“Never assume that an established, professional female leader isn’t interested in working with or for you. Many incredible leaders would love the opportunity to use their marketplace skills in the kingdom.”
95% of the women surveyed for Kadi Cole’s book Developing Female Leaders had worked in a secular job and had developed skills and gleaned experience that their churches and ministries benefit from. The same can be said of men. Thus, her 3rd best practice is:
Best Practice #3: Mine the Marketplace
Cole recommends being aware of the following challenges to developing women in leadership:
Recruit only great leaders - not just those who are keen. Particularly with women in a male-dominated environment, our culture operates in such a way that if one woman on staff does something wrong it can sour the experience for and perception of all other women. However, if a man were to not perform well in his role, that has no impact on how others view the other men on staff, or even men in general. Check your bias.
Give women real jobs with real titles - Several women surveyed had been relegated to the role of church secretary or personal assistant when their giftings, training, education and experience were all suited to ministry leadership rather than administrative. Honour women’s level of ability and qualification with real ministry opportunities. Even if the title “pastor” is not available to her, Director, Team Leader, Manager, etc. are all acceptable. And pay her at that level (which leads to the next point).
Pay women fairly - Kadi, herself, had been paid unfairly in her first ministry role. After working for a year, she discovered that she’d not been given the full benefits (tax benefit, insurance, house, etc.) of other members of her team because the HR team had never processed a woman on staff before and had classified her role as clerical when it was in fact pastoral.
Give women time up the front - If we want the women in our churches to grow and become leaders, they need to see women leading (reading, praying, announcements, MCing, etc.). Some large churches in America have their leadership team simply sit at the front of the church facing the congregation during the meeting. Jenni Carlton, church leadership consultant sums it up this way: “We don’t realize the unintentional consequences of not making women visible in our churches. They lack that visibility because they lack the opportunities, and they lack the opportunities because they have not developed the necessary skills. It’s a self-fulfilling cycle that needs to change.”
Help women transition into ministry - Women surveyed experienced the following difficulties when transitioning into ministry: “Soul care, spiritual warfare, balancing weekend and evening hours, changes in friendships within the congregation, confidentiality, expectations on her family, increased attention to her looks and clothing (yes, it’s a thing), less direct contact with unbelievers, and questioning, How do I know if I’m doing a good job? …” Ministry leaders can help women transition well by coaching them through this shift.
Support their spouses and families - Ministry spouses and children are keenly aware that they are sharing their mum/dad/spouse with another “family”. It’s important that these families feel as connected as possible to this “spiritual family” without any additional burden expected of them. The church must serve and look after their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.
Beware of the “glass cliff” - There are some roles that men have looked at and have put in the “too hard” category. The project is complicated and doomed to fail. But when the role is offered to a woman, she takes it on, giving her everything, because she is grateful to grasp any role that she can in this field. To perform well in her role she tears down boundaries in her personal life, risking burn out, so that the project succeeds. But at what cost? A cost no man was willing to pay. When the project succeeds and she is left burnt out, the role might then be passed on to a man to continue based on the success of her work.
AFES - Overall my experience over the past 6 months has been one of great support in my workplace for me and my husband and daughters, who are greeted warmly and thanked regularly for sharing their Mummy with the people I serve. They do struggle with my being away a bit more than they have been used to. I do my best to make it as easy as possible for them.
Women serving on senior staff or apprentices or student leader roles are given real titles and real job descriptions. Not just “women’s work”. For example, my title is “Fellowship Groups and Faculty Cluster Overseer”. Women are given ample time up front teaching seminars, MCing, directing events, leading groups, praying, reading the Bible, etc.
I have the same pay and benefits as my colleagues based fairly on my education and experience. As an institution, AFES is fair.
However, because I am tasked to raise my own wage by inviting individuals to partner with my work financially, there is a difference with our supporters.
My supporters are genuinely partnering with my gospel work. I have colleagues who are the primary bread-winners and work full-time and support their wife and children with their wage that they raise through supporters. Their supporters are aware that they are supporting not just the work but a family. However, I am working part time and my husband has a part time job. Potential supporters may be aware that if they did not financially support my work, I might not suffer financially, we’d still be able to pay our bills and my children will eat well and receive an education.
With your help, I can become fully funded to do my work.
AFES has determined that my role requires 2.5 days of work and has put a value on the hours I work based on the role I perform and on my experience and qualifications. To perform my job I have to raise a particular level of funding that is fair pay as senior staff. Currently, I am paid for 2 days and volunteer the rest of my hours while my colleagues receive their full fair pay. This is not an AFES issue. This is an uphill struggle I and many other part-time and full-time, married women have as we raise our own wage by building ministry partnerships. We must work that much harder at casting a vision of shared mission and creating an excellent partnership experience to gain the financial support for the work we do.
Best Practices:
Mine the Marketplace
Developing Female Leaders: Navigating the Minefields and Releasing the Potential of Women in Your Church, Kadi Cole, Thomas Nelson, 2019, 224pgs.