Gifted to Lead

Gifted to Lead: the Art of Leading as a Woman in the Church
Nancy Beach

I am a concrete person; I prefer things that have a practical application, rather than a philosophical reasoning. I've read some great books that defend women in ministry, books that are written as an apologetic with great scriptural exigesis--but this book was not one of those. In fact, this book focused on defining the practice of ministry, rather than defending the concept.

Using her own experiences, Nancy Beach encourages women to find their authentic "voice" in ministry, by determining their true beliefs (you can't convince someone of something you don't believe yourself) and by defining their own style. Most women have been heavily influenced by male leaders who were spiritual authorities, so it's easy to follow their example. However, women by nature are different than men, so the male style of leadership often comes off as forced. A true style of leadership, unique to each person is more effective than a mere mimic.

Her stated purpose was to write a book about leadership in the church, regardless of gender. However, as she wrote, she found herself applying it to women, because she was approached constantly at conferences by young women who needed guidance as they find a place in church ministry. Regardless of the equality we might strive for, the fact remains that ministry for women is always going to be different. There are chapters on balancing marriage and family and learning to work in a male environment, as well as determining your own leadership style.

Recommending this book would be easy for me; in fact, I'd gladly pass out chapter seven to every pastor I know. It's written to men about women in church leadership, and the author makes very powerful points. One example is her view of our daughters and future generations: "When people far from God look at politics,the corporate arena, academic institutions, and the entertainment business, they see women of strength and skill . . . The entire subculture of the church appears outdated and out of touch with what many of these folks believe to be true about the potential, skills, and necessary opportunities for women." Her valid concern that future generations will abandon the church because it is too conservative and offers them no voice at all.