July 2022 News from BWIM

BWIM ANNUAL GATHERING 2022

Highlights from BWIM Annual Gathering

Whether you were with us in-person, in a Zoom watch party, or streamed online, we hope you were as inspired as we were at the 2022 BWIM Annual Gathering. We enjoyed fellowship, celebrating our award winners, and worshipping together. If you missed it, you can catch up by clicking the links below:

Addie Davis Award Winners Video

Church of Excellence and Frankie Huff Granger Distinguished Mentor Video

BWIM Annual Gathering Worship Service with Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart preaching

The State of Women in Baptist Life Report 2021 was published and presented on June 21st!

Follow the link to read the full report and watch the webinar release which highlighted and provided analysis on some of the most important statistics in the report.

You or your organization can also order print copies of the report by following the link below. Individuals receive 1 free copy and can order up to 5 more for a donation of $20. Organizations receive 5 free copies and can order up to 10 more for a donation of $35.

Click to Find Out More

Respond the the State of Women in Baptist Life Report

Are you a supporter of women in ministry? Your church or organization can respond to the report by going through the "Discussion Guide" together. The guide will prompt you to consider how the experiences of women in ministry in the report might be reflected in your own community, and the guide will invite you to take action to make your community a place where women are better able to thrive.

Are you a woman in ministry? Follow the link below to find the "Reading Guide," which is a tool created for women in ministry to use as they as they read the report. The guide will invite you to reflect on your own experiences in light of the report's findings.

Download the Discussion Guide

Download the Reading Guide

Leadership Team Gratitude

We are so grateful for our Leadership Team, especially those who are rotating off this summer. These leaders have sustained BWIM in days of transition and have done immeasurably more than they thought would be asked of them. For their sacrifices, leadership, voices, presence, guidance, and unwavering support, we are truly grateful.

Top left: Ossie X. McKinney, Minister of Music, Providence Missionary Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA

Top right: Micah Pritchett, Pastor, North Broad Baptist Church, Rome, GA

Bottom left: Ashton Wells, Associate Director, Development, American Cancer Society, Kansas City, MO

Bottom right :Tripp Martin, Pastor, Auburn First Baptist Church, Auburn, AL

BWIM has partnered with Baptist News Global (BNG) to celebrate and promote the strong writing voices of women! BWIM is advocating for women's equal representation in Baptist media by uplifting women's writing and encouraging women's increased participation in shaping Baptist life, culture, and theology.

As a result of this partnership, over 30 articles written by women have been published by BNG!

Recently, women have been writing in response to the State of Women in Baptist Life Report. Molly Brummett Wudel responded to the report's statistics from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Hannah Coe responded to the obstacles faced by women in ministry in relation to current events about women's bodies. Amanda Clark wrote about her prayer for the future of women's ordinations in Baptist churches.

To read these articles and others and to find out more about BWIM's partnership, click here. If you are interested in becoming a potential writer for BNG, email Laura Ellis for more information at lauraellis@bwim.info

Learn More Here

MINISTRY TRANSITIONS

Sarah Boberg, program coordinator for the boundary spanning leadership Lilly grant, Campbell University Divinity School, Buies Creek, NC.

April Kennedy, minister for abundant community, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Richmond, VA.

Mia Michelle McClain, pastor, Riverside Baptist Church, Washington, DC.

Claire Sang, ministries coordinator, Augusta Road Baptist Church, Greenville, SC.

Rachel Tate Yattor, kids minister, First Baptist Lorena, Lorena, TX.

ORDINATIONS

We Want To Celebrate Your Ordination!

If you know a Baptist woman who has been ordained or will be ordained, please email names and pictures (if possible) to lynnbrinkley@bwim.info. BWIM wants to share in celebrating congregational affirmation of all women in ministry, and it helps us to keep records of all of the women in Baptist life who are ordained.

RECENT ORDINATIONS:

Jeanette Cody was ordained by Greenforest Community Baptist Church in Decatur, GA, June 16.

Arthurine Wright (pictured) was ordained by Greenforest Community Baptist Church in Decatur, GA, June 16.

OPEN POSITIONS

For over a decade, BWIM has curated a list of open ministry positions that we included in our monthly newsletter. Since the way churches and organizations publicize open ministry positions changes, we have changed the way we connect women with job postings as well.

We are now posting full information online for any church/organization who contacts us directly with information about their open position so that candidates can have access to the information as soon as we have it.

Find positions posted with BWIM HERE!

The remaining positions that we have traditionally included on our list have been gathered from job boards of denominational groups, theological schools, and Baptist press. On the page linked above, we also have a list of all of these websites.

We would encourage any Baptist woman in ministry looking for a position to check these job boards regularly as not all churches /organizations contact BWIM directly. But we would also encourage women to do research and be discerning about which positions are truly open to women candidates. Candidates are welcome to contact BWIM about any position posted on our website, but also about any position found on another ministry job board. If we do not have additional information to provide, we will do our best to connect you with someone who might be able to help in your discernment as to whether or not a position is an opportunity where a woman could thrive.