November 6-8, 2025
Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia
SPONSORS
Advocate - Level Sponsor
Connector - Level Sponsor
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURSDAY
4:00-6:30pm Check-in / Registration Entrance Lobby
4:00-6:45pm Exhibits Open
5:30-6:45pm Dinner provided Fellowship Hall
*There will be no program during dinner other than connecting and conversation. Those who chose to participate in peer community groups will have dinner with those in your group. More information about peer community groups is on page 3. If you did not sign up to be placed in a peer community group, we hope you will enjoy conversation with others during dinner.
7:00pm Worship Sanctuary
Rev. Barbara Lavarin, preacher
8:30pm Reception Fellowship Hall
8:30-9:30pm Exhibits Open
FRIDAY
9:00-11:30am
Presentation of the 2025 State of Women in Baptist Life Report and Response Sanctuary
11:30-1:00pm Exhibitors Open
11:45-12:45pm Lunch provided Fellowship Hall
1:00pm Plenary Session
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, Keynote Speaker Sanctuary
2:00-2:45pm
Conversation with Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale
2:45-7:00pm
Optional Activities and Dinner on Your Own (*see list of optional activities on pages 3-5)
2:45-5:00pm Exhibits Open
7:00pm Worship Sanctuary
Rev. Joy Martinez-Marshall, preacher
8:30pm After Party Hampton Inn & Suites Buckhead Place
7:00-10:00am
Optional Activities (*see list of optional activities on pages 3-5)
8:00-10:00am Exhibits Open
8:45-9:45am
Come to the Table (description on page 5)
10:00am Communion Service Sanctuary Rev. Nikki Hardeman 11:00am Event Concludes SATURDAY
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES
Peer Community Groups
Attendees have the option of being grouped with peers in order to share in community during the Annual Gathering. If you indicated that you would like to be placed in a peer community group during the Annual Gathering, we have grouped you with others and communicated those groupings at registration.
We invite you to have dinner with your group on Thursday evening, and then decide together how you might like to gather during the rest of the event, perhaps during the optional activities on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, or by getting together to discuss what you have experienced during the worship and plenary sessions throughout the event.
If you did not sign up for a peer community group, we hope you will have an opportunity to spend time with peers and friends that you already know or will find much needed rest and renewal time during the open times during the schedule.
Executive Coaching
Attendees have the option to meet with an experienced Executive Coach to help identify leadership goals or challenges in their ministerial journey. Each coach has set their own fees and time allotment per session.
Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed
Rev. Laura Stephens-Reed has been an ordained minister for 22 years and a coach for 11 years. Working primarily with clergywomen in early and mid-career, she specializes in helping coachees identify their authentic leadership style, lead through transitions of all kinds, establish a sustainable work-life rhythm, search for new ministry positions, and end and start ministry positions well. Laura lives in Northport, Alabama, with her spouse (also clergy), 11-year-old son, and beagle.
Sign up for a Session
$25 - 30 minute session
3:00-5:30 Friday
Lady Tiffany Sturdivant
Lady Tiffany Byrd Sturdivant is an award-winning, ordained elder, and certified Leadership and Inclusion Coach with over two decades of experience, specializing in empowering underrepresented talent and guiding executive leaders to achieve strategic goals. A Magna cum laude graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a Master of Organizational Development & Leadership, she has developed high-impact leadership programs for diverse corporate clients, improving emotional intelligence and communication. In her church community, she diligently serves in leadership roles at Springfield Baptist Church, including Chair for the Women's Ministry and Choir Director, and is an esteemed member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Lady Sturdivant is a devoted spouse to Pastor Kevin D. Sturdivant and a loving mother who continues to inspire others to fulfill their divine purpose.
Sign up for a Session
$40 - 60 minute session
3:00- 6:00 pm Friday 8:00- 9:00 am Saturday
Spiritual Direction
Attendees have the option to meet with a spiritual director to reflect on their ministerial and spiritual journey in a safe and empowering space for women.
Rev. Barbara Lavarin
Rev. Barbara Lavarin, Director of Supporting Women in Ministry for BWIM, is an ordained minister and spiritual director. Trained in spiritual direction at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, Rev. Lavarin finds joy in journeying with women as they discern the presence of God in their lives. She believes each session is an opportunity to honor the power of spiritual friendships through scripture, holy listening, and creativity. Rev. Lavarin lives in Durham. NC and is the proud mother of Marc Antoine Jr., affectionately known as MJ, and Sophia and is the loving wife of Rev. Dr. Marc Antoine Lavarin Sr.
Sign up for a Session
Free or $20 Donation to BWIM https://bwim.info/give/
60 minute session
3- 6:00 pm Friday 8-9:00 am Saturday
Come to the Table
Offered on Saturday morning before the closing communion service, Come to the Table is a meditation of movement, sound, and stillness preparing the body & soul to receive the body & blood of communion with Christ and one another.
Led by Deborah Garrard, Executive Director and Lead Coach at be(e) well serve well, a nonprofit wellness initiative.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale is the founding and Senior Pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Hale has been in ministry for 46 years. She established ELAH Pastoral Ministries, Inc., a mentorship program that assists in the development of pastors and para-church leaders in 2004 and convened her first Women in Ministry Conference in 2005. In 2010, she authored her first book, I’m A Piece of Work: Sisters Shaped by God.
Dr. Hale presently serves as the Chairperson of the IC3 Conference Board, a member of the Board of Trustees at Hollins University, a member of the UNCF NFEI Advisory Council, a member of the Welcome.US Council and an emeritus member of the Board of Visitors of the Divinity School at Duke University. She is most recently the past President for the Hampton University Ministers’ Conference. Dr. Hale is an active Lifetime member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Dr. Hale is a native of Roanoke, Virginia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hollins College. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from Duke University and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. Dr. Hale is a contributing writer for many books and publications and the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions including in 2023 when she was honored with the Duke University Distinguished Alumni Award.
WORSHIP LEADERS
Worship Curator & Musical Leader
Rev. Dr. Ossie X. McKinney
Rev. Dr. Ossie McKinney serves as Worship Pastor and Director of Worship Arts at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. For more than 40 years, she has led congregations in music and worship. She is also the Director of Research and Administration for Outreach and Growth with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, where she develops resources that share the stories of racial justice advocates and equip congregations to engage in faithful action.
A gifted preacher, teacher, and storyteller, Dr. McKinney serves as an adjunct professor at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, where she teaches a spring course on African American Spirituality and Social Justice. She is passionate about creating worship that weaves together song, scripture, and story to call the church toward justice, unity, and hope.
Ossie is married to Rev. Charles McKinney, Jr., and is a proud mother and grandmother of four. She brings her love of family, community, and the gospel into every space she serves.
Thursday Preacher
Rev. Barbara Lavarin
Barbara Lavin serves as BWIM’s Director of Supporting Women in Ministry. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Barbara is a proud daughter of Haitian immigrants. Barbara earned her B.A. in Child Development from Tufts University and her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Upon graduating from Princeton, She faithfully served as an Assistant to the Pastor for Youth and College Students at Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA until 2023. Throughout her ministry, Barbara’s commitments include advocating for safe spaces for women and children and celebrating the role of the arts in prophetic witness. In addition to her work as the Director of Supporting Women in Ministry at Baptist Women in Ministry, Rev. Lavarin is a Spiritual Director.
WORSHIP LEADERS
Friday Preacher
Rev. Joy Martinez- Marshall
Joy Martinez-Marshall serves as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Ottawa, KS. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Baylor University and a M.Div. from George W. Truett Theological Seminary. Before serving at FBC Ottawa, Joy pastored in Lincoln, NE and Waco, TX. Joy is on the Board of Directors for Baptist Women in Ministry and serves on the American Baptist Churches USA’s Board of General Ministries. She is committed to helping the local church partner with what God is already doing in the neighborhood. Joy loves to cook and knows the value of the perfect game day snack. She and her husband, Austin, are avid sports fans and readers. When not cheering on Liverpool FC and the Dallas Mavs, they like to spend time with family and enthusiastically try any restaurant Guy Fieri has recommended.
Saturday Communion Leader
Rev. Nikki Hardeman
Nikki Hardeman serves as BWIM’s Director of Advocating for Women in Ministry. She received a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University and a Bachelor of Arts from Mercer University. Following her education, she served local churches in Georgia through youth, young adult, and homebound ministry roles. She also ministered on the state denominational level as associate coordinator for congregational life at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia. She has also recently completed a tenure as Interim Pastor of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA, the home congregation of President Jimmy Carter. Nikki also writes and produces a small-group Bible study curriculum called FaithElement.
PRESENTERS OF STATE OF WOMEN IN BAPTIST LIFE REPORT 2025
Rev. Dr. Meredith Stone
Meredith Stone has served as Executive Director of Baptist Women in Ministry since 2020. She is an ordained minister and has previously served as Associate Dean for Academics and Assistant Professor of Scripture & Ministry at Logsdon Seminary of Hardin-Simmons University, in congregational ministry, and with other Baptist organizations. Meredith received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Hardin-Simmons University, and earned a Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University. Meredith is the author of Empire and Gender in LXX Esther (SBL Press, 2018), along with other academic publications and articles related to women in ministry and religious gender justice. Meredith’s advocacy for women among Baptists has been featured in national news outlets such as CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, and Religion News Service. She lives in Waco, Texas, with her husband James and their children.
Dr. Heather E. Deal
Heather Deal currently serves as an assistant professor of social work at Binghamton University. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Work and her MSW from Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, her M.Div. from Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and her Bachelor of Arts from Campbellsville University. Her research interests include congregational social justice advocacy, how congregations can combat the rise of Christian nationalism, and equity for women and LGBTQ+ individuals in religious congregations. This research developed out of her extensive experience in social work practice in Christian congregations and faithbased organizations including Habitat for Humanity NYC, Baptist Women in Ministry, and the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. Dr. Deal has presented at various national conferences and believes that research should provide applicable tools to help individuals and communities.
EXHIBITORS
Exhibits Open:
Thursday 4:00-7:00pm, 8:30-9:30pm
Friday 11:30-1:00pm, 2:45-5:00pm
Saturday 8:00-10:00am
Read the State of Women in Baptist Life Report 2025
“One of the ways we resist gendered oppression is to celebrate each time patriarchy’s hold on Baptists is defeated. When we celebrate the successes of women in ministry, we grab the bullhorn to shout in patriarchy’s direction that we know it can be beaten.”
Give to BWIM:
