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What to Expect When Contacting District Leadership:

Perspectives from Assemblies of God Leaders

Womeninministry.ag.org thought it would be helpful for our site readers to hear the perspective of some Assemblies of God district leaders regarding women in ministry and the credentialing process. The following excerpts are from an intriguing roundtable discussion with several great proponents of women in ministry.

WIM: Each of you has provided affirmation and opportunity to women in ministry. Could you each give us some insight as to why you’re an affirmer and encourager of women becoming credentialed and involved in ministry?

Crabtree:We encourage women to become credentialed if they are involved in ministry for many obvious reasons. If a church board hears their pastor talk of adding staff, and when resumes come in, having credentials will be important. They might look at women applicants more equally with credentials. Credentialing is not an absolute, but it’s an advantage for you and the church as well. Secondly, we encourage the wives of ministers to be credentialed. In many cases, they have a ministry, but often not highly visible ones because they do not have positions. We recognize the support they offer their husbands in counseling and in other roles. This can be critical in counseling because there are some situations where they are better suited than their husbands.

St. John: Women should have credentials for the same reason men should — a desire to be used by the Fellowship. We have 12 female copastors and senior pastors in our district with many women ministers on staff at our local churches.

Raburn: Credentials give your ministry a firmer credibility. I have found that opportunity has come to women in our district who have given their entire life to service.

Detrick:We’re proposing new bylaws for our district, including adding specific representatives from ethnic ministries and women minister representatives to our presbytery. Currently there are no women on our presbytery. In doing a focus group with several women to see how they would respond, they seemed to welcome the possibility. In our districts, and in most districts, ordination is required to serve in any official capacity. To broaden the field a little bit, we’re encouraging women to also be ordained. Actually, last year and in this coming year, we will have as many women being ordained as men. This is encouraging.

I try to communicate openness to pulpit committees when coaching them through the selection process of a lead pastor. Obviously, I think since the median age of our ministers is getting higher, and fewer young males are interested in going to smaller, rural churches, there will be more opportunities for women to be considered for senior pastor positions. Often, pulpit committees have never considered that possibility.

WIM: What are some things women can expect when contacting a district for credentialing, and how would you coach them to be prepared?

St. John:In our district, all applicants receive a packet to complete in starting the process. We are sure to treat women the same as men when applying.

Crabtree: Ohio is now having retreats on a quarterly basis, offering a learning center for applicants — a place where connections are made for both men and women. We try to encourage new applicants on an individual basis, helping them to feel comfortable in getting their reference letters in, and then if needed, coaching them through the interview process.

Raburn: I would say we offer an even-playing field for women. As with all phases of ministry, you must be willing to go through the process comfortably.

Detrick: From my observation, the climate is a little different in each district, particularly along some geographic lines. We have done sensitivity training for our presbyters and sectional committees, helping them to understand the way they might come across, particularly when there is a group of middle or older-aged men interviewing a woman. There are different perspectives these men are not aware of or take into consideration. We try to help them see things from a woman’s perspective. In our own office, the three initial contacts that work with applicants are all credentialed women ministers themselves. It is helpful when the first contact is a woman who has been through the same process. We always try to recognize that since 1914, the Assemblies has had women credentialed in ministry. We want to keep moving along that direction.

WIM: How would you advise women when they find it is not as easy to follow through on the process? How can they best approach it to make it a positive experience?

Crabtree: Women, especially in these situations, should remember that they’ve been called by God. We ask that of all applicants. An academic degree is not the requirement for credentialing — being called by God is. Knowing that God calls them helps them stand before a committee with confidence. It was my desire to have this be a positive, encouraging experience.

Detrick: I’ve watched a group of students from the Northwest, and I think that a number of the male students were able to find ministry employment easier, even without credentials, than some of the females. That brings to the surface certain feelings for young female ministers looking for a position, particularly if they are already credentialed and their male peers aren’t. This situation can cause them to wonder. It is our role to affirm their calling and continually remind them of God’s sovereignty and His ability to open doors for ministry based on the depth of their commitment, experience, gifting, and relationship with Him. On their part, there must be perseverance in knocking on those doors.

Being a female isn’t an automatic barrier, though. In talking with some of those young male students, I found they often felt the same way. Both men and women deal with self-esteem issues, often associating ministry success or position with their own self worth. If a well-qualified woman is unable to find a position in a church, I believe it affects her feelings of worth. This also applies to women who take low-profile positions or feel relegated to women’s ministries alone. Encouragement needs to be given to continue in their pursuit, and to avoid adopting an aggressive or ‘fight for my rights’ posture. They must continue trusting God. They must allow those experiences to deepen their relationship with the Lord, believing that He will ultimately open the right doors.

WIM: We’ve talked a lot about pastoring and more established positions in ministry. Are you seeing God use women for the more cutting-edge, creative areas of ministry?

Detrick: What women can do in the 21st century might look different from what they were doing in the 20th century. This may have included positions of children’s ministry, worship, women’s ministry, Christian education, or those things described as “softer” ministry positions. As I have dialogued about this with a number of people, we have found that one of the things churches and pastors are searching for are people who have a gifting in nurturing new believers. If we are truly open to seekers, and to helping them cross the line of faith to become followers of Christ, then most pastors wonder how to help people become fully committed, Spirit-filled followers of Christ. It seems to me that women are natural nurturers in many respects, and we need to help them envision ministry as a place for connection to people and relationships. Rather than saying, “I don’t qualify for a traditional staff position,” try innovatively writing your own idea about how this church or particular ministry could do outreach or discipleship better, or how to best help grow people and facilitate small groups. I think women are uniquely gifted for that, and we have many women in our district who are doing it in our most successful churches.

Another way is church planting. A lot of the women who were church planters in the early 20th century were single women. There are opportunities for mature women who have considerable church experience, but who have never considered being a senior pastor. There are many rural churches or smaller congregations that have been looking for a pastor for more than a year, but have not found anyone. I would encourage them to step outside the box, and go to one of those places, and make an impact on a small community and church with new and innovative ideas. There are opportunities, but they won’t come unless they knock on doors and let the Holy Spirit help them think creatively.

Crabtree: I think women should play a major role in connecting and assimilating. There are additional positions recognized as creative ministry with technology in the church. It’s not just the printing and developing of materials, but the creative development and production as well. Those fields are only going to grow. Small group ministry is a good place to use the gifts and abilities many women have.

WIM: On the topic of resumes, what do you look for that could help women know how to prepare?

Crabtree: The resume should reflect who and what a person is. It needs to be professional, void of typos, and accurate in its details. But beyond that, it is important to see what that person is about. Be as honest as possible, and if the resume reveals that an applicant is not right for the position, then that is a good thing for everyone involved.

St. John: In looking at a resume, I want to see what the person has done, and where they have succeeded so we can use their strengths. Everyone loves a winner. If you win, we want you. Create wins in your life, and most people will want you.

Raburn: Resumes — everyone has a good one! As district leaders or even as a senior pastor, we have learned to ask questions of those who have a working knowledge of the applicant and their ministry history. Has there been a long-term ministry commitment? Does the woman have a lifestyle of ministry, one that is flexible and willing to change if need be?

Detrick: I think all of that is true. It seems to me that in this day and age, the trend in resumes is in a professional presentation that has a limited amount of information. The secular model is quick and concise with teasers to draw you in.

In the Christian community, however, it might need to be reversed. More information is often better — not a 10 to 12-page resume, but a little more than a rundown of a person’s education, experience, and background. Pulpit committees and pastors who are hiring don’t have a lot of time, but they need concise, detailed information about you. I suggest having a Pod cast or message available to download. Even sending along a CD could be a positive thing.

Different ways of communicating or presenting yourself can help or hinder you. For example, if a woman was an associate pastor in a church and was doing music ministry or women’s ministry, she might put on her resume “women’s ministry pastor,” “worship pastor,” or “music pastor.” But these specifics can pigeonhole someone. It would be smarter to place on her resume, “I was an associate pastor in such-and-such. While my primary duties were in music, women’s, or children’s ministries, I also did all these other things. And I’m interested in being a teaching pastor, etc.” Try not to present yourself with such a narrow focus, actually limiting your possibilities. What you’ve done in the past often is preparation for what you will do in a future. But the future may not look at all like the past. It is always helpful to define yourself in such a way that the door for other possibilities is left open.

WIM: How do you view the future in terms of women in leadership in our movement?

St. John: I believe everyone should receive recognition for their work, no matter what gender they are. If a man or woman feels that there is no room for them in a particular area, that is the way it will be. If you are an energy-giver, then opportunities will open up for you.

Raburn: Every view must be seen through the eyes of the person living the experience. Men and women today are able to influence our generation, but only if we are willing to step out of our comfortable shoes. God has always had a people, and His call is without restriction. We have many women in leadership who serve well in district positions such as senior pastors, presbyters, senior adult pastors, chaplains, music ministers, and missionaries that serve all over the world. Many of these ministers are single women.

Crabtree: As a movement, we are opening up more to women in leadership positions. There is a certain amount of pride among those of us in leadership who have been around a while when we see women coming into leadership positions. In Ohio, we are definitely open to a woman being elected to the presbytery board. The Northwest District is doing a smart thing in bringing a woman on their presbytery board. We’ve had some discussion about that, but have never gone ahead with it. I’ve been in office for 21 years, and I’ve seen more women serving. I’ve seen women end up on church boards because there were no “qualified men” willing to serve. We don’t like to talk about that much, but that changed when people began to see women as capable in such a capacity. I think there’s an advantage to having women in leadership. It broadens our perception. Women are involved in the church, and outnumber men in most cases. There is an investment that has been made by women. There are also many professional women in secular fields, so why not use their abilities in the church setting?

Detrick: Organizationally, there are a number of things that probably could be and perhaps need to be changed in our movement as we adapt to the 21st century. There is a different climate, and there are many different ways of reaching people. I think allowing women to have a seat at the table in one way or another is a positive thing. This is something we are presently doing on a general presbytery level.

The way that we elect our officers nationally and locally in our districts is a bit of a sticky wicket, because it’s based on not necessarily a person’s qualifications — not to demean anyone who’s been elected in that manner, including Bob or myself. But we seem to have the idea that you have a blank slate, and you write whatever name comes to mind. We have thousands of Assemblies of God ministers who would qualify, so it’s a challenging thing. It ends up being recognition, people that other people can identify with. In our district, we’re actually proposing a more intentional process of selecting the executive officers, which would be a major change in terms of using a selection process and interview committees. It’s not complicated, but definitely a different way of doing business. We sense that we need different ways of getting the right people who are properly gifted and called of God, and have an opportunity to express their gifts and vision to rise in leadership.

As things change, and I think it will evolve one way or another in the 21st century, I believe we will have women in the executive offices at some point in time. I’m not sure there’s a fast track to that, but the opportunities are there, and it will take place at some point in time. I think there are those who would be pretty opposed to that. On the other hand, there are many who would welcome that change. I certainly hope it will happen.

WIM: Could you share any further comments or ideas that may help women who are getting ready to enter the credentialing process or who are new to ministry?

St. John: First, don’t look at yourself as a woman, but as a called person. Don’t expect to be treated any differently. Be positive when something good happens, and expect God to place you where He called you. Believe that the system is better than you think it is, and pretend that you’re not the underdog. Expect to win. Be patient with leaders who drag their feet. Consider the possibilities that they haven’t been down this road before.

Raburn: The 50-age group is normal among our Fellowship. We must ask ourselves the question, “Did we realize or want to handle these ministries 25 years ago?” Experience is not given to a novice. We all served before we were offered leadership roles. If we continue to offer opportunities to those standing in the ranks, then we will see ministry continue. If we will live it, they will too.

The credentialing process must be viewed with the hard questions concerning the heart of ministry. Who do you want to be? What are you willing to do? Where will the ministry require you to go? What will you give up or risk to see it come about? How will my ministry affect those that will follow after my example? Why will all this matter? And finally, can I do anything but what the Lord requires? Then you can walk with the women that began so long ago, simply living the Word and teaching His ways.

Crabtree: I think a good positive attitude and a high level of reason that comes out of a true calling is where the future for women in ministry is.

Detrick: I think maybe the word “perseverance.” And commitment to the call, and knocking on doors until God opens the right one.

WIM: All of you are wonderful leader models and great encouragers for women in ministry. Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts with us!

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