On behalf of Baptist Women in Ministry, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of our supporters, partners, and advocates.
Thanks to your generosity and commitment, 2023 was a year in which we continued to grow our support of women in ministry and expand our advocacy efforts.
As we celebrated our 40th anniversary and remembered our foremothers, we also turned our attention forward to the next phase of BWIM’s efforts in affecting change.
Through your 2023 support of BWIM, you helped:
• Spread a message of affirmation to thousands of people through BWIM’s Open Letter to Baptist Women
• Promote the adapted BWIM Month of Advocacy focus in March 2023 by encouraging individuals and congregations to take the next step in affirming, valuing, and elevating women in ministry among Baptists
• Offer intentional mentoring to new ministers who have served in their ministry context for less than three years
• Launch Sisters of Solidarity, BWIM’s new program which provides the support needed by Black women who are ministering and leading in Baptist spaces
• Increase our advocacy efforts in state Baptist conventions and networks
• Provide support to search committees seeking a new pastor
• Celebrate BWIM’s 40th Anniversary Annual Gathering at Broadway Baptist Church in Louisville, KY
• Create a feature documentary film, Midwives of a Movement, which chronicles the stories of women who birthed the BWIM movement
These are just a small representation of the work you enable at BWIM. We hope you will take time to learn more about all our work in 2023 through this Annual Report.
We give thanks for the ways you multiplied your support and commitment to BWIM in 2023. In turn, we are multiplying BWIM’s work to increase our support of women in ministry and leadership, and to broaden our advocacy for a world in which women are able to thrive as they minister and lead within Baptist communities. Thank you.
BWIM embarked on a process of introspection and planning in fall 2021, aiming to revitalize our mission and strategic approach to our work. This process included listening to and learning from the voices within the BWIM community and analyzing the findings of The State of Women in Baptist Life Report 2021, which underscored the persistent challenges faced by women in ministry and leadership despite widespread professed support within Baptist churches. Women still have far less opportunities to express their gifts than men. Further, when women do have opportunities, they are still experiencing obstacles because of their gender.
In response to these challenges, BWIM articulated a vision where women in ministry not only survive but thrive, aspiring for a world where women’s leadership is celebrated and fully affirmed. Our mission, which moves us toward this vision, is to support women who pursue ministry and leadership with sustaining resources and community, and to advocate for the full affirmation of women in ministry and leadership in Baptist life.
As BWIM moves forward with our renewed mission and vision, we introduced a new logo with colors of our previous logos to honor past trailblazers. The new logo also highlights the letters by which our organization has come to be known, with the three main letters telling the story of the work that we intend to grow in order to affect change in Baptist life.
BWIM will grow and build a movement so that gender equity is embedded throughout the life and landscape of Baptists. This work will affect the Baptist landscape by partnering and collaborating with the organizations, denominational networks, and seminaries which have decisive impact on the formation of Baptist culture, and creating opportunities for individuals to engage in advocacy actions on a regular basis.
At the center of BWIM’s mission is our work to support Women in all areas of ministry and leadership. The success, thriving, and flourishing of women is at the heart of everything we do. We create opportunities where women can find the sustaining solidarity of community, as well as resources and shared learning opportunities which foreground the experiences of ministry and leadership as a woman.
BWIM encourages and equips Baptist churches and communities to affirm, value, and elevate women in leadership. Congregations are the locus of faith life for Baptists. How we understand ourselves, God, and our work in the world is formed in the local church – and thus all Ministry is formed by our experiences in congregations. When congregational cultures uplift female voices and perspectives, every Baptist woman will have a greater opportunity to thrive.
BWIM’s mentoring program is thriving as it continues to provide new ministers as an opportunity to participate in mentor-led peer communities which provide support, encouragement, and guidance. The 2022-2024 cohort continued meeting and took its small group retreats in 2023. The next The next cohort was also named in the fall of 2023 and began with its opening retreat in January 2024. BWIM’s mentoring program is partially funded by the Lilly Endowment’s Thriving in Ministry initiative.
“My life and ministry have been deeply enriched by my mentoring group. I know there are women who are in different places in the country that support me, and I can also learn from. It has been a place to find refuge and strength when I feel lost and alone being a women in ministry.”
-2021-23 Mentoring Program participant
20 Participants
5 Mentors
7 Baptist Denominations Represented
12 States Represented
4 Pastors
9 Associate Pastors/Staff Ministers
4 Chaplains
2 Non-Profit Leaders
1 Ministry Entrepreneur
Sisters of Solidarity is a 18-month program launched in 2023 as part of BWIM’s ongoing racial equity initiatives. We recognize that women of global majority are often unseen, their voices are often not heard, and they lack resources and opportunities to engage in mentoring opportunities with other marginalized women in ministry. This pilot program included four women clergy who are serving at Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. The participants are led by their mentor, Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque, Assistant to the Pastor for Small Groups. In 2023, these women met monthly, preached at a senior living facility, and prepared for their small group retreat. Learnings from the pilot cohort of this new program will be incorporated into future cohorts as BWIM seeks to grow our ministry to and support of women of global majority in ministry among Baptists.
Baptist Women in Ministry state and regional groups are independently led and coordinated by Baptist leaders across the United States who increase BWIM’s vision to help women thrive as they minister and lead within Baptist communities. This past year, BWIM partnered with the state and regional organizations who assisted us in numerous ways during our 2023 Annual Gathering event in Louisville.
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Great Rivers
Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi
Kentucky
North Carolina
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Heartland
Kansas and Missouri
Baptist Women in Ministry hosts Book Clubs each spring and fall.
TThe spring 2023 BWIM Book Club read When God Whispered
My Name: Stories of Journey Told by Baptist Women. BWIM Book Club conversations are held on Zoom for one hour and are a great way to learn from women authors and to connect with women in ministry across the world.
BWIM walks alongside women who are engaging in the ministry search process and provides support to search committees who are including women in their searches. BWIM offers training to help search committees consider women candidates in a equitable manner and understand the disadvantages and systemic challenges women face in professional ministry. By the end of 2023, 13 committees who had received training between 2022 & 2023 had completed their searches and 8 of those committees called a woman to serve as their next senior pastor.
8 SEARCH COMMITTEE TRAININGS
18 FEMALE MINISTRY SEARCH CANDIDATES SUPPORTED
63 MINISTRY POSITIONS
POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE
”Engagement with BWIM moved our committee forward in a more thoughtful way as we began our process of considering those who responded to our Senior Minister vacancy. One-third of inquiries were from women, and as we considered these candidates, we took into account information from BWIM with respect to how to consider the experience of a female candidate against a male candidate. Following our meeting with Meredith Stone, our committee recognized that women have had fewer opportunities in ministry, and we decided to keep that front of mind as we engaged in the process of discernment.”
-Pastor Search Committee Chair
BWIM Month of Preaching got a makeover in 2023 to become BWIM Month of Advocacy with the monthly emphasis moving to March, which is also Women’s History Month. By moving the initiative to March, BWIM encourages churches to make racial justice a focus in February which is Black History Month. In the expanded emphasis, churches were encouraged to not only invite a woman to preach, but to also engage in various forms of advocacy for women in ministry and take the next steps toward full affirmation and elevation of women in ministry among Baptists. Additionally, opportunities for individuals to participate were also offered, including a calendar of daily engagement.
In 2023, Second Baptist Church in Little Rock engaged in BWIM Month of Advocacy in several creative ways.
• They created an advisory committee in their congregation to support the women in ministry on their staff.
• They met in house churches one Sunday instead of meeting for worship where they studied the biblical support for women in ministry. Each house church was led by a woman.
• They celebrated women in leadership in their congregation throughout the month of March.
• They profiled women in their community on their blog in a series entitled “Profiles in Courage”.
• They invited church member Lani Allenbaugh to preach one Sunday during March.
Rev. Courtney Stamey and Rev. Linda Smith
BWIM Month of Advocacy can also include educating and advocating in your community! In 2023, Rev. Courtney Stamey, Pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, MS and Rev. Linda Smith, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, MS, spoke to the Clinton Civitan Club about women in ministry, including their individual calls, theological backing, and denominational and community response.
In response to the heinous actions of those in the SBC targeting women serving in roles with the title of pastor, BWIM published an Open Letter to Baptist Women on April 7, 2023. The letter celebrates and affirms the gifts of women for the church, and makes a clear statement that those who attempt to limit and restrict women’s leadership are wrong. As of March 2024, 3,775 people from across the world signed the letter. The Open Letter became an opportunity for individuals to actively demonstrate their steadfast commitment to affirming women in ministry among Baptists, and was an opportunity to grow BWIM’s community to include more supporters and advocates.
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC): In response to the actions of the SBC, BWIM gathered a group of around 25 women, who were targeted on the list of women in pastoral roles in SBC affiliated churches, to consider how BWIM could support and advocate for them and other female pastors connected to the SBC. This group prompted the Open Letter to Baptist Women. BWIM also hosted online information sessions to introduce non-SBC Baptist resources for congregations which rely on the SBC for clergy benefits, and to equip pastors on navigating the media and public relations during the controversy. Additionally, BWIM served as the point of contact for any church wanting information on how to remove their church from the list of SBC-affiliated churches. Executive Director Meredith Stone also released the statement The SBC is Wrong which was picked up by the New York Times and led to her appearance on CNN.
Out of conversation with women in ministry and leadership among Texas Baptists, Executive Director, Meredith Stone, presented a motion at the BGCT’s 2023 Annual Meeting, urging affirmation and actions in support of women in all ministerial and pastoral roles. Ultimately, an amendment to the motion was offered which removed the word “pastoral” from the motion and exchanged it for “leadership.” Further the amendment’s language diluted the need for new strategies, resources, and advocacy initiatives for women in pastoral and ministerial leadership among Texas Baptists. The amendment passed and subsequently the motion passed as well. BWIM continues to work with TXBWIM and others in Texas to ensure that actions are taken in response to the version of the motion that passed.
BWIM convened conversations with women in ministry and advocates in Virginia in order to further support and advocate among the BGAV. The result of those conversations, as well as collaboration with the leadership of the BGAV, led to a successful vote at their annual meeting to establish a task force which will explore programs, resources, initiatives, and relationships to advance support for women in pastoral, ministerial, and leadership roles among Baptists in Virginia.
Rev. Dr. Kristin Whitesides reading the resolution at the BGAV annual meeting.
Rev. Dr. Lynn Brinkley reading the resolution affirming women in ministry at the GBSCNC annual meeting.
Endorsement by GBSC of North Carolina: BWIM’s Associate Director, Lynn Brinkley, worked closely with GBSC leaders to pass an historic resolution affirming women in ministry marking a crucial moment in the state convention’s journey toward gender inclusivity in church leadership. This momentous occasion was further celebrated during a luncheon sponsored by BWIM, where Rev. Gwendolyn R. Jones, pastor of Saint John Missionary Baptist Church, delivered an inspiring message. The gathering served as a reminder of the long history of women’s struggle for equality in ministry, from pioneers like Jarena Lee to modern-day leaders.
To read more about BWIM’s Advocacy efforts, visit www.bwim.info/news.
In the spring and summer of 2023, the country’s attention turned to the Southern Baptist Convention and the disfellowshipping of Saddleback Church and Fern Creek Baptist Church and the SBC constitutional amendment to limit the role of pastor to men. During this time, Executive Director Meredith Stone was invited to give interviews and comments for national news outlets, advocating for the right for women to fulfill God’s call on their life and to make sure that women in ministry among Baptists know that the SBC is wrong.
“These votes devalue the worth and callings of women to participate in God’s work through the local church…The emotional, spiritual, and physical safety of women is further threatened when they are not only devalued, but used in a political denominational battle”
- Executive Director Meredith Stone in The Tennessean
In 2023, Executive Director Meredith Stone and members of the BWIM community gave interviews for the following media outlets:
• The New York Times
• CNN
• MSNBC
• The Tennessean, USA Today network
• NPR’s On Point
• NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday
• The Economist
• Religion News Service
• Baptist News Global
• The Baptist Standard
• The Iola Register
To read these stories, visit www.bwim.info/bwim-in-the-news.
BWIM premiered a documentary about its beginnings, Midwives of a Movement, on October 2, 2023 at the 40th Anniversary Annual Gathering in Louisville, KY.
The feature documentary film chronicles the stories of the women who boldly birthed a movement to seek greater visibility and opportunities for women in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Despite great opposition, their courage blazed pathways for advancing women in ministry and leadership among Baptists.
The film includes heartfelt stories, painful anecdotes, profound insights, and lighthearted remembrances which will inspire continued confrontation of patriarchy and advocacy efforts so that women find equality and equity among Baptists.
BWIM will be traveling to screen the documentary at various locations in early 2024 leading up to a free public release in June 2024.
The documentary was produced in partnership with Cliff Vaughn of Good Faith Media and with additional production assistance from Dr. Mandy McMichael, Associate Director and J. David Slover Associate Professor of Ministry Guidance at Baylor University.
In our ongoing support and advocacy for women in ministry and leadership, BWIM is strategic in forming partnerships with influential denominational groups and organizations across the broader Baptist landscape. These partnerships are defined by intentional collaboration between BWIM and these entities to implement specific initiatives or develop valuable resources. Currently, BWIM proudly collaborates with partners such as Baptist News Global, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and Good Faith Media. Together, we are amplifying our impact and advancing gender inclusivity within Baptist communities.
BWIM has a dynamic partnership with Baptist News Global (BNG) to champion and empower women’s voices in writing. At the heart of this partnership lies the belief that women’s perspectives are essential in all realms of leadership and influence. Through our collaboration with Baptist News Global, we are not only advocating for women’s increased presence in Baptist media but also amplifying the voices of women writers, thus enriching the tapestry of Baptist life, culture, and theology. When women’s voices are uplifted and celebrated through reading, they contribute to the flourishing of the beloved community of God, enriching our collective understanding and reflection of the divine image.
56 Articles
Written
as a Result of the BNG Partnership by 29 Female Writers
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) stands as a vibrant network of individuals and churches united in spreading the hope of Christ.
With a global community of partners, CBF supports a diverse array of missions and ministries, providing meaningful opportunities for individuals to live out their faith in tangible ways.
Together, BWIM and CBF created Equally Called: Celebrating Women’s Leadership in the Church, a groundbreaking curriculum that serves as a vital resource amid ongoing discussions surrounding women’s roles in Baptist churches. By delving into biblical foundations that affirm women’s ministry without constraint, Equally Called bridges scriptural interpretations with the lived experiences of women within CBF congregations. This comprehensive 4-week curriculum features written study guides, teaching plans, video components, and adapted materials tailored for youth and children. All written materials are available in both English and Spanish.
Through this innovative partnership, we aim to empower and equip individuals and congregations to embrace women’s leadership within the church with confidence and conviction.
Pastors of FBC and Chatham Heights BC in Martinsville, VA, Libby Grammer and Mike Hatfield, partnered to lead Equally Called via Facebook Live for their congregations.
This three-day event took place October 2-4, 2023, in Louisville, KY at Broadway Baptist Church. The 40th Anniversary Annual Gathering allowed us all to reflect back on the past 40 years, how far we’ve come, and the work we have left to do. It was a an incredible time of celebration, reflection, and challenge for the next 40 years of BWIM that included powerful worship, plenary sessions and panels about the last 40 years for women in ministry among diverse Baptist groups, time for connection and self-care, a banquet to honor our foremothers, and the debut of BWIM’s documentary Midwives of a Movement
At the 2023 BWIM Celebration Dinner at the CBF General Assembly, BWIM honored the first 40 years of our work and charted a new course for BWIM’s future. As the dinner began, we took a moment to pause and lift up a prayer of solidarity for the women who were affected by the actions of the SBC against female pastors and their churches, many of whom were in the room. We heard from a panel of leaders in the CBF and BWIM communities on the importance of women in ministry and the realities they face. This dinner also launched our new logo, vision, and mission statement, as well as our Multiply campaign, raising more than $25,000 in 10 minutes!
*Includes Lilly Endowment Thriving in Ministry Sustainability grant for 2024-29 and Multiply Campaign gifts which will help fund BWIM ministries in 2024-26.
Vallerie King
Molly Marshall
Kristian LaGuardia
Jackie Eubank Legg
Lynn Brinkley
Rev. Jennifer Brown
Beverly Crowe Tipton
Woody Woods
Lynn Turner
Marnie Fisher-Ingram
Marnie Fisher-Ingram
Mari Wiles
Kaley Lankford
Clair Peyton
Rev. Dr. Dianne Nelson
Mandy McMichael
Marnie Fisher-Ingram
Christy McMillin-Goodwin
Rev. Marnie Fisher-Ingram
Mary Alice Birdwhistell
Rev. Becky Matheny
Jessica Asbell Noravec
Rev. Mary Ligon
Rev. Rhonda Gilligan-Gillespie
Lynn Brinkley
Helen Moore-Montgomery
Kay Yeldell
Ka’thy Gore Chappell
Molly Marshall
Rev. Carol Clarke
Laura Ellis
Julia Johnson Bauman
Elaine Greer
Jackie Eubank Legg
Victoria Robb Powers
Melissa Scott
Meredith Stone
Lynn Brinkley
Reba Cobb
Rev. Janet Pace
Karen and Angela Zimmerman
Pam Durso
Tiffany Henkel
K. Elizabeth T. Pittard
Cynthia L. Gayken Deaton
Pearl Duvall
Dorothy Pryor
Dr. Ruth Ann Foster
Dr. Joan Clard
Doris Mason
Miriam Jones
Nancy McDaniel
Brent and Nancy Walker
Joseph Laguardia
F. Gayle Roberts
Barry Jones
Mozella and Richard Conville
Daniel Bagby
Miller Sigmon
John Ingram
Susan and John Williamson
Margaret & John Ingram
Eileen Hatch
Tony Lankford
Ann Barkley
Barry Keys
Diane & Jerry Dawson
Christopher Ingram
August Ponstingel
John and Carrie Ingram
Ken Johnson
Alicia Porterfield
Barbara Wood
Susan Harthon
Susan Harthon
Clara Dunn
Deneise Dillon
Carolyn Staley
Linda Lewis
Patricia Gillis
Patricia Gillis
Teresa and Bob Ellis
Peggy Basden Johnson
Rachel Childress
F. Gayle Roberts
Sheryl Gambill
Donna Hopkins Britt
Judson Powell
Howard Herring
Judith and Wallace Williams
Kyle and Charlen Kelley
Glenda Aline Willoughby
Bill and Ruth Pitts
Randy Parks
Randy Parks
Roger Pittard
Taryn Deaton and Partrick Findlay
Renee Bennett
Renee Bennett
Marquette Bugg
Paula Settle
Sheryl Gambill
Priscilla Tunnell
On June 29th, 2023, BWIM launched its largest fundraising campaign todate, the $500,000 Multiply campaign, to begin implementing a strategic plan which includes new support programs and advocacy initiatives. This campaign supported our efforts to expand our work for creating a gender equal Baptist world. A world in which women in ministry are wanted, not just permitted, a world in which women in ministry are celebrated, not just tolerated. A world in which women in ministry thrive, not just survive.
We are grateful to each individual, foundation, and organization that gave to the Multiply campaign to help us raise more than $526,000. Your gifts are the engine of BWIM’s evolution. Your generosity allows BWIM to multiply the number of women we support, multiply the numbers of opportunities women in ministry have, multiply the safety, security, and encouragement women in ministry face, and multiply the movement for a more gender equal Baptist world.
The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation
Charles and Cindy Fuller
Patricia Ayres
Christian Mission Concern
Rev. Deborah Carlton Loftis, Ph.D.
Dr. Gaynor Yancey
Aurelia Pratt
Carol and Michael McEntyre
Taryn Deaton and Patrick Findlay
Mary Alice Birdwhistell and Evan Jacoby
Deirdre LaNoue
Holly Richardson
David and Ann Wilson
Jennifer, Paul, Olivia, Maria, Caroline, and Matthew Baxley
Molly Marshall
Wendi and Jon Singletary
Lynn Holmes
Kent and Ann Brown
Patricia Gillis
Lynda Weaver- Williams
Jane and David Hull
Rev. Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed
ADVOCATE SPONSORS
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PATRON SPONSORS
Meredith Stone Executive Director
Heather Deal Director of Development