PROFILE

MINISTRY | PROFILE

Identity and Impact

Girls Ministries helps girls discover who they are in Christ

By GEORGE P. WOOD

“I f you are interested in in uencing a nation of young girls, call us back. That message from the ssemblies of God national office grabbed im harp s attention. It began a series of conversations that led to her appointment as ational Girls Ministries director on March , . In that role, harp leads the ellowship s discipleship efforts among young girls. ational Girls Ministries was founded in 1 5 . Its stated goal is to see every girl moving toward a deep relationship with esus Christ, and to reali e her importance and potential in the kingdom of God. bout 15 of all G adherents in the . . nearly 5 , people are girls aged 1 and under.

The main focus of Girls Ministries is M act Clubs, a weekly, church based discipleship pro gram for first through fifth grade girls. Girls Ministries also sponsors annual events and publishes topical resources. harp s team is revising and e panding Girls Ministries curriculum offerings.

In addition, Girls Ministries is working closely with other national G ministries to provide girls consistent spiritual formation opportunities as they age. e should be a bridge between children, youth, and adult ministries to make sure we re not losing people in the gaps, harp says.

The scope and responsibilities of Girls Ministries wasn t the reason harp accepted the invitation to lead, however. Instead, she says it was her concerns about the culture in which girls are growing up. s an e ample, harp notes the increase in youth identifying as LGBT. In a 1 Gallup poll of . . adults, 1 of Gen respondents (born 1 or later) identified as LGBT, up from 11 ust four years earlier. (By comparison, of the . . adult population as a whole identifies as LGBT. )

Many social analysts attribute this uptick to increasing acceptance of se ual minorities. It may

also be the result of social contagion, which is the effect of social networks on individual beliefs and behaviors.

Late childhood and early adolescence are crucial periods in a child’s emotional, physical, and spiritual development. So, it’s not surprising that girls are asking uestions about their identity.

“What young girl isn’t uncomfortable in her own body harp asks. The world is attempting to steal girls’ identities.”

The pressure to conform doesn’t just come from secular culture, however.

“We’ve got to be careful that we don’t lose girls’ identities within the Christian world, too,” Sharp says.

This can happen when Christians insist on rigid gender roles based on human tradition rather than the Bible. or e ample, an old nursery rhyme asks, hat are little girls made of The answer is, ugar and spice and everything nice.” Sharp worries that such stereotypes send the wrong message. If a girl likes doing outdoor things, we’ve got to uit telling her she s a tomboy, she says. If you en oy those kinds of things, it doesn t make you less of a girl or more of a girl than if you like pink and uff.

Sharp says girls need to focus instead on who they are in Christ.

“You are righteous in Christ Jesus,” Sharp says. “You are redeemed. You are loved. You are accepted in the Beloved. You are forgiven.”

Sharp says when a girl knows esus created her and poured out His Spirit on her, it transforms both how she feels about herself and how she interacts with others. It enables her to grow with purpose and confidence. “If you’ve got a core that is solid, you can take hardship and criticism,” Sharp says. Identity in Christ also prepares girls for mission. “We should be attractive to the world, not because of how we look, but because we have hope and Kim Sharp bondage breaking power in our lives,” Sharp says. Mentoring, an indispensable component of Girls Ministries, plays a crucial role in helping a girl develop her identity in Christ. “I’m so impressed with our directors and leaders on the field who give their lives to this, harps says. It s Titus : lder women teaching younger women. Local Girls Ministries leaders are living out this principle.” Mentoring, an indispensable component of Girls Ministries, plays a crucial role in helping a girl develop her identity in Christ. harp wants to make sure Girls Ministries continues preparing young women for a lifetime of Christian service, whether in the marketplace or the local church. The issue isn t where a woman serves, but whether she leaves a lasting impact wherever she serves. “My passion is to see the lives of girls across our nation ignited by the truth of the Word of God, the

power of the Holy pirit, and life giving community with mentorship as they apply it in their lives, harp says. harp has e tensive e perience in both the marketplace and the local church. or nearly half her adult career, she worked in the pecial ictims nit of the ohnson County rosecutor s ffice in ranklin, Indiana. There, harp helped victims of se ual assault, domestic violence, stalking, uvenile crimes, and child abuse. I m a person who felt called to ministry from the church to the marketplace, harp says. I don t feel like I was any less in ministry when I was in the prosecutor s office than when I was filling the pulpit. n ordained ssemblies of God minister, harp formerly served as dean of women at orth Central niversity in Minneapolis. he directed the Indy chool of Leadership, an C satellite “We celebrate campus. he also worked as a the fact that worship pastor, youth pastor, and Girls Ministries director for God made girls the Indiana District. women, and harp believes churches need to develop a pipeline to help some girls that they discern a call to vocational ministry. have a place The ssemblies of God affirms that God calls and empowers women in ministry and men e ually to serve. However, wherever harp recogni es biases against women in leadership still e ist in they’re going some corners of the Church. in life.” It s beautiful that we cele- — Kim Sharp brate the fact that God made girls women, and that they have a place in ministry wherever they re going in life, harp says. Girls are significant and can be all that God created them to be as long as there s opportunity.

GEORGE P. WOOD

is executive editor of Influence magazine.