A Brave Word

There are moments when you step into a room and realize you are standing inside something holy.

A few weeks ago, the Missio Alliance team exhibited at the Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Conference. More than 600 women—from students discerning their call to seasoned pastors—gathered from across the country. Some arrived with joy, others with grief. Many carried both. All of them carried a calling.

The energy in the room wasn’t flashy. It was steady. A sense of resolve hung in the air, not because strength is admirable, but because conviction comes with calling. Women who have preached, shepherded, endured resistance, and led faithfully gathered not to prove themselves—but to encourage one another. The conversations felt as sacred as the worship. Stories were exchanged like lifelines. In this moment, when women in ministry still navigate subtle and overt resistance, spaces like this feel like oxygen.

Yesterday, March 8th, marked the 115th annual International Women’s Day, a global day of celebration and awareness that has its roots in the woman’s suffrage movement of the early 1900’s. Missio Alliance has from its inception been dedicated to equipping¹See “Cultural Issues, Point 6,” along with innumerable articles in our Writing Collective archive. ~MA and encouraging women in ministry. Not because women are a theme for a day, but because they are essential to the flourishing of the Church.

We are for you, sisters.

You are called.

You are capable.

You are not alone.

Name and Strengthen a Woman’s Call

Set aside 15 minutes each week this month to intentionally encourage a woman in your ministry context. If you are a woman, reach out to another woman and name a gift you see in her leadership. If you are a man, consider how you can use your voice to publicly affirm and advocate for the leadership of a woman in your church or organization.

Be specific. Name the fruit you see. Name the courage it requires. Offer a prayer for her endurance and joy.

The Church flourishes when we strengthen one a woman’s call to leadership in ministry—especially where that call has required perseverance.

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*Editorial Note: Lisa Rodriguez-Watson, National Director of Missio Alliance (and my friend!), is one of the most natural, gifted, and strongest women in ministry leadership that I have ever known, let alone served alongside and under. For years, our team has encouraged her to write more often. I am thrilled that you will be challenged and formed by her writing through this new mini-series we will release the second Monday of each month, entitled “A Brave Word.” ~CK