Women Serving God

Does God invite women to fully participate in all the assemblies of God?Among churches of Christ, the voices of women are typically silent and excluded from visible leadership in assemblies gathered for prayer and praise. In this book, John Mark Hicks tells the story of his own journey to understand how women have served God throughout the unfolding drama of Scripture. John Mark describes his movement from the exclusion of the voices of women and their leadership in the assembly to a limited inclusion, and finally to the full inclusion of those voices and their leadership. Along the way, he describes some of the history of churches of Christ as well as his own story but ultimately focuses on the meaning of biblical texts and how they support the full participation of women in the assemblies of God.Three women, Claire Davidson Frederick, Jantrice Johnson, and Lauren Smelser White, respond to and extend John Mark's thoughts. Bethany Joy Moore also contributes an essay from the perspective a minister's daughter who is now pursuing a graduate degree in theology.John Mark is detailed, fair, and vulnerable about his own journey and our collective journey inChurches of Christ. I recommend John Mark as a trustworthy guide.-Dr. Sara G. Barton, University Chaplain, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CADo we believe that the Holy Spirit equally equips both women and men to carry out Jesus's message of reconciliation? Dr. Hicks is a trusted guide in navigating the depth of scripture and the complexity of our cultural moment. Drink deeply from this well!-Dr. Joshua Graves, Otter Creek Church, Brentwood, Tennessee.With characteristic depth, rigor, and generosity, Hicks offers his own journey toward embracing the inclusion of women's voices in the assembly. Hicks writes with a familiarity of Restoration Movement history that few can boast, with an accompanying dedication to searching the scriptures.- Amy McLaughlin-Sheasby, Instructor in the Department of Bible, Missions, and Ministry, Abilene Christian University.This book is a gift to twenty-first century Churches of Christ. Part autobiography, part history, part exegesis, and part biblical theology, Hicks's exploration of the Bible's teachings on the role of women in congregational gatherings offers several invaluable components.-Dr. James L. Gorman, Associate Professor of History, Johnson University.John Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. He has taught for thirty-nine years in schools associated with churches of Christ. He has authored or co-authored eighteen books, lectured in twenty-two countries and forty states, and is married to Jennifer. They share five living children and six grandchildren.

The Bible is clear that women as well as men are created in God's image and intended to serve him with their lives. But what does this look like for women in the church? Helping church leaders think through what a Bible-centered women’s ministry looks like, this collection of essays by respected Bible teachers and authors such as Gloria Furman, Nancy Guthrie, and Susan Hunt addresses a variety of topics relevant to women. Whether exploring the importance of intergenerational relationships, the Bible’s teaching on sexuality, or women’s roles in the church and the home, this book of wise teaching and practical instruction will become a must-have resource for anyone interested in bolstering the health and vitality of Christian women in the context of the local church.

MOVING FROM A "BLUEPRINT HERMENEUTIC" TO A THEOLOGICAL ONE In this book, John Mark Hicks tells the story of his own hermeneutical journey in reading the Bible. Lovingly and graciously, he describes his transition from a "blueprint hermeneutic" to a theological one. Some suggest that moving away from a patternistic command-example-and-necessary-inference approach for understanding what God requires leaves no other alternative, or at least none that both respects biblical authority and seeks to obey the gospel of Jesus the Messiah. In Searching for the Pattern, John Mark offers just such an alternative. His theological hermeneutic is deeply rooted in the way the Bible presents itself as a dramatic history of God's plan to redeem the world as well as his own experience of growing up among Churches of Christ. Seeing the gospel of Jesus as the center of the biblical drama reorients us to what provides our Christian identity and unites us as disciples of Jesus. ********** I pray this book is received with open hearts and open minds because I believe this work could go a long way in helping to bring unity to our fractured fellowship. --Wes McAdams, Preaching Minister for the church of Christ on McDermott Road, Plano, Texas This excellent book helps us understand the inner workings of Bible interpretation among Churches of Christ and provides a persuasive proposal for Bible interpretation that is built on the story of God we find in Scripture--a story into which God calls us. --James L. Gorman, Associate Professor of History, Johnson University Knoxville, Tennessee Finally, a trellis across the chasm! Throughout this book, Hicks does not compromise his high regard for both the church and the Scriptures; and through the grace found therein, he composes this urgent invitation back to the Table, where obedience cooperates with mystery, and we--estranged or conflicted--can find our place as one within God's magnificent story. --Tiffany Mangan Dahlman, Minister at Courtyard Church of Christ, Fayetteville, North Carolina John Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught for thirty-eight years in schools associated with the Churches of Christ. He has published fifteen books and lectured in twenty countries and forty states and is married to Jennifer. They share six children and six grandchildren.

The subject of women in the church is both important and controversial—John MacArthur is not afraid of either. In this revised work, MacArthur examines what the Bible teaches in I Timothy 2:9-15. He discusses topics ranging from the attitude and appearance of women to their role in and contribution to the church. God’s High Calling for Women can be used alongside or apart from the audio series available from Grace to You in either a personal or group study. Unique features: -Corresponds with the audio message series available from Grace to You -Features revised content and study questions -For personal or group study use

Christianity Today 2020 Book of the Year Award, Missions/Global Church Women have advanced God's mission throughout history and around the world. But women often face particular obstacles in ministry. What do we need to know about how women thrive? Mission researcher Mary Lederleitner interviewed and surveyed ninety-five respected women in mission leadership from thirty countries to gather their insights, expertise, and best practices. She unveils how women serve in distinctive ways and identifies key traits of faithful connected leaders. When women face opposition based on their gender, they employ various strategies to carry on with resilience and hope. Real-life stories and case studies shed light on dynamics that inhibit women and also give testimony to God's grace and empowerment in the midst of challenges. Women and men will find resources here for partnering together in effective ministry and mission. Organizations can help women flourish through advocacy, mentoring, and addressing structural issues. Wherever God has invited you to serve and lead, discover that you are not alone as you answer the call.

Is God sexist? What does the Bible really say about women? Is there a way to see its message not only as something to be believed, but something to be enjoyed? This warm, conversational book asks the hard questions that so many of us wrestle with (whether out loud or deep down). Join Kathleen Nielson in her search for honest answers, and discover the surprisingly beautiful truth of what God says about women. -- From back of book

A GROUP STUDY GUIDE FOR SEARCHING FOR THE PATTERN BY JOHN MARK HICKS Searching for the Pattern describes John Mark Hicks's journey from reading the Bible through the lens of a blueprint hermeneutic to reading the Bible with a theological hermeneutic. This book provides a guide for studying and discussing John Mark's book in a Bible class, small group, or another group setting. There are eight lessons (easily expandable to twelve), each one including a key biblical text, a focus for the lesson, a teaching outline, discussion questions, and handouts for the class. This guide is designed for Bible class teachers and small group leaders to use as a way to facilitate discussion of the key ideas and biblical texts that mark the difference between a blueprint and a theological way of reading the Bible. Leaders will need to read Searching for the Pattern and use its presentation of the material to ground the discussion. John Mark Hicks is Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught for thirty-eight years in schools associated with the Churches of Christ. He has published sixteen books and lectured in twenty countries and forty states. He is married to Jennifer, and they share six children and six grandchildren.

In the decades after World War II, evangelical Christianity nourished America’s devotion to free markets, free trade, and free enterprise. The history of Wal-Mart uncovers a complex network that united Sun Belt entrepreneurs, evangelical employees, Christian business students, overseas missionaries, and free-market activists. Through the stories of people linked by the world’s largest corporation, Bethany Moreton shows how a Christian service ethos powered capitalism at home and abroad. While industrial America was built by and for the urban North, rural Southerners comprised much of the labor, management, and consumers in the postwar service sector that raised the Sun Belt to national influence. These newcomers to the economic stage put down the plough to take up the bar-code scanner without ever passing through the assembly line. Industrial culture had been urban, modernist, sometimes radical, often Catholic and Jewish, and self-consciously international. Post-industrial culture, in contrast, spoke of Jesus with a drawl and of unions with a sneer, sang about Momma and the flag, and preached salvation in this world and the next. This extraordinary biography of Wal-Mart’s world shows how a Christian pro-business movement grew from the bottom up as well as the top down, bolstering an economic vision that sanctifies corporate globalization. The author has assigned her royalties and subsidiary earnings to Interfaith Worker Justice (www.iwj.org) and its local affiliate in Athens, GA, the Economic Justice Coalition (www.econjustice.org).