We had a YOU Lead  women’s training even in Tacoma, WA recently and one of our local workshop leaders was Angela Craig. She is our guest writer today and I know this message will make you stop and think about how you are doing ministry. Thanks, Angela, for inspiring us today!

Recently, I attended a Spin class at my gym. If you have never taken a Spin class before, I would describe it as an energetic outdoor cycling experience that happens on a stationary bike inside your local gym with a motivated instructor and driving music that keeps you geared up as you climb hills, sprint flat terrains, push through head winds, and team race during anaerobic intervals. Although this class is advertised for “all fitness” levels, I would say that the classes I have taken have an air of competition and your success level is based on the puddle of sweat accumulated on the floor below your pedals.

During the class I recently attended, my handle bars became wobbly. Wobbly handle bars are a relatively normal circumstance on a Spin bike since the handle bars are adjustable. So I simply reached down to tighten the knob that adjusts the hand bar height and tightness. I turned the knob to the right about ten times. Nothing happened. I turned the knob to the right some more. Something happened. The handle bars became looser. I thought to myself, “Angela, you must be turning the wrong direction.” I turned it the other direction, but quicker this time since the handle bars were now coming off in my hands and the situation was becoming noticeable to the rest of the class. Of course I had chosen a bike in the front row near the center of the room. Since this attempt failed, I moved my towel from blocking the view of my hand and the knob so I could see if my work was actually accomplishing anything; maybe the screw was stripped. Sweat was now dripping from my forehead, more from nervousness than from exercise. Then, from my right, I heard a voice say, “Turning the knob is not going to help anything.  It is obviously broken.” With that statement said, the handle bars came off in my hands and I silently stopped, got off my bike, put the handle bars on the floor, and moved to another available and working bike.

What struck me as a leader about this experience is that sometimes we keep doing the same things all along expecting different results. But because we are on the front row, we don’t change direction, stop what is not working, ask for help, utilize other’s gifts and ideas, or get off the bike when it is obvious to everyone around us that the handlebars are falling off. Jesus said, “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17 NIV)

So often, we are pouring energy into ministries that have burst and the vitality has run dry. Or worse yet, the ministries are alive but we are the old wineskins that need to be replaced with new wineskins before the ministry dies. I am saying this for the benefit of God’s Kingdom, but more so, I am saying it because God wants to do something new in your life.

When I consider the words of Jesus in John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”, I am personally challenged by the question, “how many moments of my ministry are filled with life?” Jesus describes this as a life where you are truly experiencing the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, not just going through the motions of programs and events. If you are not personally experiencing Jesus in your life and ministry than chances are, neither are the people that are participating.

Spend some time reflecting on Matthew 9:16-17 and Isaiah 42:9. What is God speaking to you through these Scriptures? Is He asking you to adjust your handle bars or is He asking you to get off the bike?

Angela is a wife, a mom, a friend.  She serves as the Team Leader for the Northwest Ministry Network and is Minister to Women at Church on the Ridge. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry Leadership from Northwest University. As a Gallup Strengths Coach, she is passionate about helping people discover not only whose they are, but who they are. Nothing excites her more than teaching the Word of God and seeing it come alive as a fresh, vibrant inspiration for people to live out their God-potential in their daily lives. Angela has an amazingly supportive husband, Mark, and two boys who keep her life fun and real.

Helpful Resources:

Women Reaching Women
Transformed Lives

This post is part 5 of a series of women's ministry questions. Click here to read older posts.

Recently at a YOU Lead women’s leadership training,  we had a panel answering questions submitted by attendees. Several past and upcoming posts will address those and try to help answer them. 

Today’s question is: When do you trust those who have betrayed you in ministry?

How many of you have faced that? I have. It is such a difficult part of leadership. Shakes your faith in your fellow team members and hurts your heart.

A lot depends on the kind of betrayal involved. If it’s a moral issue, my question would be: how did they respond when confronted? If they were defensive and excuse the behavior that tells me one thing (that they are sorry they got caught!). If they are broken and truly repentant, that will tell me something else.

If they are not repentant, the only course of action is to ask them to step down from the position. If they are repentant, then they need help, possibly counseling by a professional. But there should also be a plan in place for walking them through the restoration process. That takes time. Restoring them immediately to their position is not usually wise. It might be best to release them from leadership for a period of time, with follow up to check up on where they are in their restoration process before returning them to a leadership position.

 We are told in Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.” Now if others are to imitate the faith of the leader, then we must be held to a high standard of integrity and honesty. Do we want them to follow us as we are engaged in immorality and lies? Certainly not. If a leader is struggling in this area, they need help and love but they do not need to be leading and teaching others, at least for the time being. 

We are also told in James 3:1 that teachers will receive a “stricter judgment”.  This passage is addressing the tongue and being an untrained teacher who is teaching false doctrine out of ignorance.  But it certainly seems to apply to all teachers being held to a high standard.

We must pray with and for those who betray us in ministry. We must walk with them through a restoration process, and as they follow Christ obediently they certainly will be leaders God can use in ministry, maybe even more so as they have experienced falling and being forgiven.

If they are not willing to walk the road of restoration with you or another church leader, it indicates they are not ready to be in a leadership position with your women. Find other ways they can serve as they journey forward into healing and spiritual growth. Don’t leave them even if they choose not to be restored. Love them and pray for them. Let them know you care and that you are a resource should they choose help.

Sometimes leadership is just a hard job! But not confronting sin and betrayal will not benefit the ministry to women in your church. 

How have you dealt with this tough issue?

Watch for future Q/A posts!

Resources:

Women Reaching Women

Transformed Lives

At a recent LifeWay Women Live webcast (register for LiveWay Women Live web casts here) one question that came up a couple of times is how to put together a referral list to have handy as you deal with women in crisis.

I found this web article from several years ago that I believe will be helpful written by former LifeWay employee Barney Self, Ed. D. I believe this answers that question well.

Every minister needs to have a network of competent Christian professional counselors who can serve as referral sources. The most obvious place to begin the quest for those resources is in your own church.

1. Make a list of doctors, therapists, and counselors in your church.
Your church may already have a list that has been compiled over the years. Even if you don't refer individuals directly to these professionals, you can still look to them as resources for finding other professionals who are both competent in their specialty and focused on a vital relationship with God.

2. Use other churches' lists of referrals.
Healthy, evangelistic, biblically based churches in your area will likely have lists of care providers. These can also be researched and added to your network of trusted caregivers.

3. Utilize Christian organizations.
In metropolitan areas, groups of physicians and therapists may form organizations like Christian Medical Fellowship or Christian Counselors Fellowship. These groups may provide invaluable assistance in networking with godly caregivers.

4. Connect with the local Baptist association.
Whether your church is Southern Baptist or not, the local Baptist association is a potential resource for information, networking and referral. The Directors of Missions in these offices have often been in a given area for extended periods of time and know a number of the caregivers personally. You can search for your local Baptist association by choosing your state and then viewing the list of associations here: Search State Conventions and Local Associations on SBC.net

5. Ask state minister relations personnel.
Most states have a person designated as a caregiver for the ministry body. Many of these persons have developed trusted lists of caregivers in each area of their state(s) and may be willing to share that information upon request.

6. Seek information from various national organizations*.
·    The American Association of Christian Counselors: www.aacc.net
·    The American Association of Pastoral Counselors: www.aapc.org
·    Focus on the Family: www.family.org
There are various groups of Christian physicians that can also be found on the Internet, such as the Christian Medical and Dental Association. You can use a Web search to find many organizations.

7. Determine if other groups in your area are striving to provide similar resources for those in need.
Connecting with others committed to assisting those in need and utilizing their understanding can create a win-win scenario of shared information.
By looking into your own church, community, and region, you are equipping yourself with a personal network of people to whom persons in your area can turn for professional help with a Christ-like approach.
 
*Any time lists are utilized from sources other than personal recommendation the trust level for those referrals needs to be in question. That does not mean no one is to be trusted. Instead, it means that trust is an earned commodity.

In this light several questions need to be asked to better understand the caregiver and his/her ability to be trusted.

1.    First, the caregiver's scope of practice needs to be determined. Caregivers need to offer care only in treating those maladies they have been trained to treat. This also means that they need to have experience in doing so.

2.    Second, the theology of the caregiver needs to be better understood. How do they integrate their belief into their treatment process? Are biblical reference points used? Is there a willingness to pray with and for their patients/clients? Answering these questions can aid in building a trust relationship with a caregiver.

Barney Self , Ed. D., is a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Resources:

Women Reaching Women In Crisis (pdf or print)

Transformed Lives

Shepherding Hurting Women by Bev Hislop

Links to other articles dealing with Hurting Women

Spring always truly puts a “spring” back in my step. I am not a fan of cold weather at all and, even though the snow is beautiful, I am happy in 70-80 degree weather year round. So, the flower and warmer weather this time of year perk up my spirits and my physical well being. Sometimes I just stand in the first few warm days of sunshine and turn my face toward the warmth, basking in the feeling of healing.

And when I think of what Easter means to follower of Christ, that “spring” is even higher! Think where we would be if Christ had not come, had not died, had not risen. (Matt. 27-28, , Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24, John 19-21)  No hope, no future, no peace, no “spring”.

What did He give us as His followers to do? Go and tell. We have a story worth telling. Enjoy time with family and other Christians, and watch for opportunities to share that “He is risen! He is risen indeed!”

This post is part 5 of a series of women's ministry questions. Click here to read older posts.

Recently at a YOU Lead women’s leadership training,  we had a panel answering questions submitted by attendees. Several past and upcoming posts will address those and try to help answer them. 

Today’s question is: If God is leading you into doing full-time ministry, what advice would you give for receiving further education?

Great question!  There are so many more opportunities today than ever before to be formally trained as a women’s ministry leader.  Many seminaries offer this  training at various levels:  certificate, advanced certificate, bachelor’s , master’s and even doctorates with a focus on women’s ministry. 

You can see information on programs offered through Southern Baptist Seminaries here. Some of the classes are offered as self-study and on line making them very do-able! I am also aware that Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon has a wonderful women's program as well.  Some Christian colleges offer women’s ministries programs as well such as Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The main thing is to make sure you are busy leading and serving even as you study. I believe God gives us opportunities to lead prior to and during time of formal education. He doesn’t wait till we are trained and perhaps what He is doing is asking how we do in those small assignments on a local bases before opening other doors.

Also keep in mind, once you graducate, there is not necessarily a paid full tijme position just waiting for you. Be willing to be patient with the process, learning from each experience He moves you into along the way. These are ALL educational learning processes.

In addition to this, there are various other training opportunities. LifeWay offers YOU Lead training for women’s ministry leaders and the annual Women’s Leadership Forum. This blog is available to help you learn as you lead. Leadership books such as those you see at the end of this post, can be studied, then taught to your teams.

The funny thing is sometimes He moves us into places we feel totally unprepared for educationally, and if He does, you must be faithful. When the call came to me to move to Nashville and serve in women’s ministry at LifeWay (then the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention), my first response was, I do not have the education for that. In fact back then, there were no seminaries offering women’s ministry training, and very few other places to receive any kind of training in this field because it was so new. I believe you cannot discount real personal experience in a field alongside the more formal training opportunities as ways God prepares us to serve Him.

Since none of us has all the answers, we need to hear from you! What kind of training has been helpful to you? Comment below.

Watch for future Q/A posts!

Women Reaching Women
Transformed Lives
Women Reaching Women in Crisis
Woman to Woman Mentoring
 

Guest blogger Cindy Dykes is the senior pastor’s wife at my former church Green Acres Baptist in Tyler, Texas. I love her honest and transparent way she lives her “life in a fishbowl”. I am sure this will help you if you are the wife of a minister.

In every war, each side has its top scientists working on secret weapons. During World War II, Germany, Japan, the United States and other countries were continually producing secret arms to use against each other. It was a race to see who could come up with something to confuse and defeat their foe. If you could surprise the enemy you had a chance to get the upper hand in the war.

As ministers’ wives we often feel we are in a state of war, but it is within our own church. I have come to realize that, even though the battlefront is worldwide, I can only handle what is happening around me. Over the past 32 years as a staff wife, I have learned to use 3 secret weapons to get the upper hand in my small part of the ministry.

1. Use your words to voice only positive things about your church.

It has always amazed me how many pastors, church staff, and wives use negative language when speaking about their church. As a young minister’s wife, it did not take very many Southern Baptist Conventions for me to recognize the damaging words that were coming from those God had called to serve. My husband and I quickly decided that no matter where we were or with whom we were talking, we would only say good things about our church home. Being positive not only helped us, but it helped others to have a high opinion of our family. Sometimes the only picture others get of our church is from us, and I want others to love my church as much as I do.

2. Use your home to entertain your church family.

I realized very quickly that everyone in my church wanted to see the preacher’s house. It does not matter whether or not your home is full of fine furniture or decorated with the latest colors and objects. What matters is the warmth you show when you open your front door to your church. When we were in smaller churches, we always had an open house each year for the entire church to come and visit us. When we moved to larger churches, we invited different groups to our home such as the deacons or singles for open house or dinner.  It was exhausting but worth every minute we spent cleaning and cooking. People love to be in their pastor’s home. It makes them feel closer to the minister and the ministry.

3. Use your writing skills to send handwritten thank you notes.

If you don’t learn anything else from this article, take this one to heart. This is the most valuable advice I give to young staff wives. If you want to endear yourself to your church members, you will send thank you notes constantly.  Gifts, a kindness to your children, dinner at someone’s home, being taken to lunch are just a few of the things that deserve a thank you note. To sit down and send a personal thank you shows you care enough to go the extra mile. Emails, phone calls and words don’t have the same effect. Take the time, make the effort, and you will be rewarded.

Think how different our world would be today if history were changed. The use of a single secret weapon gave great power and direction to the Allies. I don’t know any minister’s wife who would not like to have an advantage and more tools that would benefit her ministry. Perhaps using these 3 simple but powerful secret weapons can help you be more effective.

Do you have any  "secret weapons" that you use? Share them with us below!

Resources:

In Our Shoes- Rachel Lovingood and Jennifer Landrith

Handbook for Minister's Wives-Dorothy Kelley Patterson

I know you ministers’ wives will be blessed by these thoughts from Grace Clausing.  She gives some very practical help as you journey in ministry.

"An unsung hero—that’s what you could call a minister’s wife. Rarely do church members comprehend how much the pastor’s spouse endures and gives up for her husband’s job. The calling is tough, and many feel alone and judged by their congregation.
Who better understands the plight of a minister’s wife than a fellow clergy spouse? Take a look at some advice that pastor’s wives have offered to encourage and inspire others.

Facing Expectations
It’s easy for wives to fall into the trap of feeling that they must meet and exceed certain expectations from church members. Amy Goen’s husband, Kyle, has been in the ministry for 17 years. He serves as the executive pastor at First Baptist Church in Smyrna, Tennessee. Dealing with church expectations, Goen encourages wives to be themselves. “Early on in ministry, I had some great mentors who encouraged me to just be who I was and not try to conform to someone’s expectations. Focus on what God expects,” Goen says. Don’t be afraid to show the real you to the congregation, complete with flaws. It shows that you’re human and someone they can relate to.

Supporting Your Husband
Franklin Graham witnessed incredible spousal support between his parents, Billy and Ruth Graham. “My father would not be who he is today if it wasn’t for my mother,” he often tells people. It’s important to keep your home a safe haven for your shepherding husband. He needs a place where he can rest and rejuvenate, even if he is always “on call” for the church. Beverly Hild’s husband is the lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Sarasota, Florida. They have been married for 28 years and Hild has discovered the importance of being a supportive wife for her husband. “I’ve learned that my husband does not need me to play the devil’s advocate in difficult situations; he has enough of those. I try not to give him advice unless he asks for it. He needs me to listen to him and trust his judgment.”

Raising a Family in Front of the Congregation
Having the church body analyze your parenting skills can be more than a little taxing. Just remember that the church hired your husband to pastor them, they didn’t hire him so they could critique your mothering abilities. Leighann McCoy is raising three children in front of her husband’s congregation in Thompson’s Station, Tennessee. “My children were entrusted to me, and I refuse to let the church think they are responsible for them. My primary job is to protect them from having to be ‘ideal’ simply because they had the fortune or misfortune of being born into our lives.” Your children are yours, not the congregation’s. It is your responsibility as their mother to raise them in a godly environment, simple as that.

Taking a Breather
Raising four children and working as the senior vice president at the Urban Alternative in Dallas, Texas, wore Lois Evans out. Getting time to talk to her pastoring husband, Tony, was sometimes a challenge. She eventually found a free moment with him and told him she needed a break. “I have to get away and get refreshed,” she told him. She encourages wives to tell their husbands when they need some down time. “We ministry spouses often pout when times grow hectic. We hope our mates see how exhausted we are and suggest that we take a breather. Yet we often don’t come right out and say, ‘That’s it. I’ve had enough, and I’m taking a break.’" Let your husband know when you’ve hit a wall. Don’t expect him to read your mind. Everyone needs a break from time to time, including you.

Being a pastor’s wife can be draining on you, your family, and your marriage. Take proper care of the responsibilities that God entrusted you with as a pastor’s spouse. Remember, above all else, be yourself! Don’t let stereotypes of what a pastor’s wife is “supposed” to be hinder who you really are. Be genuine and your congregation will appreciate your honesty. It takes a special person to be in the role that you are in, but it can also be an enormous blessing."

Resources:

In Our Shoes- Rachel Lovingood and Jennifer Landrith

Handbook for Minister's Wives-Dorothy Kelley Patterson

 

None of us just loves to be criticized. In fact, if you are like me, you shy away from it if possible. But what if God could use that to refine us and make us better leaders? And what if how we react to criticism could even influence those we lead and serve with?

One day in my office, I received a harsh criticism and I can’t even remember now what it was about. But I knew it was hard for me to take. Someone was in my office when I received the news, perhaps one of our women’s summer interns, and the first thing I said is," I wonder what we can learn from this." The intern was shocked because she felt it was unwarranted criticism. Now, it wasn’t me responding that way, but God through me. And because I listened to Him, I was able to model for a younger  woman a godly response. I know it could only be God because that is not my normal response to this kind of confrontation.

Recently a very unhappy customer sent a harsh email to our offices accusing us of deliberately advertising falsely. Knowing that would never be the case from our team, I started to type (or rather pound out) the response back to her. Instead I waited for a while, prayed it through and responded in kindness offering to do whatever she wanted regarding refund.  Later I got an apologetic email back saying she had overreacted. What if I had overreacted back? Then we would have made an enemy. Instead we made a friend for life. She attended the event in question and I got to personally meet and talk to her. Once again she apologized and I was able to share our heart’s desire to serve her as a leader and that we were very sorry for the confusion. 

LifeWay president, Dr. Thom Rainer, recently blogged on how to respond to criticism. I would encourage you to go here and read his wise suggestions for how to react when we face harsh comments from those we serve. Use this to train your leaders as well and you will also be able to make friends and followers out of opponents!

Your turn:  How do you respond to criticism?

Resources:

Transformed Lives
Loving Well, Beth Moore
Caring Enough to Confront, David Augsburger
Communication and Conflict Management in Churches and Christian Organizations,  Kenneth Gangel and Samuel Canine
Boundaries, Townsend/Cloud

Did you miss LifeWay Women Live on April 5th? Don't worry! You can still view this webcast here.

Join Chris Adams, Pam Case & Paige Greene for Reaching Women in Crisis with counselor Kaye Hurta and LifeWay Women Event Coordinator Betsy Langmade. 

Life is unpredictable.  Sometimes life difficulties build up and escalate to crisis points over time.  Other times the crisis comes in the form of an unexpected phone call, a diagnosis, or an accident.   No matter how they arrive, crisis m­­oments are guaranteed to intersect with our story. In those moments it matters greatly how we, as an extension of God's heart and hands, handle the situation. Join us as we discuss the tools we need to minister effectively during times of crisis - when it matters most.

"See" you then!  

P.S. One question came up about how to build a referral list and know communitiy resources. Watch this blog on April 25 for a post that will help!

I have always loved the book of Joshua, well, not always, but for a long time now, especially as a leader. We learn so much from him. Read today’s post by guest blogger Rachel Lovingood, co-author of In Our Shoes (click here for her blog), as well as a  minister’s wife and ministry leader at Long Hollow Baptist Church  in Hendersonville, TN. 

 

Rachel is the Next Generation Pastor’s wife and a women’s leader at Long Hollow Baptist Church,Hendersonville, Tennessee, as well as a LifeWay Ministry Multiplier.  She co-authored the Bible study for ministers’ wives, In Our Shoes: Real Life Issues for Ministers’ Wives by Ministers’ Wives.  She uses her passion for Christ, her energetic style and her sometimes crazy sense of humor to encourage and teach women to find the answers they need from the only true source of wisdom—the Bible. She is a wife (of a minister), a mom (of three fantastic kids), a friend, a writer, and a teacher. Her experiences working in youth ministry as well as women’s ministry in various churches across the country have developed in her a deep love for women and a mission to help enable them to live victoriously in spite of the struggles they face.

As a leader, are you in a season of just “persevering”?  Sometimes we just have to keep putting one foot in front of another, doing the next thing God tells us. I’ve been in a season like this often and for different reasons. 

One season began right after my husband and I surrendered to ministry.  You can read about that here.

I wonder what you might be facing right now. Are you willing to persevere?

I read an article from The Brook Network titled Getting Through Tough Times . In this article, the author gives us 6 reasons why people persevere instead of giving up.  I love this one that says, “the courage to persevere comes from a deep conviction that one’s purpose is right, and that god is behind it.” Read the entire article for the other 5. I do believe you will be encouraged.
 

Other Helpful Blog Posts:

Women's Leaders Never Give Up

7 Ways to be Women's Leaders Transformed Through Trials...To Lead Women to Transformation

Women’s leader Betsy Langmade is our guest blog writer today.  I know none of you ever face stress, but if you ever should, I believe her suggestions here can be a huge help!  Enjoy and be challenged to make a difference as you read this great post!
 

"I’m recently dealing with a very difficult season.  The landscape of my current “to do” list is like Mt. Everest in front of me.  I have way more to do than time to do it.  Can anybody else identify with that?  I know some of you, or maybe most of you can.     

I’ve been working with a wellness coach for several months and in one of our recent sessions I had a complete meltdown.  When she asked me, “okay, tell me, what’s really going on with you?”,  I had to admit that it had less to do with my plateau in weight loss, or my shifting hormones, or not getting enough exercise.  It had to do with another key area of wellness – STRESS.

We all have to deal with stress at some level.  And some seasons seem to be worse than others with a million different factors playing into the equation.  But the point is, you can implement some strategies that can help you alleviate or manage the stress in your life.  My coach and I hit on one such strategy that is a huge weakness for me.  Since misery loves company, and because I know women well, I’m going to assume that you all are in this pit with me.  It’s the dirty D word – DELEGATION.

I don’t like it, I don’t do it, and I’m unskilled at it.  I asked my husband for help.  After all, he really knows me best after 35 years of marriage.  I said, “Tell me why I’m no good at delegating?”  He laughed.  This was an honest question and a cry for help, so I persisted.  I said, “no, really….”, to which he responded gently, “do you think it has anything to do with control?”  BINGO!
So, I began to set out with some thinking that I’ve learned in my months of being coached.  Janis, my coach, is great at provoking me to put together a plan that will set me up for successful changes.  I’d like to share it with you in hopes that it will be useful to you.

THE ROAD TO DELEGATION

Identify your inner challenges - these probably come from personality/temperament/life experience.
1)    Fear of losing control
2)    Commitment to perfection vs. excellence
3)    Habitual Martyr Syndrome – woe is me, I have so much to do
4)    Pride in two forms
a.    Wanting all the credit
b.    Always thinking your way is best/right
5)    Being intoxicated on busy-ness – Some people are afraid to slow down – really.  We say we want it but when we do slow down – we don’t even know what we consider “fun” anymore.

Identify your excuses – they are multiple and messy
1)    I can do it better myself
2)    I may have to redo the work
3)    It takes too long to explain it – I might as well do it
4)    I will feel guilty asking someone else to do my work

Identify the benefits to you and others – they are many and wonderful (say this out loud!!!)
1)    More overall efficiency for you
2)    Reduced stress/anxiety – ask yourself if you’re afraid of “free time” or margin in your life?
3)    Satisfaction of giving another person the joy of accomplishment/learning something new/growing in their role
4)    Freeing up brain space to be creative, solve problems, identify new processes
 Identify your strategies for success – this provides direction (you’ll never get anywhere you’re not headed)

1)    Get advice from someone you’ve observed to be a good delegator
2)    Determine to ask for help – force yourself
3)    Identify a few people around you that have the potential to grow in their work/skills
4)    Identify a few people that have time/resources that would be helpful to you
5)    Fight with all your might against perfectionism.
6)    Rehearse humbling thoughts/prayers that remind you that your way is just that – your way. Someone else’s “way” has value too.

Practice makes perfect!!!!  Just do it!!!  Small choices in the direction of delegating can become a whole new work style and lifestyle for you.  Someone around you - maybe many people are going to be happy about that"

Betsy Langmade, is a Lead Event Coordinator, Women’s Enrichment Events, LifeWay Christian Resources, Nashville, TN and former women’s ministry leader. She has enjoyed working with women in varied ministry settings for almost 30 years.  She spent many years coordinating women’s ministry in her local church and serving as a trainer for LifeWay Christian Resources.  Betsy enjoys building relationships with women as she teaches and speaks at women’s conferences, retreats and events.  Uniquely, she also has much experience on the planning side of large and small events, locally and nationally.  She finds inexpressible joy in the moments she’s privileged to witness women encounter God in a personal way.  On whatever side of the conference that God chooses to use her, Betsy pours her heart and soul into creating an environment where God can move. Currently, she is on the women’s ministry team at Long Hollow Church, Hendersonville,TN where she lives with her husband of 34 years.  Spending time with David and her four children is her greatest joy.

Helpful resources:

§    A Place of Quiet Rest, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
§    Margin, Richard Swenson
§    Freedom From Busyness, Michael Zigarelli
§    Surrender, Nancy Leigh DeMoss
§    The Frazzled Female, Cindi Wood
§    Victoriously Frazzled, Cindi Wood

Don’t miss this informative webcast April 5 12:00-1:00 PM Central Time

Join Chris Adams, Pam Case & Paige Greene for Reaching Women in Crisis with counselor Kaye Hurta and LifeWay Women Event Coordinator Betsy Langmade. 

Life is unpredictable.  Sometimes life difficulties build up and escalate to crisis points over time.  Other times the crisis comes in the form of an unexpected phone call, a diagnosis, or an accident.   No matter how they arrive, crisis m­­oments are guaranteed to intersect with our story. In those moments it matters greatly how we, as an extension of God's heart and hands, handle the situation. Join us as we discuss the tools we need to minister effectively during times of crisis - when it matters most.

"See" you then!