Redemption: Women and Men in Leadership

I love Jesus, and I love his church. I love his gospel which is good news for ALL who have faith to believe—Jews and Gentiles, male and female, slave and master. We are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:29). This oneness or unity with himself and with each other was the “very good” plan of God from the beginning of our time. And it was the reality of his kingdom on earth before The Fall of humankind, or what is also known as the “original sin” of disobeying God as recorded in Genesis Chapter 3. This disobedience of the first Adam, as representative of all humankind, tainted all of creation and caused division between humans and our creator, God, and distorted our relationships with each other. Specifically, the original sin caused division between Adam and his wife, Eve, and we have been living with the consequences of that division ever since.

But there is good news! Christ has come. As a result of the freedom from the bondage of sin and death, and the grace and love that Christ freely offers, we—as the people of God—can live as redeemed humans, in proper love and devotion to God, and in fellowship and harmony with each other. This is the reconciliation that Christ offers us. I firmly believe that this gospel of reconciliation brings unity among the people of God to restore the brokenness between males and females, generational divisions, divisions among the powerful and those with less power, and even the divisions we have among racial, ethnic, and cultural lines.

My dear friend and prayer partner, Suzanne Burden, has a heart for gender reconciliation in the church. She is the author of the book, Reclaiming Eve: The Identity & Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God.  She also serves as the Discipleship Pastor as Three Rivers Wesleyan Church.

In her most recent presentation as Taylor University, she boldly, passionately, and humbly shares about the importance of men and women working together to advance the kingdom of God. As a woman with the gift of leadership, and as someone who has benefited immensely from the mentorship and partnership of both men and women, this topic is of great importance to me. I hope you will be blessed by it as well.