In the Assemblies of God, women have been members of the clergy since our formation. Women served as evangelists, church planters and missionaries to the most difficult fields. For example, General Superintendent George O. Wood’s mother, Elizabeth Weidman Wood, was ordained as a missionary to China in 1924 as a single woman, along with her sister Ruth.

However, as we have become more established, the practical challenges of everyday church life can mean that the reality has not always matched the philosophy.

We sat down together and discussed how we have incorporated women into our staff over the years.

Wayne has been a champion of women in ministry. Not only has he used his influence to open doors for me (Kristi), Wayne has employed women at every level of leadership.

Whether as staff pastors, internship directors, administrative assistants, team leaders or volunteers, Wayne has never been held back by gender when it came to hiring the best person for the job at hand. I knew he could speak to the topic with experience and insight.

We identified three basic challenges to incorporating women on the team, particularly the pastoral staff. The important thing is to recognize those very challenges as strengths.

Make Room for Work-Life Balance

The corporate world is realizing that in order to retain female talent, they have to make room for working moms to manage work-life balance.

It is no different in the church. I remember thinking that the apostle Paul was probably wrong when he said that a married person’s interests are divided, until we got married. When children enter the picture, it is very rare that a woman’s home responsibilities are not multiplied many times over. This can be true for men as well, but typically women make more sacrifices in their career in order to accommodate home life.

This has to be an ongoing conversation. Some flexibility with office hours can go a long way. Together you can determine a certain number of hours and schedule. Many jobs can be done from home as well.

Another important aspect is understanding that mini-crises with kids happen regularly: childcare falls through, an ear infection and doctor visit, etc. It’s important to be aware of the seasons of a woman’s life. If you’re not aware, that’s how you can lose women from the team.

Let the church lead the way in demonstrating the giftings of every believer.

A scheduled assessment time can give opportunity for constructive conversations. Women may hesitate to bring it up, because there’s not a good moment to talk about it. We recommend including a question that gives them an opportunity to share openly on this topic.

I (Kristi) would add this caution, as a woman: If you have a boss who is willing to grant some flexibility, please be mindful not to overuse it, for the sake of other women on the team.

Processing Differently Is a Strength

For some women, emotions just flow naturally. This can be awkward for men, but it shouldn’t be an impediment to working together.

Wayne: Guys, don’t get all freaked out because women cry on occasion. It happens; it’s not that big of a deal. Men can have their own emotional displays — anger, pouting and silence, to name a few — not to mention fragile egos. Women’s perspectives are a strength. Without women, half your church is not represented. You could be doing things that are offensive or insensitive because you don’t have a woman at the table. Women bring an empathetic and insightful perspective that, oftentimes, men just don’t see.

Kristi: As a woman, I would add this advice to my female colleagues: Don’t allow your work to be defined by your emotions. If you’re having a bad day, the job still has to get done. I once heard Christine Caine say, “Drop the drama.” That was some of the best advice I ever received on working with men. Sometimes you have to be a little tough on the outside until you can pour your heart out to a girlfriend.

Give Women Access

We have realized that what has made the difference for me (Kristi) in ministry has been access to male mentors and bosses. We truly believe that you can maintain high moral integrity while still having healthy work relationships with the opposite gender.

We do each have one-on-one meetings. The door is open, and others are in the office. There are windows in all the doors at our church facility. We have a strict policy of no one being alone in the facility with a person of the opposite sex. We always reserve the right to tell each other any piece of information, or to inform the other person’s spouse. We do have phone meetings, and it’s difficult to operate in this world without utilizing text messaging.

Our personal policy is that we reserve the right to check each other’s phones, text messages, etc. We look out for each other. You have to listen to your spirit and to your spouse when someone or something doesn’t seem right.

It also is unfair to punish people with outstanding professional boundaries. Truthfully, it has inhibited some women who are serious about the call of God from receiving the professional development they need and deserve.

People make it hard, and it’s really not that hard. It is possible to have a healthy working relationship and maintain ministerial boundaries at the same time.

It is more complicated; you have to rent more hotel rooms on staff trips. It changes the all-male dynamic in meetings. But the value added by including women on the team far outweighs the inconveniences.

We encourage leaders to be proactive in finding ways for men and women to work together. In Christ, “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, NLT).

Let the church lead the way in demonstrating the giftings of every believer.