Women in Ministry Panel Discussions Encourage Participants

The 2015 Women in Ministry conference was designed to provide encouragement, ministry equipping, networking opportunities, and support in exploring women’s leadership roles in a variety of contexts. 

While the conference offered plenary sessions it also offered a chance for participants to take part in three simultaneous panel discussions.  Each panel was made up of three panel members who would speak about their topic and take questions from the group.  

The first panel entitled Preparing for Ministry was designed for students or others discerning a call to and preparing for ministry. The panel featured three women ministers who reflected upon their journeys as they perceived, discerned, and committed themselves to a call to ministry and how they have been personally formed as leaders.  

The panel members for this session were Cheryl Kimble, Pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Austin, Sarah Greenfield, Associate Pastor for Students of First Baptist Church in Abilene, and Jennifer Bashaw, Assistant Professor of Religion at East Texas Baptist University. 

Living as a Woman in Ministry was shaped with the specific needs of women currently serving in ministry in mind. This panel included three women ministers who described their struggles and successes related to ministering as a woman.  The women on this panel were Stephanie Nash, Pastor of Christian Education and Outreach from Second Baptist Church in Lubbock, Dara Ake, Minister of Students from Trinity Baptist Church in San Antonio, and Kyndall Rothaus, Pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in San Antonio. 

The panel members were able to give the group some of their best advice based off of their experience. “Find friends who are supportive and encouraging…people who will be there to affirm you and lift each other up,” said Rothaus.  

In the third panel discussion the group discussed How to Encourage Women in Ministry.  This panel was developed for men and women who are exploring and considering the issue of women in ministry and how they can be an encouragement to women in ministerial leadership.  This panel was made up of three male congregational leaders.  These leaders were Jack Bodenhamer, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Elm Mott, Steve Vernon, Associate Executive Director of Texas Baptists, and Taylor Sandlin, Pastor of Southwind Baptist Church in San Angelo.  

Sandlin is constantly looking for ways to create opportunities for women who are called to ministry and wants to be an example for his daughter.  “I want my daughter to know that when we say ‘God can call you to do anything’, then we mean it,” he said.  

Each panel took comments and questions from the audience and allowed for an open dialogue about what it means to “Reflect God’s Image” and how both men and women can grow and encourage each other to do that in their ministries.