the denomination I am with, 'parachuted' me into a rural location that was supposed to have 26,000 homes built in the next 5 years....unfortunate because that hasn't happened and now, with the economy being what it is, won't happen. Our last church event, an Alpha & Omega Party, occurred last evening. Had a GREAT core group, everyone who visited our church loved it but, with 21 churches already in our area, there just weren't enough 'potentials' to make a real 'go' of our church. The denomination made the decision to close the church. A lot of very sad people last evening.
I would love to church plant again someday. It's an uphill climb, to put it mildly. Three Exponential Conferences ago one of the featured speakers at the closing session made it clear that church planting is a 'man's world'. Yes, there is gender bias out there in relation to pastoring! It's a tough job, made even tougher by the bias towards women in church leadership positions.

Not sure if you were really looking for female 'church planters' or women who are job searching to be church planters!

Anyway, I am/was one! Learned a LOT doing it! My best to ALL church planters: male AND female!!!

[Jeanne Stevens]

Dave
It was great to see you at Exponential - Looking forward to getting together when we are up in chicago... Would love to continue this conversation that you have started here - especially since I am a female church planter. :-)

Jeanne Stevens

[Dave Ferguson]

Thanks for all the leads. I am becoming convicted of the foolishness of trying to accomplish the mission of Jesus with "one arm tied behind our back." We need both men and women to get the job done.

[Rick Pekan]

Dave... came across a great quote today. Just thought I'd share it in this space!

“There is one new source of the urban clergy that is increasingly providing some of the most qualified and dynamic church leaders now occupying inner-city pulpits. I am referring to the recent array of women who are graduating from seminaries. As a side effect of the feminist movement, more and more women are standing up and letting it be known that they want to use their gifts in the gospel ministry. Unfortunately, prejudices against women ministers are still so great that most of them do not get the opportunities to pastor the larger and more desirable churches, usually located in suburbia. Too often congregations will settle for a male minister of lesser talent rather than take a chance on a woman preacher... I am convinced that female church leaders will be among the primary agents of God in the coming renewal of urban churches in the twenty-first century. I also believe it is likely that women will play a prominent role in leading the urban church into becoming the lead institution for social change in the next century.” (Tony Campolo, Revolution and Renewal)

[bola olivia ogedengbe]

Yes I know one, myself. And would you believe i do not know another. I do know a woman who has been pastoring for several years but her husband is involved even though he is not a pastor, officially.

It has been, euphemistically put, a most interesting experience, and a very novel one for most people in my evangelical circles where theoretically, people claim not have an issue with this. Proof that we never really know ourselves.

Juicy stories abound. I have had Christians tell new believers in my church that they were going to hell and their church would fall apart because their pastor was a woman. Most people are less extreme off course, just not comfortable with it.

Truly life is never dull in the kingdom. Thanks for asking the question? It does not occur to most people, and that is a crying shame.
http://bolaoged.com (my english blog) www.compagnietheophile.org (french website).

[Sandy]

It's verry interesting.
I'm from germany, and it's also the same problem in germany.
I'm a churchleader, and I'm a women too :)

I think, if we want more female leaders and churchplanters, the male-leaders have to support! Just if you have the call and the suport you can do it.
I also think it's a environmental conditioning (i dont know, if this is the wright word) but what i mean is, for years we just seen mens in front of the church. and women which where emancipate, where "difficult".

So, let's do it together - for god's kingdom. :)

Lot's of love from germany,
sandy

[maggie]

I am a female church planter with Vineyard. I'm working on a two-year plan and will be sent out soon in NC.

[Nursing pajamas]

Great post!I love to read christianity posting.

Yes, I will help you find that female church planter...Will just keep in touch as soon as i have their names.

[Forbes]

With the Grace and Favor of God, i-female- have planted a pentecostal church in New Paltz, New York, would love to extend to SUNY New Paltz campus.

[Vickey Silvers]

I am an editor for Christian.com which is a social network dedicated to the christian community. As I look through your web site I feel a collaboration is at hand. I would be inclined to acknowledge your website offering it to our users as I'm sure our Pentecostal audience would benefit from what your site has to offer. I look forward to your thoughts or questions regarding the matter.

Vicky Silvers
vicky.silvers@gmail.com