Women comprise more than half of Assemblies of God adherents and 28.5% of AG credentialed ministers, yet few of them hold leadership positions in local churches or denominational offices.

In this Q&A, Called to Serve talks to Dr. Beth Backes about why it’s important to empower women to lead churches and ministries. She also describes Elevation Leadership Network, a new initiative from the AG’s Network of Women Ministers.

Backes is director of Development for NWM, an ordained minister, and lead pastor of The Table (AG) in Federal Way, Washington.

Why is it important to elevate women’s leadership?
We believe the image of God is best reflected — and the church of Jesus Christ is healthiest — when both men and women are empowered to fulfill their callings at every level of ministry leadership.

Traditionally, the ministry of women has been more controversial than that of men. But the Bible is full of examples of women ministers. For example, women were the first believers to be commissioned by Jesus Christ himself to “go and tell” others that He had risen (Matthew 28:7). In this way, they were instrumental in the launch of the Church.

The world’s population has surpassed eight billion souls. The Church desperately needs all hands on deck in order to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Why would we attempt to accomplish the mission of God by sidelining half the Church from ministry?

In his book, Better Together, investor Jonathan Sposato found that companies which included women on their founding boards were more successful than those which didn’t. As a result, he only invests money in companies that have women actively serving on the founding board.

Might Sposato’s insight apply to churches? If ministry success is reaching our communities with the gospel, including women as leaders on church staff, ministry teams, and oversight boards should increase our capacity to witness the transformation of more lives. 

Will we provide opportunities for women to employ their unique ministry strengths in the body of Christ, just as we have long done for men?

That’s the important question.

What challenges do women face on their leadership journeys?
There are basically two challenges:

First, ingrained biases often surpass theological convictions.

In “The Role of Women in Ministry,” the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God declares: “The Bible repeatedly affirms that God pours out His Spirit upon both men and women and thereby gifts both sexes for ministry in His Church. Therefore, we must continue to affirm the gifts of women in ministry and spiritual leadership” (emphasis added).

Despite this declaration, some Christians continue to interpret a handful of Bible passages incorrectly, then use those interpretations to limit opportunities for women to serve as pastors, elders, and deacons.

The image of God is best reflected — and the church of Jesus Christ is healthiest — when both men and women are empowered to fulfill their callings at every level of ministry leadership.

Second, a lack of mentorship opportunities for women.

Many male leaders are unsure of how to mentor women ministers. The so-called “Billy Graham Rule” teaches that male leaders should never be alone with a woman who isn’t their wife or family member. The intent of the rule is to protect the sexual integrity of men and women. Its unintended consequence is to isolate women in ministry.

Women ministers routinely find themselves excluded from important meetings, mentoring opportunities, and ministry trips. 

As a result, women have more limited vocational networks and encounter greater difficulty being advanced to higher-level positions. 

Women are a fast-growing demographic among Assemblies of God credentialed ministers. The fact that 28.5% of all ministers in our Fellowship are women is a reason to celebrate! However, only 6% are senior pastors, and district and national leaders are overwhelmingly male. Along with celebration, then, we must do better to develop women ministers’ leadership skills and opportunities.

What is Elevate Leadership Network, and how does it help women ministers improve their leadership skills?
Elevate Leadership Network (ELN) is a subscription-based online community that provides exclusive leadership development opportunities and networking to women who have been called to credentialed ministry in the Assemblies of God, whether across the U.S. or around the world.

A report in Harvard Business Review found that women who are well-networked with other women are more successful professionally. This leadership practice applies to ministry, too. Women work better when they work together.

ELN is more than a social media platform, however. It is designed to equip and empower women to thrive in their calling and to bring the hope of Jesus to the communities they serve.

A monthly subscription includes the following three resources:

There are Weekly Convos where women learn directly from ministry leaders in the AG fellowship. These conversations engage relevant leadership topics while also pointing to available practical resources.

Mastermind Groups are peer-mentoring groups that meet monthly. These groups provide women space to discuss ministry wins and challenges, all the while sharing valuable learnings with one other. Peer-mentoring brings networking to a new level of effectiveness.  

Monthly Masterclasses offer in-depth training from high caliber ministry leaders who teach from a practical, Bible-centered, Pentecostal perspective. 

In addition to these three resources, ELN offers Elevate Leadership Cohorts. These cohorts provide robust training and in-depth mentoring to women ministers who want to take their leadership to the next level. Cohorts come with an additional cost.

How can male church leaders act as allies to their female ministry colleagues?
The key is to be intentional about providing the same level of mentoring, networking, endorsing and training to women as they do to men.

One way to do that is to purchase Elevate Leadership Network subscriptions for the women on their ministry teams. Also, they might consider carrying the added cost of enrolling women ministers in Elevate Leadership Cohorts. These are great ways to provide quality training for women ministers who serve on staff or volunteer teams. 

Another way men can partner as allies is to make sure their leadership practices align with Assemblies of God theological convictions about women in ministry. Many times, qualified and capable women are overlooked for roles simply because those roles traditionally have been held by men. Male church leaders can ask themselves diagnostic questions such as:

Do I include women on my leadership teams and in strategic ministry positions?

Do I consider applications from women when hiring for open ministry positions?

Do I ask women to apply for an open position or even actively recruit them?

A final way male church leaders can be allies is by creating safe spaces where they can mentor women on their ministry teams personally. Male leaders tend to exclusively mentor other men, so they need to be proactive and innovative about mentoring women, whether in team settings or one-on-one conversations. Male leaders can have healthy boundaries with women without building unhealthy barriers against women in ministry.

Women comprise more than half of a typical church’s attendees. Male leaders serve their churches well when they have Spirit-filled women serving alongside them in ministry.

How do women ministers subscribe to the Elevate Leadership Network?
Simply visit “WomenMinisters.ag.org/Elevate” and click on the button that says, “Click Here to Join Today.” A subscription gives you access to all the resources described above and costs $19.99 monthly.

Elevate is connecting and developing over 100 women ministers already, and we look forward to serving even more as we work together to bring the hope of Jesus to our communities! 

This interview appeared in the summer 2023 issue of Called to Serve, the official Assemblies of God ministers letter. It is republished here by permission.