Light & Life Magazine

FEB 20 13

LLM women in ministry

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feature

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history

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news

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Based on the Bible

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fellow member of a local Christian organization sent me an email criticizing “liberal churches” that ordain women. The email struck me as ironic because I’ve never considered the Free Methodist Church to be on the liberal side of the theological spectrum even though key FMC founder B.T. Roberts wrote an 1891 book supporting women’s ordination.

I later heard a radio program in which a theology professor answered questions about difficult-to-understand scriptures. When the discussion turned to women serving as pastors, the professor declared that the Bible allows only men to preach. Oddly enough, the professor and the radio station are affiliated with an institute founded by D.L. Moody, whose ministry was influenced by two Free Method-

ist women. (Read more online at fmchr.ch/fmmoody.)

As members of a church with a legacy of women serving as teachers, evangelists and pastors, how should we respond to other Christians who accuse us of being unbiblical? Perhaps we should mention that the church’s position is based on the Bible, not on shifting societal standards.

Like Roberts, this issue’s authors make a biblical case for women in all areas of ministry.

This magazine is designed to be interactive. Please share your ministry stories at facebook.com/fmcusa and comment on articles via Facebook or at llcomm.org. Whatever your gender, Finley i Jeff Managing Editor let’s serve God together. [LLM]

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read more about women in ministry at llcomm.org 1] Do you use QR codes?

Scan this box with your smartphone to read more articles on this issue’s theme.

2] More Discipleship Each week in February, find a new article by Henriët Schapelhouman.

CORRECTION: Laureen Livingston’s first name was misspelled on Page 10 of the January 2013 issue. LLM regrets the error.

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:4

LLM LIGHT & LIFE MAGAZINE

Developing Earnest Christians Since 1868

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Jeff Finley Erin Eckberg Michael Metts Dawn McIlvain Stahl Andrea Anibal Julie Innes Jason Archer Ben Weesies

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LLM | Feb 2013

Website: www.llcomm.org Email us: www.llcomm.org/staff News and submissions: jeff.finley@fmcusa.org Advertising: ben.weesies@fmcusa.org Address all correspondence to: Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317) 244-3660 LLM: Light & Life Magazine (ISSN 0024-3299) was established in 1868 by the Free Methodist Church. Published monthly by Light & Life Communications. © 2013 Free Methodist Church – USA, 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214. Views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the official position of the Free Methodist Church. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations, no portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.

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BY JOY M.O. IRELAND

he unexpected road to ordination led me to the Free Methodist Church. Any denomination with “free� in the name would surely free a woman for joyful obedience, right? Indeed! The integrity of both word and deed has

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provided encouragement and empowerment to follow the call of God above all else.

As I reflect on several life experiences, I realize that ordination should not have come as such a surprise to me. uuu

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3 [feature] My experiences have included conception under conditions deemed “miraculous” by medical professionals, understanding and receipt of saving faith at a young age, teenage attraction to the beauty of priestly and holy living described in Leviticus, empowerment in the Spirit to break bonds of generational sin, and encouragement toward ministry even by Christians who oppose women in that arena.

The words of God to the prophet Jeremiah come to mind: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).

Yet, years of study and experience have taught me that the ministry freedom I currently experience would not have been mine had I been born even one generation earlier. Only two years after the Free Methodist

Jesus thoroughly and intentionally empowered women.

LLM | Feb 2013

General Conference of 1974 (when a resolution to give women equal status with men in the ministry of the church passed unanimously), God brought me into being.

Tireless Advocacy It is no small thing to be part of a denomination’s first generation of female pastors who have not known ordination restrictions. I find myself not only grateful for those faithful 1974 delegates but also indebted to countless others who fought toward that end for prior generations. B.T. Roberts, one of the founders of the Free Methodist Church, was a vocal proponent well over a century before the historic 1974 vote. The church’s “Statement on Women in Ministry” (online at fmchr.ch/wministry) clearly states this truth: As early as 1861, when the church was just one year old, the minutes of the Genesee Convention report the discussion of women preaching. … Bishop B.T. Roberts believed strongly in the equality of men and women.

He argued that women should be working shoulder to shoulder with men in building the kingdom of God.

He tried to lead the denomination toward the ordination of women.

Roberts advocated for women’s ordination until his death. He asked this thought-provoking question in “Ordaining Women” (1891): If those who stood high as interpreters of Reason and Revelation, and who expressed the prevailing sentiment of their day, were so greatly mistaken on a subject which we now think so plain that it does not admit of dispute, that every man has a right to freedom, is it not possible that the current sentiment as to the position which woman should be permitted to occupy in the Church of Christ may also be wrong?

It’s a fair question. If church leaders were wrong about slavery, could they also be wrong regarding women and the church? Roberts was bold enough to acknowledge human frailty and was willing to ask this question and explore its implications, evidencing that ours is an impassioned history founded on a conviction of equality and tireless advocacy.

Yet Roberts was not the first to

[feature] 4 challenge the societal status quo of women. The Gospels illustrate how Jesus’ life and ministry did the same through: l the embryonic Christ within Mary’s womb that made her the only human source of Jesus’ DNA l the ministry of wholeness and healing without reservation (Mark 5:21–42; Luke 13:10–13) l parables featuring women worthy of emulation (Luke 15:8–10; 18:1–8) l the inclusion of women among disciple ranks (Luke 8:1–3, 10:38–42) l women’s capacities in theological discussion, understanding and evangelism (Matthew 15:21– 28; John 4:4–42; 11:21–44) l a woman providing burial anointing (Matthew 26:6–13; John 12:1–8) l women being the first people to witness and proclaim the resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10; John 20:11–18) The list could continue, but the point is clear. Jesus thoroughly and intentionally empowered women. In the book “Beyond Sex Roles,” Wheaton College professor emeritus Gilbert Bilezikian terms Christ’s

work in relation to women as “the fullness of redemption” inaugurated most fully through “the community of reconciliation, God’s family: the church.”

Within this new covenant community, the effects of the fall are fully reversed, as most poignantly exemplified through the men and women (Acts 1:13–14) present for the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–21). This common anointing paved the way for Lydia (Acts 16:11–15); Priscilla (Acts 18; Romans 16:3–4; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19); Phoebe, Mary, Junias, Tryphena and Tryphosa (Romans 16); Nympha (Colossians 4:15); “the lady chosen by God” (2 John); and countless others called to exemplify Galatians 3:28.

In the Beginning Why did Jesus live so radically in relation to women? He was fully committed to following the lead of His Father as best illustrated in the Creation narrative. We read in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner” (NRSV).

God’s original intent was for joint rule and oneness.

Understanding the Hebrew word ezer (translated as “helper” here) is key. Though some assume subordination of helpers, the term actually denotes alliance or partnership. Helpers provide assistance to people in need as evident when ezer is used to describe God’s action (Psalm 30:10, 54:4, 72:12) or to name those who become Israelite leaders (2 Chronicles 12:9; 25:4, 31; Nehemiah 3:19; Psalm 89:19; Ezekiel 11:1). In the Old Testament, presence of an ezer is good (1 Kings 20:16; Daniel 11:34), while the lack of one is bad (2 Kings 14:26; Psalm 107:12; Isaiah 31:3, 63:5; Jeremiah 47:4). God’s original intent for joint rule and oneness (Genesis 1:26–30) is beautifully and powerfully displayed through this little Hebrew word.

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Grateful Recipient Thanks to the gracious intent of our Creator, the redemptive mission of our Savior and Lord, and Roberts’ unwavering conviction, a sacred space existed for me — as a sophomore at Seattle Pacific University — to explore divine nudges as I evaluated discontent over my initial major. As I continued to discern the call, I received opportunities resulting in election to spiritual leadership posi-

www.fmfoundation.org LLM | Feb 2013

tions. I had a place to go when God transformed my graduate-study aspirations from law school to seminary.

Professors dared to confirm within me the presence of pastoral gifts and graces hidden by dissenting voices.

A man was ready to love me and empower my ministry call all the way into marital partnership. A pastor and a denomination willingly guided me on the unexpected road to ordination.

The blessed result of all of these

influencing people and places is a woman gratefully freed for joyful obedience. [LLM]

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Joy M.O. Ireland, a Free Methodist elder in the New South Conference, serves as assistant chaplain at Asbury University.

Connect to the Free Methodist Church on iPhone, iPad, or Android.

Use your phone or tablet to search the Apple App Store or Google Play.

[bishops] 6

Women — Servants, Pastors, Leaders

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ur church celebrates when God calls women to ministry and leadership in the church.

First, the whole gospel for the whole person and world restores the place of women to God’s intent in creation. God created humanity — male and female — in God’s image. God gave this humanity responsibility to care for creation. God then called this arrangement — the man and the woman together reflecting God’s image, representing God’s presence, and acting on God’s behalf — “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

When the man and woman sinned, this creative intent suffered sabotage. As a result, for the woman: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16). Under the power of sin and death, the woman became subordinate.

But now, under the power of grace, there is new creation as far as the curse is found. This gospel envisions the man and the woman assuming their God-designed, complementary responsibilities in the world.

Second, Jesus’ life and ministry lead us to welcome women as full partners in His ongoing mission. For example, Jesus related to foreign and unclean women as He did to men (Mark 5:25, John 4:1–42), accepted women as disciples (Luke 10:38), allowed women to support His ministry (Luke 8:1–3), and appeared to women first after His resurrection.

Third, Paul, whose writings are often interpreted to oppose women in ministry, likewise clearly follows his Lord in partnering with women. Paul declares that in Christ the common social categories that exclude some no longer apply (Galatians 3:28).

He cites Junia as a prominent woman apostle of his day (Romans 16:7) along with other women (Romans 16:3,6).

Paul also adopts the common social models of his day. He calls the husband head of his wife, but he cites the headship of Christ as the husband’s example (Ephesians 5:23).

Christ, as head, sacrifices self and dies for His subordinate (Ephesians 5:25–29). Paul endorses the model but then qualifies it to transform the relationship entirely.

Paul makes two statements (1 Corinthians 14:34–35; 1 Timothy 2:11–12) that seem to contradict the entire flow of the salvation story, the example of Jesus and Paul’s other statements on the role of women. Whatever Paul meant should not nullify the clear indications from elsewhere in Scripture. [LLM]

This gospel envisions the man and the woman assuming their God-designed, complementary responsibilities in the world.

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Bishop David Kendall

To read more from Bishop Kendall, visit fmcusa.org/ davidkendall.

LLM | Feb 2013

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S C RI P T U R E :

Pro-Women Precedents

Matthew 8:14, 14:21,

BY BETH K. ARMSTRONG

15:38, 19:1–12, 27:55–56, 28:9–10 Mark 1:30, 15:40–41 Luke 4:38–39, 8:2–3, 10:38–42, 11:28, 24:22–24 John 4:4–42, 8:1–11, 11:20–27, 12:2, 20:17 Acts 6:1–6, 18:24–26, 21:9 Romans 16 1 Corinthians 11 Galatians 3:28

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he Free Methodist Church roots its stance on ministry leadership and gender in scriptural precedent.

Jesus elevated women by rejecting relational double standards (Matthew 19:1–12; John 8:1–11). He contradicted the rabbinic teaching that women earned God’s favor vicariously through husbands and sons. He argued instead that blessings came from obeying God’s Word (Luke 11:28).

Jesus taught mixed-gender crowds (Matthew 14:21, 15:38), affirmed Mary as His student (Luke 10:38–42), and talked theology with Martha (John 11:20–27).

He revealed His Messianic identity to a Samaritan woman who became an evangelist (John 4:4–42). At Jesus’ instruction, women announced His resurrection to other disciples (Matthew 28:9–10; John 20:17).

Cleopas and his walking companion acknowledged “our women” in Jesus’ entourage (Luke 24:22–24). Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38–39), Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41; Luke 8:2), Mary and Salome (Matthew 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41), Joanna and Susanna (Luke 8:3), and Martha (Luke 10:40; John 12:2) were called diakonos, the same word used for male church leaders (Acts 6:1–6).

Philip’s daughters prophesied (Acts 21:9). Other women led during worship services (1 Corinthians 11). Priscilla taught Apollos (Acts 18:24–26) and earned Paul’s commendation along with Phoebe the deaconess and Junia the apostle (Romans 16).

While some say Paul constrained women’s ministry roles, others argue he was addressing specific problems. As Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). [LLM]

“Mary Magdalene” by Leonardo Da Vinci LLM | Feb 2013

Beth K. Armstrong, a Gonzaga University doctoral candidate, serves as an associate pastor at Opportunity Christian Fellowship (Spokane Valley, Wash.). Her dissertation addresses clergy gender equity.

[history] 8

A Legacy of Women in Ministry

BY CHRISTY MESAROS-WINCKLES

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t a time in U.S. history when women could not vote and few women worked outside the home, the young Free Methodist denomination made a radical statement of biblical gender equality by supporting women evangelists. As the denomination grew and developed, women began to take on the additional roles of annual and general conference delegates, deacons and ordained elders.

The first two women delegates, Clara Wetherald of Michigan and Anna Grant of Indiana, were appointed to the 1890 General Conference and became the standard-bearers for women in ministry. Wetherald preached several times during the conference, but women’s ordination was still defeated.

As a result, B.T. Roberts wrote “Ordaining Women,” an 1891 book that still speaks to debates regarding gender roles in marriage and ministry. Roberts emphasized, “Men had better busy themselves in building up the temple of God, instead of employing their time in pushing from the scaffold their sisters, who are both able and willing to work with them side by side. All restrictions to positions in the church based on race have been abolished; it is time then that those based on sex were also abolished.”

Roberts died in 1893, and when the “woman issue” was again brought up at the 1894 General Conference, it was again defeated. It wouldn’t be until 1911 that women were ordained as deacons and 1974 that women were ordained as elders.

Despite being denied ordination for more than 100 years, women worked tirelessly to promote the gospel. Women evangelists established churches around the country, and women missionaries traveled the world, often dying on the field. The spread of Free Methodism is largely due to women’s service.

While the names of many of these women have been forgotten, their work lives on. Their impact on Free Methodist education, ministry and missions continues to be immense. [LLM]

Jessie Ragatz Booth ordination, 1974 (Photo courtesy of Marston Memorial Hisorical Center)

For more of Christy Mesaros-Winckles’ extensive research into FM women’s history, visit freemethodistfeminist.com.

LLM | Feb 2013

minister to main street

BY JEFF FINLEY

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abra Dyas is a Free Methodist pastor with a calling to the marketplace.

Dyas is the president and founder of Main Street Ministries. The Pella, Iowa–based organization helps people integrate their faith into all areas of their lives — including their careers. uuu LLM | Feb 2013

Photo courtesy of Inspired Studios Creative

[action] 10 “We’ve separated the workplace and God’s place for too long,” Dyas said.

The ordained elder previously volunteered as a chaplain at the Kansas hospital where her husband, Cliff, worked as the facilities director.

“One day I was walking the hallways and realized our workplaces are places that are hurting places.

People have a really difficult time living out their faith,” she said.

Dyas started workplace Bible studies that resulted in a Tribune, Kan., church plant. She sensed the Lord taking her pastoral ministry in a new direction.

“I just realized my heart was for the workplace,” Dyas said.

When Dyas and her husband helped friends Todd and Niki Burch move from Kansas to Iowa, they believed God was calling them to Pella too.

“We knew the Lord was leading us out, and we thought at that time it was probably going to be a church plant,” Dyas said. “I went to Pella, spied out the land and realized that it was a really entrepreneurial town that was open to new ideas and new thoughts.”

After three months of seeking God’s direction through prayer, she

decided to launch Main Street Ministries in Pella. Instead of serving a traditional congregation focused on Sunday gatherings, Dyas leads an organization that reaches workers on weekdays through programs such as Lunch-n-Learn in which small groups of people meet over the lunch hour or at breakfast. Main Street provides a year’s worth of material discussing a variety of topics.

“Our first lesson is faith versus success — what it takes to be successful in the business world versus what it takes to be successful in your walk with the Lord and how those two intertwine,” Dyas said.

Since Main Street Ministries began in November 2010, discussion groups have formed in multiple states. Two books, “Faith at Work” and “Faith at WorkBook,” have spread Main Street’s message of integrating faith and livelihood. The group’s Power Text ministry sends scriptural encouragement via text message to hundreds of people.

“It’s actually been amazing watching people come alive spiritually and to begin to see their places of work as a field that God has given them,” Dyas said. “When they’re called to work, they’re called to be His

When we’re called to work, we’re called to be God’s ambassadors right there in the midst of our work. ambassadors right there in the midst of their work.”

Dyas shared Main Street’s vision and training material with five Free Methodist annual conferences last summer.

“This is something that every single church could use as an outreach tool to set up in their own For more communities,” she information about said. [LLM] Main Street Ministries, visit msministry.org.

LLM | Feb 2013

11 [news]

Women Clergy to Meet in the Rockies

BY JEFF FINLEY

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ree Methodists will join female pastors from other denominations April 11–14 at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colo., for Come to the Water 2013.

Gateway Conference Superintendent Lucia Delamarter will speak on the theme of “Run With the Spirit” during the closing worship service April 14. The following day, she is scheduled to become president of the event sponsor, Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy.

Deborah Somerville, senior pastor of McPherson (Kan.) FMC, will participate in a panel discussion on preaching. Workshop leaders will include Kathy Callahan-Howell, pastor of Winton Community FMC in Cincinnati, on “Exploring Publishing: Sending Your Ideas to a Wider Audience”; and Linda Scandrett Green, assistant pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Omak, Wash., on “Responding to the GLBT Community.”

For more Past participants said information, Come to the Water provisit fmchr.ch/ cometowater. vides valuable information in LLM | Feb 2013

workshops and meaningful connections with other female pastors.

“I live in a rural area so worshipping with hundreds of other women ministry leaders makes me feel not so alone as a woman pastor and as a Free Methodist,” Scandrett Green said.

Callahan-Howell also said she has been blessed each time she has attended the event because of the opportunity to worship with so many other women who share a call to ministry.

Other participating denominations include the Brethren in Christ Church, the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.), the Church of the Nazarene, the Evangelical Friends Church International, the Salvation Army and the Wesleyan Church.

Callahan-Howell said Come to the Water is unlike other conferences for women in ministry.

For evangelical ordained women, she said, “This venue stands unique.

So many of our sisters who believe in women’s ordination come from much more liberal viewpoints. I enjoy dialoguing with women who understand the Bible to affirm women’s role in ministry, yet still hold an orthodox view of Scripture, from a Wesleyan Holiness perspective.” [LLM]

[news] 12 WALKEMEYER ENERGIZED TO SERVE Long Beach, Calif.

Larry Walkemeyer, the lead pastor of Light & Life Christian Fellowship North, was recently elected as one of three stationed superintendents in the Free Methodist Church of Southern California. The Azusa Pacific University alumnus will oversee the conference’s central region. Visit fmchr.ch/walkemeyer for Michael J. Metts’ feature story about Walkemeyer.

MANDARIN AT MOUNDFORD Decatur, Ill.

Moundford FMC is reaching out to the Chinese-American population of central Illinois while also educating other community members who would like to write and speak Mandarin Chinese. The church basement is home to the Sunrise Chinese School, which recently received extensive coverage by the Herald & Review.

Visit fmchr.ch/moundford to read the Herald & Review story.

FM CHARITY HELPS SANDY SURVIVORS Garfield, N.J.

Takin’ It to the Streets, founded by FM Pastor Ron Hampton, served more than 1,200 residents of Garfield and surrounding townships with clothing, toiletries, blankets and other donated items following Hurricane Sandy. Many FM congregations contributed to the effort, which received coverage in The Record (online at fmchr.ch/njservice).

FULBRIGHT SELECTS WACHTER Roscoe, N.Y.

Allen Wachter — a veterinarian, State University of New York associate professor, Free Methodist pastor, and correspondence instructor for the denomination’s Ministerial Credentialing Services — has been selected as a Fulbright Specialist by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. He is being considered for two projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Visit fmchr.ch/fswachter for details.

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The Rest of the Story Want to find indepth stories of remarkable Free Methodists?

Visit fmcusa.org.

We want to hear from you!

Tell us what your church is doing to impact lives in the United States and around the world.

Submit your story at fmcusa.org/ yourstory.

LLM | Feb 2013

13 [world]

Relief Fund Aids Typhoon Recovery

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ree Methodists in the southern Philippines reported extensive losses from a devastating typhoon.

Super Typhoon Bopha (also known as Pablo within the Philippines) killed more than 1,000 people and left thousands more homeless. The island of Mindanao suffered the heaviest damage from the storm.

Bishop Jim Tuan received reports of severe damage to many FM church buildings and parsonages in the Agusan Del Sur, Surigao Del Sur and Davao regions of Mindanao.

The typhoon destroyed one church and parsonage while blowing the roofs off six other church buildings.

“It is sad to hear about the situation of our church buildings, parsonages, members’ homes and rice fields.

We are giving priority for the local churches rather than our members since, at this time, our funds are very limited,” Tuan said.

According to International Child Care Ministries, none of the ICCM-sponsored children, leaders or staff were lost.

One of the five ICCM projects in the path of Bopha was dramatically affected. Many families in the area around Agusan lost houses, belongings and crops in the torrent.

The homes of five ICCM-sponsored children were destroyed while the homes of many ICCM children and staff flooded.

Elizabeth Langam, Elim Farm manager, reported the typhoon damage resulted in 80 percent of the trees being severely damaged.

“The devastation in the Philippines after Super Typhoon Bopha ranks with some of the worst I have seen, “Bishop LLM | Feb 2013

Residents of the southern Philippines check the damage to a Free Methodist Church member’s home. (Photo courtesy of Bishop Jim Tuan)

Matthew Thomas said. “Having lived in the Philippines and served the Free Methodist Church there, I am familiar with many of the churches that have been damaged. It is unimaginable what kind of winds and torrent of rain poured through there.”

The Bishops’ Crisis Response Fund assisted affected Free Methodists in the region with relief, temporary resettlement and reconstruction. The fund allows the church to act quickly when Free Methodists are in distress. Donations can be made by going to give.fmcusa.org and selecting “Bishops’ Crisis Response Fund.” [LLM]

[discipleship] 14

A Great Call Requires Great Character

BY HENRIËT SCHAPELHOUMAN “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.” — Oswald Chambers

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veryone has a unique God-given story to tell. What’s your story and call?

God called me into leadership and pastoral ministry. Remembering His call steadies me while living through difficulties and trials.

We grow through challenges. After God calls, He often gives us opportunities to become like Jesus. The greater the call, the more character building God requires. According to Gary Chapman, “The message of the Bible is that God loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us as we are.”

Women and men in ministry can learn from Ruth, King David’s greatgrandmother. She experienced character training in preparation for her life’s calling. After she lost everything, she decided to stick with God and her mother-in-law, Naomi. They returned to Bethlehem, where she worked the fields and provided for Naomi. As a woman and a foreigner, Ruth lacked status, but God called her to be in the line of David and Jesus.

We want the great call but often resist the necessary character workout to prepare us to answer the call.

Jesus had the greatest call and character. Even though He was perfect, God gave Him character-building opportunities. After His baptism (His ministry commissioning), the Spirit led Him into the desert for 40 days of testing.

Jesus’ call preceded hardcore training. Our call to ministry — whether great or small — usually leads to intense character training. God’s character development continues throughout our lives.

Great character develops in Jesus’ presence — especially during trials. Jesus victoriously answered His call. We can too when we follow and obey Him. [LLM]

Henriët Schapelhouman, a Pacific Northwest Conference pastor, is the president of Semper Vita Institute and the author of “The Story Lives,” thestorylives.com.

“Ruth and Boaz”

by Gustave Dore

GROUP DISCUSSION: [1] Do you know your call?

[2] Have you allowed God to grow your character?

Did you know a new discipleship article is posted to our website each week? The four monthly articles are perfect for use in your small group or as a weekly supplement to individual study.

LLM | Feb 2013

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[resources] STATEMENT The Free Methodist Church’s “Statement on Women in Ministry” is available online and as a PDF: fmchr.ch/wministry.

Read more about what Free Methodists and other Bible scholars have to say about women preaching and leading.

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“THE FEMALE PASTOR” Bishop David Kendall and Karen Strand Winslow ask: “Is There Room for She in Shepherd?”: fmchr.ch/femalepastor.

“ORDAINING WOMEN” B.T. Roberts’ 1891 book reveals longtime FM support for women serving as pastors: fmchr.ch/btordaining.

“WHY NOT WOMEN?” This book looks at women’s ministry roles in Scripture, history and today’s global church: fmchr.ch/whynotwomen.

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