Description
Want a Sneak Peak?! Download the Foreword, Preface, and Introductory Chapter!
From the Introduction of Changing Her Story:
The imbalance of gender representation in the senior levels of leadership is more than just a women’s problem but a setback to all genders of all ages. When women are deprived of opportunities to exercise their talents and capabilities, generations of men, women, little boys and girls are robbed of half of the solution the Kingdom of God offers for the missional task at hand. Creating an environment where women can freely lead according to their God-given being-ness is an issue of faithful worship of God’s redeemed people. The book shows us how this is already being done today. It is a compilation of contributed chapters written by men and women leaders who are designing gender-balanced leadership structures in their churches, organizations or even in their homes. Each chapter offers compelling suggestions applicable to various developmental stages of churches and organizations in their journey toward gender parity in leadership.
The book is for…
- A female leader, aware of her giftedness to lead and yet limited by expectations to perform according to stereotypical characteristics of men’s ways of leading
- Senior leaders who want to see the value of gender balanced leadership benefit the church / organization and the broader society as it engages the complex demands of the present times
- A husband asking how he can support his wife’s abilities to lead both as a husband and partner at home
- A student who recognizes the strength of having both male and female gender leaders in optimizing capacity of a ministry, group or an organization in serving its purpose in the broader community
- A scholar and researcher studying to formulate ways to change the current male-dominated leadership culture into a gender balanced leadership environment
- A member of a congregation or lay person who recognizes the importance of having male and female role models in the church’s leadership structure as an important part of discipleship and spiritual growth of men, women and children in the congregation
- Organizational leaders promoting an environment where men and women can lead in ways that are faithful and true to their God-given talents and giftedness as a person uniquely created in the Image of God
- Women who have fallen out of the leadership trek due to struggles and dead ends in their pursuits of roles as leaders
- A father, who recognizes his daughter(s)’ leadership abilities and hopes to see them live them out without prejudice
Contributors:
Foreword by Dr. Mark Labberton, President of Fuller Theological Seminary
Preface by Tara Beth Leach, Senior Pastor of First Church of the nazarene, Pasadena, CA
Hailey Armoogan, has recently assumed the role of Lead Pastor of Fort Smith Pentecostal Church in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada where she leads a multi-ethnic, multi- generational church. She is an ordained minister with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) since 2001 and has served in vocational Christian ministry for over 20 years. Hailey has served as a Children’s and Family Ministries Pastor and Church Ministries Pastor in local church contexts, as a missionary overseas and has been involved in leadership development in 43 countries. She holds a Bachelor of Theology degree, with a minor in Cross-Cultural Studies, a certificate of Messianic Studies and a Masters in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. Recently, she was appointed the Interim Director of Sub-Arctic Leadership Training (SALT) College.
Donna Buice is a bi-vocational leader, working with senior leadership teams in both the local church and the marketplace. For six years, she has served as an elder at California Community Church in suburban Los Angeles. Presently she is serving as the Executive Pastor. Donna is dedicated to equipping gifted Christian women to fulfill their God-given role and calling in the Great Commission in whatever context God has placed them. She is also the Vice President of a growing design firm she co-founded in 2002 and a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master’s in Global Leadership. As a church leader Donna has served as a teacher, children’s ministry director, and mission and compassion’s director. Donna is a trained educator and has more than 30 years of leadership experience in the local church.
L.E. Anderson is a Senior Area Director for an international organization focusing on the unreached, oppressed, and marginalized. L.E. Anderson has a MA in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary and she received her BS in General Ministry from Central Christian College of Kansas. She has worked within various traditions and this has given her a unique perspective of working in both egalitarian and complementarian settings. L.E. is modeling womanhood to her two young daughters as she and her husband partner together in ministry and vocation.
LaShelle Shields Johnson is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She is an ordained minister who after 40 years in music ministry currently facilitates women’s workshops with the goal to encourage and empower women through transformational education. Her passion is to develop emerging leaders, transform communities and to promote peace and reconciliation. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Anderson, University, a Masters of Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is presently working on a Doctorate of Missiology at Fuller. She is married to her husband, Donald. Together they have eight beautiful children, and one grandson.
Tim Kleier has served in various ministry capacities, including missions work, member care and professional development for overseas workers, oversight of church small group leaders and membership on a church senior leadership team, and creation of people systems and technology solutions for a nonprofit ministry. He recently completed an MA in Global Leadership through Fuller Theological Seminary, a journey that, alongside his work in ministry, uncovered a passion to cultivate godly, gender-balanced leadership structures in churches and organizations. Tim lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife and four children.
Anna Pavey is a Vice President for One Collective, a global nonprofit that works in oppressed communities around the world. It is her passion to see women achieve the full potential God gave them, leaning significantly into her own journey as a woman leader. Anna holds a BA and MA in linguistics from the University of Grenoble, France and a MA of Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. Anna and her family live in Colorado. She loves spending time outdoors, especially trail running and cycling.
Dr. Eileen B. Suico is a Marketing Technologist at Microsoft. She also teaches as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Fuller Theological Seminary’s Masters of Arts in Global Leadership program in one or two courses a year. She earned her doctorate in Intercultural Studies in 2014 and graduated with Masters of Arts in Global Leadership in 2009 from Fuller’s School of Intercultural Studies. Eileen is the founder of With Community Church and a scholarship foundation called Girls for College. She also serves as Board Member for Parish Collective and Puentes. She is one of the contributors to Ryan Bolger’s, The Gospel After Christendom published on 2012.
Endorsements:
I am convinced that until we activate the spiritual capacities and leadership of the women in our various churches and organizations, we will never be able to demonstrate the transformation that the gospel itself promises. That the equal kingdom agency of women is even an argument in most evangelical churches is to our utter shame. It is high time to change. This book is an excellent contribution by young leaders who graciously and lovingly point us towards a church where everyone has a significant part to play.
~Alan Hirsch, award winning thought leader on church leadership and organization (www.alanhirsch.org)
For those who believe the issue of women’s contribution to church leadership has been settled, and are just wanting some clear direction on how to implement and maintain greater gender balance in the leadership of their churches, this book will be invaluable. Over and above the well-meaning rhetoric, what practical steps can be implemented to ensure our churches reflect God’s vision of a new society of the redeemed in which all voices, both male and female, can be heard and can help shape the future direction of the mission of God’s people? I can’t wait to read it.
~Michael Frost, Professor at Morling College, Sydney Australia. Leading voice in the Missional Church Movement and frequent speaker at international conferences. An expert in church planting and the author of The Road to Missional, Incarnate, and Surprise the World
Unfortunately, the question of whether or not women and men can lead together with equality and mutuality in the body of Christ is still a front-burner issue in the church today. As the authors and collaborators of this work point out, women are still underrepresented in senior levels of leadership which means that the kingdom of God is robbed of half of the solution for the missional task at hand. In response to this reality, they cast a compelling vision for gender-balanced leadership structures in churches and organizations by offering real-life stories and case studies that illustrate how this is already being done today. I am grateful for ANY and ALL efforts to keep this issue at the forefront of leadership conversations and to present practical strategies for moving forward.
~Ruth Haley Barton, founding president and chief essence office, Transforming Center, and author of Equal to the Task and Life Together in Christ
In the 12+ years that I have served as a full-time ministry leader I have been fortunate to see progress for women in leadership, however that progress has been slow and laborious. The Church (big “C”) is still fumbling in our efforts to engage women in leadership roles. I fear a generation of young women will simply walk away because they don’t see opportunities to use their gifts for the benefit of others and the glory of God. This is why I am so grateful for the work and leadership of this team of male and female writers and researchers and all they have done to bring more awareness to the subject. I trust their insights, research and stories will encourage, equip and challenge you to continue to take an active role in empowering women to lead well.
~Jenni Catron, Leadership Coach and Author of The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership
There has been much debate about women in leadership in recent years, but in my work as a women’s advocate I find that most Christian leaders have had their questions satisfied and are committed to developing more gender-balanced structures and teams. One thing missing in this discussion has been examples of best practices. This book fills that gap, offering compelling stories of how churches and other organizations are developing healthy partnerships between women and men, and sharing strategies for achieving a level of gender parity that more accurately reflects kingdom values. What a welcome resource!
~Gail Wallace, Ph.D., Co-Founder, The Junia Project
The stained glass ceiling may be broken, but much work remains for Christian organizations and churches to benefit from the full partnership of men and women in leadership. This collection of articles gives a progress report from a variety of perspectives and situations. Contributors—both male and female—include valuable recommendations for moving forward. Clearly, what’s at stake is not simply opportunities for women, but the health and flourishing of the whole body of Christ. When women bring their leadership gifts, wisdom, and energies to the mission Jesus has entrusted to his people, the whole church benefits—including their brothers.
~Carolyn Custis James, author of Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women and Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World