Celebrating Women in Ministry

I’ve been reading Pastoral Care: Telling the Stories of Our Lives by Karen Scheib for my Pastoral Care and Counseling class. Schieb writes, “As narrative practice, pastoral care attends to the inseparable interconnection between our own life stories, other’s stories, the larger cultural stories, and God’s story.”

In planning a luncheon in celebration of women in ministry, the DCBC created a safe space for female ministers to share their stories and feel the connection of their stories to others and ultimately to God’s story. Some 31 women recently gathered at the DCBC headquarters for this event. Tears came to my eyes as it struck me that no matter the adversity encountered, these women persevered in their calling, some even starting churches after being refused opportunities to minister. Sometimes they questioned their call, but they did not allow self-doubt to stop them from following God.

I often question my effectiveness as a preacher and if I really can pastor a church, so listening to the stories of the women in the room helped reshape my response to that selfdoubt. Thank you DCBC for creating a space for women in ministry to share their stories.

Don’t forget to join us for our Men’s Clergy Gathering on June 28 – more info to come.

Min. Abbie Tolbert, Executive Associate, The John Leland Center