Women in Ministry United Podcast

Are you worried? Do you find yourself concentrating on the chaos, overwhelmed by problems, consumed by circumstances? You are not alone! Worry has become an epidemic. It is a constant companion, and if we are not careful, our bodies and souls will pay a high price. 

In this episode, Jen acknowledges the worries that we face and what we can do with them so that they no longer have power over us.

Busyness and overwhelm can be symptoms of living outside of your calling. Calling is complex, beautiful, and has many aspects. It is about becoming and doing. Sadly, many of us are frustrated because what we are doing is leading us farther away from the person God has created and called us to be.

In this episode, Jen has a candid conversation about this struggle and gives you some questions to consider to help you reconnect with your calling. These include:

Where are my rescuers? Are you someone who tends to come and "save" others from heartache, hardship, even failure? Being the rescuer can be a heavy burden to carry and it can keep others from being the person they were created to be.

Rescuing, which usually comes from a place of care and compassion, often becomes interfering. Our involvement is actually a hindrance to the person, rather than helpful. 

In this episode, Jen talks about her own struggle of giving up being a rescuer and gives you some tips including this powerful question to ask yourself before you get involved:

Would your actions or assistance help that person to be MORE responsible or LESS responsible?

Do you feel the burden and weariness of not being able to gather and connect with others? Are you looking for a place to belong? Even before social distancing was a thing, we were lacking community. Americans were lonelier than ever and if you were in ministry too...well, chances are you didn't have close friendships outside of the church or the ministry organization in which you work.

In this episode, Jen talks about giving up social distancing and getting creative with finding our place and connecting with our people.

We'd love you to join us in the Women in Ministry United community experience! You can find out more and join HERE.

Being stuck stinks. No one likes the feeling of exhaustion and discouragement that comes from spinning your wheels and not getting anywhere. If this is you, don't worry. We've all been there (and if you haven't, it's ok, you will)! There is no tragedy in getting stuck. It happens to the best of us. The problem comes when we don't do anything about it!

In this episode, Jen shares 5 questions to ask yourself when you feel stuck. If you take time to sit with God and these questions, you will gain clarity and begin moving forward.

Do you ever feel like you are failing at being spiritual? Are there times when you struggle concentrating on Jesus? If so, I totally get it! My mind has been all over the place lately. I show up consistently to meet with God and try so hard to "just be" with Him. But then the mind starts turning...and turning...and turning! My body is quite but my thoughts are all over the place.

In this episode, I share my experience over these last few months of being disappointed in my inability to calm the chaos, and the scripture that reminded me that Jesus knows what it's like to be me...He knows what it's like to be you...not just because He made us and has knowledge of everything (which He does) BUT He knows because HE HAS BEEN THERE! He's totally, 100% fully human...just like you and me. So He gets it too!

According to research, roughly ninety-one percent of pastors have experienced some form of burnout. Eighty percent don't last ten years in ministry, and for those that leave, almost ninety percent site burnout as their number one reason to stop.

Burnout is prevalent in ministry, regardless of your position or the organization in which you serve but it is a dangerous trend that very few are talking about. In this episode, Jen has a very candid conversation about the emotional, physical, and spiritual state of women in ministry.

Have you ever gone through a season where you feel as though God is silent? You pray, you seek, you sit, and you just can't hear Him. What's going on? What do you do?

In this episode, Jen shares several key things you can do as you wait to hear Him speak.

Does your gender influence your leadership? Do you have a place around the table? Does your voice carry the same weight as your colleagues? Being a woman in ministry adds a layer of complexity to our calling and it is something we rarely talk about. In this episode, Jen talks about some of the challenges we face as women in ministry.

One of the concerns and objections that I hear from women who want to create a healthy rhythm or boundary is that they are afraid that people won't understand. In this episode, Jen defines the purpose of healthy communication and gives you two sentences to use in order to help people understand what you're doing and why.