3 WOMEN IN MINISTRY: ‘There’s Nothing I’d Rather Do!’

By Debbie Jones

I am a southern belle through and through. As with any true southerner, I love warm days, sweet tea, and the taste of my mom”s creamed corn and homemade carrot cake. Growing up in the South afforded me a heritage rich in tradition and biblical teaching that still influences who I am today.

A Life for Ministry

One summer some of my church friends and I decided to attend Woodland Christian Camp. The week was packed with fun activities, inspiration, and teaching. It all led to a special Friday-night commitment service.

I cannot remember the specifics of that evening, but I do remember walking forward during the invitation time and dedicating my life to ministry. I did not realize that on that warm summer evening the Lord planted a seed for ministry deep within me.

A few years passed and I decided to attend Milligan College. There I met my future husband, Tom, who just happened to be preparing for ministry.

As a young woman I did not have a clear understanding of what I wanted to do, but I did have a clear calling that whatever I did I wanted to do it for the Lord. Now, more than 30 years later, the Lord continues to cultivate that seed for ministry that he planted in me at camp when I was a young teen.

Being a woman in ministry for so many years has offered some interesting challenges. One of my first memories of ministry was with a small mountain church in North Carolina. I was from Atlanta and had never attended a church in a town on top of a mountain where there was only one street.

As we drove up to the church building, I must admit I was scared to death. I noticed an old fellow in overalls sitting in a rocking chair on the church”s front porch. Being a true southerner, I boldly said, “Hey there, my name is Debbie.”

He spit a wad of tobacco out, wiped his mouth and blurted out his name. At that moment I thought to myself, What on earth have I gotten myself into?

But Tom said, “Just wait . . . don”t judge a book by its cover.” As we walked in, I noticed Tom was right. It was a beautiful little church with lovely people. After attending the service the elders escorted Tom and me to a room for the big interview. I can still picture myself in a room full of men drilling Tom with questions.

I sat there smiling and then it happened. The elders motioned to me and asked Tom, “Does she play the piano?”

He said, “No.” The elders continued to ask Tom questions concerning me, and all the answers came back the same, “No, she does not . . . ” Realizing that the interview had taken a turn for the worse, Tom piped up, “but she can sing.” I just sat there smiling as the elders breathed a sigh of relief.

You guessed it””we got our first ministry position. Weeks passed and every Sunday, I was asked when I might sing for the worship service. Tom, being a man of his word, volunteered us to sing a duet for the next worship service. Making a long story short, Tom was conveniently pulled out of the service leaving me behind to fulfill our commitment. There I was, faced with singing my first big solo. Trust me . . . it did not go well.

Lessons of Ministry

I”ve come a long way since that first ministry in that beautiful mountain church. Working both in the secular world and in churches of every size and style has given me a broad ministry experience. I led the children”s ministry for the two churches Tom and I planted. In 1992 I came on staff as the children”s minister at our new church in Princeton, New Jersey. I was ordained into the ministry that same year. Later I served on staff at First Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee.

I am currently associate director for Stadia East, a church-planting organization. I also coach children”s ministers and have a ministry for the wives of Stadia East church planters. Let me share a few lessons I”ve learned.

Lesson 1: Women in ministry must deal with added expectations because of their gender. If married, we are faced with meeting the needs of our families in addition to ministry responsibilities. This is a huge balancing act of time and priorities. We must deal with the expectations of others as well as develop our own giftedness.

I learned early there was pressure to be what others thought I should be instead of who God created me to be. There are so many unspoken rules that women in ministry are confronted with. One church we served (a great church) had an unspoken rule all of the minister”s wives and female staff members were expected to wear skirts. You can imagine what it was like at the church picnic being a part of the three-legged race!

Lesson 2: Women can serve in ministry as well as men and should be encouraged to do so. I am blessed to be married to someone who acknowledges my ministry. God called me to ministry””not just to be part of Tom”s ministry. God holds the church and me responsible to develop the call, gifts, passions, personality, and experiences he has graced me with.

The Lord has equipped me with gifts for ministry. However, it really isn”t about me. Rather it is about God calling individuals (women and men) to exercise their gifts to build up his church. Romans 12 deals with this very concept. If women do not use their gifts the church will not be all that it can be.

God called me without limiting my ability to minister. His call did not include a list of things I could or could not do based on my gender””I just heard a call that said, “Come, follow me and I will use you to reach and serve others in the name of Jesus.” I know the Lord still touches the hearts of young girls and women today. He does not call them with a set of limitations but calls them to be all that he created them to be.

Lesson 3: Churches should stretch themselves and provide opportunities and training to encourage women in ministry. Just like my first ministry experience in a mountain church, we need to look beyond the outside shell of our church and open the door to a whole new world.

Tom and I have a daughter and son who are both gifted leaders. What a shame it would be if our daughter was not able to exercise and grow her leadership gifts in the same way as our son.

Most churches agree that it is important to reach the next generation, and they pray that God will raise up leaders to meet this challenge. My prayer is that we don”t limit our prayers by asking God to raise up men only. Instead let”s petition the Lord to grace the church with anyone and everyone to reach people for Christ . . . including our daughters.

What an incredible journey it has been for me to be a woman in ministry. I can”t think of anything that I would rather do!

 

 

Debbie Jones is associate regional director for Stadia East. She lives in Johnson City, Tennessee.