Meeting
or Event Planners Resource
REBEKAH WOULD LOVE TO SPEAK AT
YOUR EVENT!
Please
drop her an email with the following information and she’ll get
in touch with you:
Your name, phone number, and when you can be reached.
The date and type of your event.
DVD, CD, and MP3 downloads available upon request.
Rebekah’s topics
As
a meeting or event planner, you need to have vision, drive, organization,
and above all, integrity. Here are a few of Rebekah’s recent articles
that may encourage and help you:
When Good Churches Aren’t
Good Enough
(From Crosswalk.com)
A Strategy For Success
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
Three
Leadership Secrets Every Christian Women Should Know
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
Goals of a Spiritual Champion
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
The Brewing Scandal in EVERY Women’s
Ministry
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
A Code of Honor
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
Trends in Reaching Today's Women
(From the Advanced Writers and Speakers Convention)
Leaders of Value
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
How Women Can Bring Men Back to Church
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
When
Good Churches Aren’t Good Enough
(From Crosswalk.com)By Rebekah Montgomery
Sunday morning. The acrid taste of dread fills your mouth as you think:
I have to go to church.
You want to go to church; just not your church. Your church is a ‘good’
church. The music is tolerable, the people are fine, the sermon is okay
— mostly based on Scripture. But the whole experience slips over
your soul like unflavored gelatin — tasteless and fluffy.
Sound familiar? And that’s the experience of clergy and laity
alike. In a world desperate for Truth, a good church just isn’t
good enough.
“It’s a sin to be good if God has called us to be great,”
said Thom S. Rainer in his book Break Out Churches (Zondervan). “Christians
refer to Matthew 28:18-20 as the Great Commission not the Good Commission.”
Rainer is the president of Church Central (www.churchcental.com), the
founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and
Church Growth at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the
soon-to-be-named President of Lifeway Christian Resources.
Many factors separate the growing, effective church from the mediocre
church-as-usual set. It is clear from Rainer’s exhaustive research
project studying thousands of American churches that too few churches
and their leaders have the vision, passion, and commitment required
to leap from good to great.
Or a focused desire to be great. Rainer said that too many on both sides
of the altar say, ”I wish my church would… (fill in the
blank).
“Leaders in breakout churches stop wishing and start asking, ‘Lord,
what would You have me do?’ They individually become part of what
God would have them to do. When God starts changing individuals, He
starts changing the church.”
Although Rainer and his research team found only 13 (!) established
churches that transitioned from run of the mill or good to great, he
is optimistic that any church can make the jump, but not, he cautions,
without great sacrifice or evangelistic fervor.
Said Rainer: “We did not do a screening of theology on the front
end of our survey, but when we came out on the back end, it was with
conservative evangelical leaders. None of the other types of leadership
were even close. Quite frankly, it hard to do evangelism unless one
holds to the exclusivity of salvation through Christ.”
Rainer further asserts that the appeal of evangelistic, Biblical preaching
transcends church=attending Christian believers. “The unchurched
are only attracted to a church that believes in the truths of God’s
Word. When you interview the unchurched, they say that they will only
go to a conservative church. Essentially, they are saying, ‘We
get enough of relativism out in the culture. We’re looking for
a place that really believes something.’”
The driving force of evangelistic zeal has to begin with leadership — either clergy or lay — that is awake, convicted, and passionate.
“We heard consistent testimony of wake-up calls as leaders progressed
to becoming legacy leaders,” said Rainer. “Sometimes the
wake-up call would be an external, dramatic moment of deep conviction
of the Holy Spirit; or an internal contribution of the Holy Spirit.
In each case, a sudden rather than a slow progressive movement caused
these leaders to change.
“In every case, a deep prayer life preceded their breakout to
a greater level of leadership. I cannot tell how long that deep prayer
life preceded their becoming the type leaders that they were but so
much emerged from their own prayer lives.
“Some of the breakout scenarios that we saw really did begin with
laypersons who were prayerful and desirous that their church be the
church God wanted it to be rather than church as usual. However, the
breakout is unlikely to continue unless the senior pastor is on board
with it.”
While a dramatic wake-up call in leadership was a consistent factor
in breakout churches, styles of worship varied.
“There is no correlation between style of worship — liturgical
or contemporary — in terms of evangelistic growth. That’s
counter-intuitive because most people believe that more contemporary
churches have the greater evangelistic growth, But we have found the
more contemporary churches have growth explained by transfer growth
but not evangelistic growth,” said Rainer.
Rainer sees the next trend in church growth coming in simplification
of a church’s focus by doing a few things well instead of trying
to cover the gambit of activities. “Over commitment and busyness
are killing our best people and the ministers within the church. I see
churches doing less but doing what they do better.”
What Rainer and his researchers saw in breakout churches makes him hopeful
that any church can go from good to great. “Don’t give up,”
Rainer urged. “God’s the God of possibilities. All of these
churches (profiled in Breakout Churches) were in impossible situations,
but we saw what God was able to do when people were willing.”
Rebekah
Montgomery is editor of Right to the Heart of Women, one of the nation’s
largest electronic magazine for women who minister to other women, a
publisher at Jubilant Press, an on-line publishing company for women
who minister to other women, as well as a correspondent for Crosswalk.com.
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A Strategy For Success
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery
Whether you are planning a one-time event — such as a Christmas
Angel Tea — or an on-going Bible study, below are a few guiding
principles that will smooth out the planning wrinkles and help your
program be more effective:
Set a Goal
How you plan your event depends upon your goal for having it. And that
is where you must start — every time. You must answer this very
important question for yourself, your committee, and for the women who
will attend: Why are you having this event?
Form a Prayer Team
I cannot stress how important it is to have a group of people praying
with you and for you, your committee, and potential guests! Your event
can mean the difference between spiritual life and spiritual death for
some of your guests. It can plant seeds that will bloom in eternity.
It needs to be covered in prayer.Elicit the Support of Your Church Leaders
Let your pastoral staff and women’s ministry leadership know your
plans and goal for your event. Once the people in leadership are behind
you, doors will spring open and unexpected resources will be made available
to you.Target Your Audience & Plan Accordingly
If you are targeting younger women, you should think seriously about
providing childcare. If you are targeting senior women, watch out for
steps and hazards.
Likewise, advertise in the places frequented by your target audience.
If your event is just for your women’s ministry ladies, use the
ministry mailing list to send out invitations. If it is an outreach
for younger women, put posters up at day care centers, Laundromats,
groceries, etc.Follow Checklists
Make a list for yourself and your committee. And while you’re
at it, get in touch with your committee chairwomen to be sure they are
following theirs. You don’t have to be a Nazi about it: Ask for
their help in checking off items on your to-do list — and theirs.
Create and Keep a Budget
Creative types are yawning at this point, but budgets are a necessary
tool that will help you sell a women’s ministry event to a reluctant
church board and help you plan future activities. It will also help
you nail down what you need as donations versus actual money in the
bank. It will also help you determine whether you should charge a fee
for the event or whether you will just have a donation basket on the
sign-in desk.
Evaluate Your Event
Take time to evaluate immediately after your event — while the
details are fresh. You may want to consider having a questionnaire for
your committee members to fill out. Some general evaluative criteria
include:
* Did the event fulfill its goal? Why or why not?
* What worked and what needed fine-tuning?
* What items were missing on the checklist?
* Was the event well attended?
* Was informal and formal feedback about the event positive?
* Given all that went into staging, was it worth doing?
Celebrate!
Finally, remember to celebrate your successes and to thank all those
who contributed from prayer team, to nursery workers, to chairwomen,
to the janitor. (And don’t forget to thank the Lord!)
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Three
Leadership Secrets Every Christian Women Should Know
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery
I am not a born leader. As the seventh of 8 children, I was born a follower,
lost in a crowd of siblings. Like David, who was considered “least
among his brethren,” God saw something in me not apparent to anyone
— including me — and singled me out for leadership.
But not without training. David and Moses led sheep: I led cats. Sincerely
following the Great Commission to preach the Gospel to every creature,
beginning at about five years old, I taught flannel graph Bible lessons
to my congregation of barnyard cats. I sincerely pleaded with them to
accept Jesus before they accidentally met their Maker beneath the wheels
of farm equipment. I know the angels rejoice when sinners comes to repentance,
but I can’t help but wonder what the angels did when I led four
tabbies and a calico in the sinner’s prayer!
Which brings us to our first tip:
1. Practice conscientious leadership with whatever group — sheep,
cats, kids — God gives you to lead. If you lead faithfully in
a small arena, He’ll open bigger arenas for you.
2. Recognize and creatively compensate for limitations that might be
placed on you because of your gender.
Some think women should focus their energies on breaking down theological
limitations based on gender and there is a place for that. But unless
the Lord specifically calls you to write the 95 Thesis on your bra and
nail it to the door of your church (!), it is far more productive to
exercise your calling within your church’s proscribed boundaries.
The prophetess Deborah (Yes, the Bible acknowledges her as a prophetess — Judges 4:4.) is a sterling example of a woman who recognized
societal and religious limitations placed on women but was still faithful
to God’s call on her life. She knew what God wanted done —
the invaders pushed out — but she also recognized that the army
would not follow a woman into battle. So she stirred Barak, the commander,
to action. He acknowledged her gifts, even refusing to go into battle
without her by his side. The soldiers might be unwilling to follow a
woman, but the commander was unwilling to go without Deborah.
3. Let God make a way for your gifts within your church.
There are two seemly conflicting underlying Scriptural principles at
work here: “Let everything be established in the mouth of two
or three witnesses” and “If they do not accept your message,
shake the dust off your feet.”
Throughout the history of both Judaism and Christianity, God opened
doors for His messengers over the protests of the religious establishment.
These instances are well documented in Scripture; so let me give you
some examples from my own experience:
When my husband and I moved to a new area, we began attending a certain
church by direct leading of the Lord. I wondered what God was thinking
because the pastor of this particular church was vehemently opposed
to women in any ministry other than “manning” the nursery.
Over the course of a few months, a friendship developed and I was able
to show him Scriptures about Godly female leadership from Jesus commissioning
Mary to tell Peter and the disciples that He was risen to Paul’s
tutor Priscilla, etc. Eventually, I was added to the pastoral staff
of this church and the pastor went on to teach classes in female Christian
leadership at a well-known university. What a switcheroo!
On the other hand, after another relocation, we joined a church where
women regularly participated in appropriate ways — until a new
pastor came. Theologically, he was in favor of female leadership; but
on a personal level, he was a frightened of anyone who was gifted and
thwarted his or her efforts. One by one, those with ability found different
churches in which to serve and the pastor was left wondering why he
had to do everything.
God needs women to join the ranks of Dorcas — who built a church
with a needle, Lydia — a business woman who made the Philippian
church happen, the woman at the well who told everyone in town about
Jesus, and so many other women. Don’t be afraid to follow in their
footsteps.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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Goals of a Spiritual Champion
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery
A businessman was having a terrible time getting anything accomplished.
He was distracted. Constant interruptions plagued him. At the end of
the day, he faced a pile of unfinished work and felt like a complete
failure.
The businessman hired a consultant who charged him a cool million dollars
to give him this piece of organizational advice that solved all his
problems. I’ll pass on the advice to you for free.
“Set goals,” said the consultant. “Put your goals
on the calendar and each day make a list of mini-goals you need to accomplish
to meet your main goals. Everything else comes second.”
Maybe you’ve felt like this businessman. I know I have. As Christian
leaders, we’re fighting an uphill battle all fronts and it is
easy to get burned out. St. Paul describes our efforts as a race against
time through an obstacle course to accomplish one main goal: the high
calling of God to become like Christ (Hebrews12), obedient, faithful,
patient, self-controlled, etc. And is it ever easy to get distracted!
And tired!
As Christian women leaders, we are planning programs, meetings, and
Bible studies all the time. Those things are important, but even work
for Jesus can distract us from the all-important target of becoming
like Jesus. With the objective of becoming more like Christ in view,
we need to set mini-goals to help us reach it. What does it take to
become a spiritual champion and win “the prize that is set before
us?”
1. You become like the company you keep so set a mini-goal of daily
time alone with Jesus.
Isaiah rose early in the morning to seek the Lord. Daniel prayed three
times a day. Jesus went alone to the mountains, and afterwards, could
walk on water. As a leader, you MUST establish a daily pattern of time
alone with God and make it at least as important as eating.
2. Set a mini-goal to study the Word by memorizing portions of it. If
you consider memorization an old-fashioned idea, reread Psalm 1, the
Psalm of spiritual champions. It and many, many other scriptures emphasis
the transforming spiritual experience gained by memorization or hiding
the Word in the heart for further meditation. The Word is the Bread
of Life or refreshment for weary souls. Eat it and thoroughly digest
it.
3. Set a personal growth mini-goal with an accountability partner. Your
personal growth goal might be to ripen spiritual fruit, such as develop
more self-control by fasting one day a week. Or to stir up a spiritual
gift, such as evangelism by exploring and practicing witnessing. Spiritual
growth goals can be so difficult to quantify and measure that some will
not even try. But just by focusing on becoming more like Jesus in a
certain area, you will make progress. Find another woman more mature
in her faith (Titus 2) to disciple you and to tell you the truth about
yourself in love and pray with you that you might be healed (James 5).
Let me encourage you to prayerfully practice these mini-goals as you
push toward the main goal: to become like Jesus. Don’t miss out
on the unimaginably great prize God has in store for women who cross
the finish line and inspire others to run with them.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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The Brewing Scandal
in EVERY Women’s Ministry
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery
Once upon a time, germs were mothers’ biggest worry when they
dropped off children in the church nursery. Today, it is pedophiles.
And don’t think pedophiles are all male. Mary Kay Letourneau and
others are part of a growing trend toward violent female behaviors,
such as pedophilia, spousal murder — women now perpetrate 41 percent,
and child murders — women now commit 55 percent. (The Bureau of
Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice)
On the matter of female pedophilia, solid statistics are hard to find.
However, as girls are exposed to explicit material at younger and younger
ages, psychologists and counselors are expressing alarm over an upswing
in female-initiated molestations.
Whoever initiates the abuse, women’s ministry leaders often have
to scramble to cover the nursery and other areas of childcare. Therefore,
they must be especially vigilant. While we may fool ourselves into imagining
that such crimes only happen somewhere else, Gary Webb, Children's Ministry
Director for Northwoods Community Church, Peoria, Illinois, expressed
caution that children attending smaller churches are more at risk for
sex*ual exploitation than those in bigger ones.
“In smaller churches, there can be a sense of false security.
People say, ‘Abuse would never happen here. We know our people.’
They only think they know people. Statistics show that abuse is more
often perpetrated by people familiar and trusted by the child. In a
larger church, we must have systems that work because we don’t
know everybody,” said Webb.
“We would rather turn children away than put them at any risk
by sloppy screening,” Webb added. “We practice responsible
follow-up for childcare volunteers.”
Webb suggests a 3-step process before a volunteer is approved. They
must:
• Complete an application in which references are checked and
the applicant’s name is screened through the state and local sex
offender listings.
• Attend a 70-90 minute orientation, clearly spelling out the
mission, vision, values, safety, and expectations policies.
• Have a personal interview with a staff member.
Webb further counsels that all churches, regardless of the size, should
be proactive in defense of children. He suggests that churches:
• Create and follow systems protecting children and volunteers.
• Recognize that systems are never perfect and be vigilant about
watching people.
• Rather than skepticism, create an atmosphere of accountability
and mutual understanding that security is in everyone’s best interest.
• When and if you have a violation, report it immediately. Do
not attempt to handle suspected abuse in a vacuum. Everyone has limitations
of resources and wisdom.
• Suspected incidents should be handled privately and discreetly,
but not buried.
If homes and schools are no longer safe, the Church must be a protected
haven for children. Of all people, Christ’s followers must safeguard
children and ministry to them as Jesus did when He delivered strong
words for those who would abuse children and those who are party to
allowing it to continue: “Let the little children come to Me,”
Jesus said, as He volunteered for a hands-on role. “But anyone
who causes a little one to sin should have a millstone tied around his
neck and be drowned in the sea. But woe to the person who causes others
to sin.” Matthew 18 paraphrase)
.
Gary Webb is available to consult with churches as time allows. His
passion is to network and resource the local church, with the goal of
achieving higher effectiveness in children’s ministry. Contact
him at gary.webb@nwoods.org.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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A
Code of Honor
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery
It was a mistake. I knew it then and I admit it now.
I was in Atlanta attending a conference where I didn’t know hardly
anyone. Lonely, I decided to telephone an old friend living there. He
came down to my hotel, picked me up, and you can guess what happened
next: He fed me barbecue. We talked over old times. Laughed a lot. Then
he dropped me back at my hotel about 9:30. No romance. No attraction.
Not even a peck on the cheek.
But it was wrong, not because I am a married woman — my husband
knew and approved the dinner — but because I am Bible teacher.
The Scriptures are clear: God Himself holds those who teach the Word
to higher standard. By the way, so do the world and our students. (James
3:1) For this reason as well as others, I take the privilege of teaching
the Word very seriously.
As women who minister, our mistakes can be more dangerous than physician
malpractice. If a doctor blunders, the patient may die. If we goof up,
someone could go to hell to die forever — and take her family
with her. As Jesus commented, we would be better off dead than cause
someone to sin. (Matthew 18:6)
So I have adopted a Code of Honor for my ministry and I want to share
the condensed version with you. It is not meant to restrict as much
as protect the Lord’s reputation, my reputation, and those who
are new believers or seekers from being offended. It is a dynamic document.
As I learn, either by instruction or from a mistake, I amend it. But
I share it with you now, and perhaps it will serve as a pattern for
a Code of Honor for your ministry, too.
A Women’s Ministry Code of Honor
When I quote Scripture in a teaching, I will look it up in context to
be certain that I am not twisting it to make my point. I will try to
memorize the passage so I quote it correctly.
I will make sure that any teaching showcases Jesus and His truth, not
me or my pet subject.
When I speak, I will not tell anecdotes about my children or husband
with their permission.
When I am a guest at a church, I will not publicly dispute doctrinal
issues with which I disagree. I will conform to their social and religious
customs provided they do not disagree with my basic faith tenets.
I will dress modestly in public at all times.
When I am teaching the Word, I will dress in such as way as to not call
undue attention to myself or be distracting.
I will not be alone or meet privately with a member of the opposite
sex who is not a close family member. If I do have a meeting, it will
be in a public place or with someone else present.
I will not pray with or privately counsel a member of the opposite sex
who is not a close relative.
I will not flirt in any way with a member of the opposite sex. (Except
my hubby, and then watch the sparks!)
I absolutely will not discuss anything of a private sexual nature with
a member of the opposite sex. I will not laugh at suggestive stories
or jokes.
I will love and treat others as I wish to be treated, considering everyone
as beloved by God regardless of their sexual orientation, social status,
race, religion, criminal record, addiction, or lifestyle.
I am a servant, not a master. I wash feet, not stand on a pedestal.
I will not take money to pray for or with someone. Since I am not a
trained counselor, I will not take money to counsel someone.
What someone tells me in confidence remains private unless he/she has
committed a crime that by law I have to report.
I will not pretend to be perfect. But neither will I strip down to my
emotional underwear for the purpose of attention.
I will be transparent and accountable. When I’m wrong or hurt,
I’ll admit it. If I make a public mistake, I’ll admit it
publicly.
I will be quick to apologize. I will seek restoration.
I will be scrupulously honest in any area that deals with money. I will
take a loss rather than allow any suspicion of financial mishandling.
I will avoid personal habits (use of alcohol, smoking, gambling, etc.)
that might cause others to sin.
I do not publicly discuss my own political views, but if someone asks
privately, I will share my opinion.
Whether I am in public or private, I will be aware that I am a representative
of Christ, and because He has entrusted me to teach His Word, my actions
have greater repercussions.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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Trends in Reaching Today's
Women
(From the Advanced Writers and Speakers Convention)
by Rebekah Montgomery
The average American woman is changing. Today’s girls have bigger
shoulders, wider waists, and slimmer hips so clothing manufacturers
adjust to fit that profile. Like clothing manufacturers accommodate
change, as women who minister to women, we must adjust the way we communicate
to fit existing needs. Please note: I didn’t say adjust the message,
only our communication styles and approach. Like clothing, we still
have to cover the bare essentials!
Today’s women are interested in being effective mothers. But according
to US Census figures, today’s Mom is likely to be single, unemployed
or underemployed, and rearing her children alone? One little child recently
reported, “Only two kids in the first grade have both their parents.” Our messages to mothers have to reflect this reality.
Becoming a mother is more dangerous than ever. The Center for Disease
Control reports the Number 1 cause of death for a pregnant woman is
murder by the hands of the baby’s father. Address this issue.
Some speculate that the sharp rise in the use of anti-depressants among
woman is due to suppressed grief — also called post abortion trauma.
Address this issue.
The shape of today’s families has changed, too. Women are more
likely to live alone, be divorced, widowed, or wed to a career. So loneliness
needs to be acknowledged when we speak to groups.
Even if a family is a Mom and Dad who stay together and practicing Christianity,
by some statistics, 60 percent of children will leave the Church, never
to return. Speak to the grief of those parents.
Sexual issues are always on center stage, but promiscuous lifestyles
are taking a toll. The CDC says that nearly half of the young people
ages 18-25 have an incurable sexually transmitted disease. These young
people are considering marriage and each partner will come to the marriage
bed with dangerous health issues. Be relevant: Speak to the issue.
Young women are experimenting with lesbianism or bisexuality. Address
this.
But the person I really want to discuss is you, the woman called to
reach today’s women. Are you adjusting your communication style
to fit needs?
We have before us today a greater challenge and opportunity than at
any time in world history. Opportunities are tremendous, but we have
to be willing to be educated, relevant, and committed.
Insofar as education, I’m speaking of Biblical education. There
is so much popular psychobabble masquerading as truth — not so
different from the days when Paul advised Timothy to not get involved
in theological tail chasing, but to “study to show himself an
unashamed workman who could rightly handle the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Isaiah’s calling resonates. In Isaiah 6, God was looking for someone
to send to a people described as ever hearing but never listening, ever
seeing but never getting the picture. God spoke into the universe: “Who
shall I send?”
Isaiah volunteered. “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
God specifically trained him to speak to those sick of the way they
were living and looking for God — ripe fruit.
Isaiah describes his education like this: “The Sovereign Lord
instructed my tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens
… my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has
opened my ears and I have not been rebellious. I have not drawn back.”
Isaiah 50:4,5-para
Many have drawn back and written this generation off as beyond salvation
because they do not respond to yesterday’s methods of communication
or safe subjects. Paul addressed this: “Be wise in the way you
act toward outsiders. Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation
be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you know how to
answer everyone.” (Col. 4:5, 6) In other words: Address today’s
issues with healing words.
God is looking for women who are willing to fit into His plans to reach
this generation, not try to box Him up in conventionality. He may require
new modes of evangelism. Teaching may take on different shapes. But
today’s woman can be reached with the Gospel — that I am
sure of because Jesus is still the Answer.
I believe that God is calling into the universe concerning this generation: “Who shall I send to them?” He is calling for women to send
to this sick and weary generation who will not flinch from speaking
the truth and addressing the issues, who will daily seek God’s
voice and train their ears to hear His word; who are willing to be a
part of something new and say to God, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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Leaders of Value
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery
Initially, I wrestled with my calling to Christian leadership because
I am female. I had proper gifts for leadership—passion, vision,
education, experience, and desire—but I secretly questioned whether
I had pushed myself forward when God really wanted me to sit down, fold
my hands, and shut up because I was a girl.
Leadership in secular business was no problem. I had what it took there
and unflinchingly used it. But when it came to Christian leadership,
I hung back and questioned and questioned. And questioned—until
I began to search the Scriptures and found many female leadership role
models. When I speak, I often talk about those Biblical role models
because other women have questions, too.
Then came the secondary question: Did God call me? Or was I “only
a volunteer?”
God Loves Volunteers
Then I heard the voice of God, “Whom shall I send?” And
I said, “Here I am, Lord. Send me!” He said, “Go and
tell this people.” (Isaiah 6:8, 9a)
We tend to glorify God’s anointing of the unwilling—Moses,
who was persuaded by a burning bush and other arguments; Paul, who was
knocked down and temporarily blinded; etc.
But God loves willing spirits. And empowers them. God showed Isaiah
a needy people hoping Isaiah would volunteer to minister to them. David
was commended as a man who sought after God’s heart.
If God shows you a need, perhaps He is actually hoping you will volunteer
to fill it. Or inspire another willing spirit who can. The most honored
callings come from the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit who says, “Look
at this need. What can we do about it?”
A Sense of Destiny
We are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good, which
God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
You were created to do good. When you do good, God gets a good reputation.
In church-speak, this is called “glorifying God.”
Glorifying God—this is why you were put on earth. And if you don’t
do good, you will miss your destiny. Whatever task you are given, do
it the best you possibly can. Get better at it. This is glorifying to
God and what you are called to do.
Let People See Your Heart
I did not shrink back from declaring to you anything that was profitable.
(Paul to the Ephesians in Acts 20:20)
If you are going to answer God’s call to lead, you’ve got
to open your heart. This keeps you close to the heart and pulse of the
people. Your vision may be fuzzy and your strategy flawed, but when
people can see the Spirit leads your heart, they will follow.
I’ll admit this is hard for me. I would rather listen than talk,
be a sounding board than “share.” But my scars are also
my credentials. If God can comfort, heal, help, forgive, and sustain
me, He can do it for anybody.
If your experiences, mistakes, or tragedies can help someone else find
Jesus or grow their faith, share it. It’s called “being
a witness.”
Nothing to Lose
I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I might finish the race
and complete the tasks that the Lord Jesus has given of me, the task
of testifying of the Gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:24)
What makes suicide bombers willing to sacrifice their lives for a cause?
They consider themselves already dead so their cause—however misguided—might
go forward.
Paul considered himself dead. His goal was that Christ might live His
life using Paul’s body. Doubtlessly, this is the hardest principle
of Christ-centered leadership, but the most important.
Paul found it hard, too. He said, “I die daily” and urged
others to “Offer yourself as a living sacrifice.”
We can get lost in the trappings of programs and schemes. But the real
mark of a leader is their willingness to live a life worthy of His calling.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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How
Women Can Bring Men Back to Church
(Right to the Heart of Women e-zine)
By Rebekah Montgomery, editor
We’ve all seen Hollywood caricature religious men as pasty-faced,
effeminate, and hypocritical. Some artists even picture a testosterone-challenged
Jesus. How has a Gospel begun by the Carpenter and spread by fishermen
and other workingmen turn into a something for women and children?
Survey numbers differ a few ticks, but the results are the same: The
average churchgoer in America is female by a large (about 12 percent)
margin. Author and television producer David Murrow says that 90 percent
of American men believe in God and five out of six call themselves Christian,
only two out of six attend church. They accept the reality of Jesus
but see no value for themselves in attending church.
In his book Why Men Hate Going to Church Murrow said, “I’m
not calling men back to church,” said Murrow. “I’m
calling the church back to men.
“It’s not about male dominance: it’s about male resurgence.
If we don’t turn things around, we’re going to lose a generation
of boys. This is going to be a disaster for society and eventually result
in the death of the church,” said Murrow.
“Churches target every conceivable minority yet men are the largest
unreached people group. They are the largest minority in Christendom
today yet we do absolutely nothing to make church attractive to them.”
Although many may argue that the church is already male dominated, Murrow
sees it differently. Quoting Dr. Leon Podles, “Modern churches
are women’s clubs with a few male officers,” Murrow observed
that while the church looks patriarchal on the surface, it is actually
feminine. “If you’re talking about the senior pastorate
in Protestant churches, then yes, you’ve got ‘way more men
than women. If you’re talking about the spirituality, participation,
or lay leadership, it is feminine in every way.
“Every church needs both the feminine and masculine spirit. You
see this balance in growing churches: a masculine concern for quality,
effectiveness, and achievement yet a feminine supportiveness, nurturing,
and tenderness. It’s not about roles. It is about restoring a
healthy, life-giving spirit to the church.”
Murrow believes that one reason the church marginalizes men is because
of teaching focused on a relationship instead of a mission. “We’ve
moved away from the concept that Christianity is something we do to
something we become,” said Murrow.
“Few churches model men’s values—risk, reward, accomplishment,
heroic sacrifice, action, and adventure. Men find church boring because
their values are not modeled and no one reflects their masculine heart.
They has no desire to fall in love with a wonderful man, even one named
Jesus.”
Worse yet, Murrow says he has been exhorted to have a love affair with
Jesus. “Conservative churches oppose homosexuality, but their
imagery sends an entirely different message. The more we describe Christianity
in bedroom vocabulary, the more nervous men become.”
Murrow counsels ministers and teachers to use terms that sound right
on a construction site. “Having an ‘intimate relationship
with Jesus’ appeals to a woman’s deepest desire. For men,
having an intimate relationship with another man is just plain gross.
When a man loves another man, he uses terms like admire or respect.”
Murrow, an admitted reader of Right to the Heart of Women ezine, offers
this advice to women in leadership position:
• Consider men’s needs when making decisions regarding church
progras..
• Don’t be too quick to take leadership away from men. Once
a ministry area is female dominated, it’s hard to get men involved.
• Don’t focus only on the needs of women. Make developing
men a priority.
• Lead courageously. You can’t lead without angering people.
Jesus made men mad all the time.
• Be willing to be tougher. Men need to be softer and more nurturing,
but women may need to be more goal-oriented.
© Rebekah Montgomery 2005
Please Request Permission To Use
Rmontgomery@rebekahmontgomery.com
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