THANK YOU
As we reflect on all that 2024 held for Baptist Women in Ministry, one thing is abundantly clear: none of it would have been possible without you! Your prayers, your presence, your voices, your advocacy, and your gifts have strengthened this movement in ways that continue to shape the future of Baptist life.
Because of you, BWIM launched Peer Community Groups, creating spaces of connection and support for women in ministry.
Because of you, BWIM expanded our shared learning experiences, providing unique opportunities for women in ministry to learn from and with each other.
Because of you, Midwives of a Movement was screened in more than 30 locations to nearly 1,500 people, amplifying the stories of Baptist women’s enduring call to ministry and bringing even greater visibility to our movement.
Because of you, BWIM stood as a voice of affirmation and solidarity at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting, ensuring that the leadership and gifts of women in ministry could not be ignored.
And because of you, we witnessed another powerful BWIM Month of Advocacy, as churches, individuals, and organizations boldly took steps to affirm, value, and elevate women in ministry.
Your support—whether through showing up, speaking out, making connections, or giving—moves us closer to our vision of women thriving as they minister and lead among Baptists. Every act of encouragement, every moment of solidarity, and every resource shared is a step toward a more just and inclusive church.
You are part of a community that is not only imagining a different future for Baptist women in ministry and leadership, but actively building it. We are so grateful that you trust BWIM to build that future with you.
With gratitude,
Meredith Stone
BWIM Executive Director
WOMEN IN MINISTRY SUPPORTING
MENTORING PROGRAM
BWIM’s mentoring program experienced some renovations as we moved from primary funding to sustainability funding from The Lilly Endowment’s Thriving in Ministry initiative. For example, beginning with the 2024-25 cohort, groups meet over a period of 18 months instead of 2 years. Additionally, one successful element of the program that will continue is the opportunity for participants to apply for personal wellness grants at the close of the cohort so they might engage in activities such as individual retreats, coaching, spiritual direction, counseling, or more.
“I can say with certainty that this group of women has become some of my “soul friends,” who understand some of the deepest parts of me because we share the same calling to God’s people. These relationships and experiences give me the stamina to pastor to the best of my abilities–to make the hard decisions, and do difficult work, sit in hospital rooms during sad circumstances, and so much more.”
-Rev. Lauryn Everic, participant in 2024-25 cohort
2024-2025 COHORT BY THE NUMBERS
PEER COMMUNITY GROUPS
BWIM’s Peer Community Groups program seeks to provide an opportunity for women in ministry to connect with peers, combat the isolation which highly contributes to clergy burnout, and have a safe space to examine aspects of their overall wellbeing. Through the pilot cohort launched in 2024, we hope to learn how experiencing the social support and community of other women in ministry might help women better thrive as they lead and minister among Baptists.
2024 PEER COMMUNITY GROUPS BY THE NUMBERS
65 women in ministry applied for the program
7 peer community groups created with 9 facilitators
3 groups based on similar context
2 groups based on similar geography
2 groups based on similar role
“It’s been really lonely moving into this new role of pastoring a church and overseeing spiritual care for a senior living community, far away from friends and family. I’m so ready to participate. I can’t thank you enough for all your work to make this happen, and I will be covering this pilot program in prayer. It’s important.”
- Peer Community Group Participant
The initial cohort of Sisters of Solidarity closed in the summer of 2024 under the leadership of previous Associate Director, Lynn Brinkley. BWIM’s new Director of Supporting Women in Ministry, Barbara Lavarin, spent the final months of 2024 preparing for a Sisters of Solidarity cohort for Black women who were called as the first female pastors of their churches to start in 2025. We look forward to sharing more about that cohort with you next year. As we transitioned from the initial cohort to preparing for 2025, BWIM sponsored 7 women in ministry to attend conferences founded and led by Black women preachers. Christina Ross, Elaine Ransom, Bianca Allen, Dana Seville, Nia Edwards, Sheena Bailey-Wilkerson, and Destiny Williams attended the Women in Ministry Conference (WIM) in Atlanta, GA and the Women Who Minister Conference (WWM) in Poconos, PA.
SHARED LEARNING EXPERIENCES
Building upon the success of our book clubs and lunch and learn sessions for our mentoring program participants, we have expanded offerings of shared learning experiences for the BWIM community. Opportunities to engage in learning which are created by women, led by women, and designed with the needs of women in mind are unique ways for the BWIM community to gain perspective on ministry and leadership. We plan to offer monthly Lunch & Learn opportunities in 2025 along with spring and fall book clubs.
2024 BOOK CLUBS:
Nice, Churchy Patriarchy by Liz Cooledge Jenkins
Sacred Self-Care by Chanequa WalkerBarnes
2024 LUNCH & LEARN SESSIONS:
Rev. LaThelma Yenn-Batah, “Design Thinking and Innovation for Ministry Growth”
Rev. Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, “Training Leaders”
Rev. Tambi Swiney, “Holding Space for Grief and Loss During the Holidays”
STATE AND REGIONAL BWIM GROUPS
Baptist Women in Ministry groups are independently led and coordinated by Baptist leaders across the U.S. who increase BWIM’s vision to help women thrive as they minister and lead among Baptists. This past year, BWIM began planning a 2025 retreat for state/regional BWIM leaders in order to discuss how we might better collaborate in the years ahead.
STATES AND REGIONS WITH A BWIM GROUP
ALABAMA FLORIDA
GEORGIA
GREAT RIVERS (Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi)
HEARTLAND (Kansas and Missouri)
KENTUCKY
NORTH CAROLINA
OKLAHOMA
SOUTH CAROLINA
TEXAS
VIRGINIA
ADDIE DAVIS SCHOLARSHIPS
In 2024, BWIM transitioned the Addie Davis Awards to Addie Davis Scholarships in order to better meet the changing needs of women pursuing their calling to Baptist ministry and leadership. By expanding the program from only 2 awards per year to providing multiple scholarships, more women will benefit from finding connection with BWIM through the scholarship, in addition to receiving financial support for their theological education. Transitioning to scholarships will still allow BWIM to give public recognition to called and gifted women while providing even more financial support.
THE 2024 ADDIE DAVIS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Jessalyn Brown:
Jessalyn is a preacher and poet from Lexington, Kentucky. She is a graduate of Georgetown College where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in American Studies and Theatre & Film Studies. Jessalyn is going into her final year at Baylor's Truett Seminary where she is pursuing a Master of Divinity. At Baylor she also serves as a resident chaplain for undergraduate students in Heritage House, a fine arts residential community.
Keneshia Bryant-Moore:
Keneshia is pursuing a Master of Divinity from Central Baptist Theological Seminary. She is a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in the College of Public Health. In this role, she led the development of the Faith-Academic Initiatives for Transforming Health (FAITH) Network. She co-owns Mariposa's Place of Wellness located near Hot Springs, Arkansas. Keneshia is a member of Second Baptist Church - Little Rock and the mother of four daughters.
Makala Carrington: Makala is native of Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is completing a Master of Divinity degree at Duke Divinity School. She is a Theology, Medicine, and Culture (TMC) Fellow and Baptist House of Studies Scholar. She is devoted to uplifting others through faith, community work, and fostering inclusivity and leadership in ministry. She received her Master of Public Health (MPH) from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and has served as an injury and violence prevention public health researcher for the past five years while serving as a United States Air Force Public Health Reserve Officer.
Maggie Clark:
Maggie, a North Carolina native, is a third year student at Wake Forest Divinity School. She earned a BA in Philosophy from UNC-CH and a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. Called to congregational ministry, she is an advocate for inclusive communities reflective of Christ's teachings, whose focus is on embracing all individuals, regardless of their background or identity. As a queer, disabled woman in ministry, Maggie believes her role as pastor is to journey alongside those she is called to lead, creating space for theological exploration, while supporting and guiding others as they seek understanding to grow in their faith and spirituality.
-Maggie Clark “ “
The acknowledgment of my ministry from the Addie Davis scholarship bolstered my confidence in my path to congregational ministry. I am grateful for the support and village of women who stand with me on this journey!
WOMEN IN MINISTRY ADVOCATING FOR
BWIM MONTH OF ADVOCACY
In March 2024, we promoted the second BWIM Month of Advocacy urging individuals, congregations, state, regional, and national Baptist denominational bodies, and other organizations to put action to their affirmation of women in ministry and leadership among Baptists.
DURING BWIM’S MONTH OF ADVOCACY
51 women preached in congregations across the country
36 churches participated
6 organizations participated
BONUS SPOTLIGHT: Check out this fun women in ministry bingo card that Second Baptist Church Little Rock, AR used as a part of their participation in BWIM Month of Advocacy!
BWIM MONTH OF ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHTS:
Great Rivers Fellowship
To highlight and amplify the voices of women in BWIM’s Month of Advocacy, Great Rivers Fellowship created a video of women in ministry in the region sharing their experiences, advice, and support for women in ministry.
You can watch their video with the QR code.
Ridgewood Baptist Church, Louisville, KY
Ridgewood Baptist Church participated in BWIM’s Month of Advocacy in several unique and creative ways.
• They created and sold t-shirts which said “my pastor is a woman,” and held a spaghetti lunch, with the proceeds of both going to Baptist Women in Ministry.
• They passed an official resolution in support of women in ministry.
• They learned about women in ministry through multiple sermons and Bible studies.
• They hosted a screening of Midwives of a Movement for the Louisville, KY community.
MIDWIVES OF A MOVEMENT
BWIM created Midwives of a Movement, a documentary chronicling the beginnings of the BWIM movement, in partnership with Good Faith Media for our 40th anniversary. After its beloved reception at our anniversary event, we hosted screenings of the film from January to June 2024 in anticipation of its public release on YouTube on June 10, 2024. The screenings were a way to share our story with a broader audience and invite more people into the important work of supporting and advocating for women in ministry among Baptists.
Since its public release on June 10, 2024, even more screenings have occurred with many also featuring a discussion time afterwards using our discussion guide and bios of the interviewees featured in the film. To date, Midwives of a Movement has been viewed more than 4,000 times on YouTube.
Midwives of a Movement was also selected for inclusion in the Louisville International Festival of Film on October 10-12, 2024 and won Best Documentary out of the 23 feature documentaries included in the festival.
MIDWIVES OF A MOVEMENT BY THE NUMBERS:
BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE
• 31 screenings held at churches, seminaries, universities, and retreats
• Screenings held in 9 states
• Nearly 1,500 people in combined attendance at screenings
SINCE PUBLIC RELEASE
• Over 4,000 views on YouTube
• 12 additional screenings at churches in 7 states (of which we have been notified)
• 1 award for Best Documentary at the Louisville International Festival of Film
“You all have done something big here, something powerful and profoundly Spiritinfused. I believe this documentary and your tour with it to different churches will pay compounding interest. It was so impactful and beautiful for me to glimpse this part of the process of shifting congregational culture.”
OPEN PRAYER OF AFFIRMATION AND SOLIDARITY FOR BAPTIST WOMEN
At the SBC’s Annual Meeting in Indianapolis on June 1011, 2024, representatives of BWIM’s staff, along with a few friends, stood outside of the convention center and read the prayers of our community on Facebook live. Nearly 400 people from across the country submitted prayers which constituted 38 pages of words offered to God on behalf of the BWIM community. As we read through the prayers multiple times, over a thousand people from our community joined online to pray with us.
In the weeks prior to the Southern Baptist Convention’s vote on a constitutional ban related to women serving as pastors, BWIM invited people in our community to add a sentence to an Open Prayer of Affirmation and Solidarity for Baptist Women.
Prayer is a form of resistance. In the face of such negative messages facing Baptist women through the SBC, our desire was to offer our community’s prayers of affirmation and solidarity as resistance to Baptist patriarchy.
2024 FRANKIE HUFF GRANGER DISTINGUISHED MENTOR AWARD
REV. DR. LATONYA AGARD
Rev. Dr. Latonya Agard is the recipient of the 2024 Frankie Huff Granger Distinguished Mentor Award. Rev. Dr. Latonya Agard is the church planter and pastor of Transformation Fellowship Christian Church (TFCC) in Apex, North Carolina, founder of BeSpeak Solutions, Inc., and serves full-time as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness. Rev. Dr. Agard was nominated for her selfless leadership, empathy, compassion, and approachability. In her role as pastor she actively mentors associate ministers at TFCC and supports women students from Campbell University Divinity School by providing them with opportunities to preach and lead impactful projects.
2024 CHURCH OF
EXCELLENCE AWARD
NORTHSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH, CLINTON, MS
Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi is the 2024 recipient of the Baptist Women in Ministry Church of Excellence Award. Founded in 1969 to serve a growing community, Northside Baptist Church has a long-standing commitment to inclusivity and the empowerment of all individuals, regardless of gender. Northside’s mission statement states, “The mission of this church is to celebrate God’s grace and follow the movement of the Holy Spirit, allowing any person, without exception, who professes Jesus as Lord to participate in any capacity with this fellowship.” Emily Fokledah, a long time member at Northside, spoke about the mission of the church saying, “This has not always been an easy mission to fulfill, but Northside’s ministers and church leaders have not wavered in their efforts and desire to stay the course.”
MINISTRY SEARCH RESOURCES
BWIM champions equity in ministerial searches by walking with female candidates and providing training for search committees. These training programs are designed to foster equitable consideration of female candidates and increase awareness of the systemic barriers they may encounter in professional ministry.
MALE ADVOCATES BOOK CLUB
Women's progress toward full affirmation in Baptist ministry and leadership is limited without the support of Baptist men, particularly our male minister colleagues. BWIM is committed to developing male advocates who take meaningful action for women in ministry and leadership alongside their words of affirmation.
52 MINISTRY POSITIONS POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE
15 FEMALE MINISTRY SEARCH CANDIDATES SUPPORTED
3 SEARCH COMMITTEE TRAININGS
Following the success of our book clubs for women in ministry, we piloted a similar program for men identified as advocates. The inaugural book club, with five participants including the facilitator, discussed Nice, Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women’s Humanity from Evangelicalism by Liz Cooledge Jenkins. Following this experience, all participants have agreed to lead book clubs for male advocates in their context. We look forward to continuing to build on this work in 2025.
BWIM IN THE NEWS
In the summer of 2024, the country’s attention again turned to the Southern Baptist Convention and their efforts to pass a constitutional amendment to prohibit women from serving in any role with the title of pastor. During this time, BWIM staff and women within the BWIM Community were invited to give interviews and comments for national news outlets, amplifying the message that there are no limits to who God calls to ministry and service.
Below are a few highlights of BWIM and the BWIM Community in the News in 2024. You can find even more at www.bwim.info/news.
In 2024, BWIM staff and members of the BWIM community gave interviews to or were quoted in the following media outlets:
• The 19th
• ABC 11 News
• Action News 6
• The Associated Press
• The Atlanta Journal Constitution
• Baptist News Global
• BBC News
• Chattanooga Times Free Press
• CNN
• The Courier Journal
• Dallas Morning News
• The Fort Worth Reporter
• Fox 44
• Fox Carolina
• The Herald Ledger
• Louisville Public Media
• NPR
• Owensboro Messenger Inquirer
• Religion News Service
• USA Today
• The Washington Post
• The Waco Tribune-Herald
• WBUR
PARTNERSHIPS
In our ongoing efforts to amplify the voices of women in ministry and leadership, we continued our partnership with Baptist News Global in 2024.
• 36 articles written
• 22 female authors
“Women in ministry often face a myriad of challenges their male counterparts never will have to encounter. They often are overlooked for leadership positions despite their exceptional qualifications. They are paid significantly less than some men in ministry despite having more education or being apt for the role. Furthermore, many church members are skeptical of a woman’s ability to perform her ministerial duties, and she must constantly prove herself.”
- Rev. Stacy Dandridge
BWIM 2024 SPONSORSHIP PARTNERS
BWIM is grateful for individuals, churches, and organizations that come alongside us in this work together. In 2024, 29 churches, organizations, national, state, and regional denominational organizations, and other sister organizations supported BWIM’s efforts through sponsorship of our 2024 BWIM Luncheon at CBF General Assembly and our 2024 Virtual Annual Gathering. Thank you!
PRESENTING SPONSOR
ADVOCATE SPONSORS
CONNECTOR SPONSORS
PATRON SPONSORS
EVENTS
BWIM LUNCHEON AT CBF GENERAL ASSEMBLY
At the 2024 BWIM Luncheon at CBF General Assembly, Executive Director Meredith Stone provided a moving update on BWIM’s work to support women in ministry and to advocate for their full affirmation in Baptist life. Her rousing explanation of BWIM’s work of advocacy regarding the Southern Baptist Convention’s vote on the Law amendment–a constitutional amendment stating that churches which affirm, appoint, or employ women as pastors of any kind are not in friendly cooperation with the convention–was a reminder of the “confusing corner” that women in ministry and leadership find themselves on in Baptist life. This event also kicked off our summer fundraising campaign, the Unlimited campaign, which raised nearly $24,000 including more than $16,000 raised during the luncheon. We are grateful to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship for allowing us the opportunity to celebrate our work together in such a meaningful way.
2024 VIRTUAL ANNUAL GATHERING
In an effort to open our doors to the broader Baptist community, in 2024 BWIM shifted our Annual Gathering from a yearly in-person gathering to an every-other year inperson gathering while holding it virtually in the off years. This year’s focus was on God’s unlimited call and was a time where the BWIM community came together to express solidarity with women in ministry and to boldly affirm their calling, leadership, and gifts. Kinship Commons led our time of worship and solidarity as we reflected on the challenges that women in various Baptist communities face.
Baptist Women in Ministry honors those who fuel the unnamed dreams of women in ministry among Baptists for generations to come through gifts in their wills or estate plans. Would you consider a gift to BWIM in your will or trust? Please let us know if you have already made this commitment so that we can welcome you into The Claudia Circle. Contact us at claudiacircle@bwim.info for more information.
Claudia Circle Members:
Pam Foster
Daniel Glaze
Ida Mae Hays
Diane Hill
Jenny Hodge
Meredith Stone
Tambi Swiney
FINANCIAL REPORT 2024
CONTRIBUTED SUPPORT
DONOR APPRECIATION
TRIBUTE GIFTS
IN HONOR OF BY DONOR
Laura Ellis
Meredith Stone
The pastoral staff of Fredericksburg Baptist Church
Kathy Chappell
Melissa Scott
Mandy McMichael
Carrington Grace Kanada
Susan Lockwood
Jennifer Jennings
Karen Zimmerman
Wendi & Jon Singletary
Tiffani Harris
Taryn Deaton
The Mothers of Talbot Park
Faith Fitzgerald
Karen Zimmerman
Brenda Buckelew
Rev. Brittany Ramirez
Libby Bellinger
Jennifer Jennings
Meredith Stone
Teresa Ellis
Brent Walker
Mary Weaver
Dennis Sacrey
Donna Hopkins Britt
Diane & Jerry Dawson
Charles Wade
Judith Williams
Amy Jennings
Mary Jo Gessner
Aubin Petersen
Susan Thrift
Mark Deaton
Andrew Brittain
Larry Dickens
Agnes Church
Brenda Buckelew
Sharlande Sledge
Sharlande Sledge
Amy Jennings
Daniel Glaze
IN MEMORY OF BY DONOR
Anne Compere
Marjorie Basden Graves
Esther Burroughs
Mae Magness
Sue Fitzgerald
Jeanne’s Parents
Paula Dempsey
Peggy Basden Johnson
Tim McClarty
Deneise Dillon
Dwight Mays
Jeanne Baucom
RECURRING DONORS:
Individuals- 172
Churches- 17
TOTAL DONORS:
Individuals- 688 Churches- 50 GRANTS: 6
Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation C.I.O.S. Christian Mission Concern E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation
English Foundation Grant Me the Wisdom Foundation $
Rev. Molly Shoulta Tucker, Chair
Rev. Lynn Holmes
Rev. Natasha Nedrick-Adzudzor
Ellen
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rev. Bianca Robinson Howard, Vice-Chair
Rev. Joy Martinez-Marshall
Rev. Dr. Jon Singletary
Rev. Xiomara
Rev. Rebecca Mathis, Past-Chair
Rev. Beth Link McConnell
Rev. Joanna Sowards
Leah Reed, Secretary
Rev. Michael Mills
Rev. Brittany Stillwell
In 2024, we said goodbye to board members Rev. Ellen Di Giosia and Rev. Xiomara Reboyras-Ortiz. We are deeply grateful for their years of dedicated service to BWIM.
Rev.
Rev.
Di Giosia
Reboyras-Ortiz
BWIM STAFF
Rev. Dr. Meredith Stone Executive Director
Heather Deal, Director of Development
Rev. Barbara Lavarin, Director of Supporting Women in Ministry
Hannah Kucera, Financial Manager
Rev. Nikki Hardeman, Director of Advocating for Women in Ministry
Kate Wilmoth, Administrative Assistant
Gratitude to BWIM staff who have moved on to new ministry opportunities.
Laura Ellis, Program Manager
Mariah Humphries, Interim Director of Supporting Women in Ministry
Jordann McMahan, Intern
P.
