In Depth:  women

Two hundred women gathered for the sold-out ‘Women for Mission’ (WfM) Conference organised by the Free Church of Scotland which took place at Culloden-Balloch Baptist Church, Inverness.

The first conference of its kind since 2018, ‘it was a real joy to have a wide age range of participants, including babes in arms whose behaviour was exemplary throughout the whole event,’ the FCoS website reports. ‘We were privileged to have as our main speaker Helen Thorne, Director of Training and Resources at Biblical Counselling UK, and author of a number of books.’

The Reformation Fellowship has hosted its second theological conference for women. The subject of the conference was ‘What is a Woman? A Biblical Theology’ led by Dr Ros Clarke, who was the keynote speaker.

Dr Clarke, associate director of Church Society and adjunct lecturer at Union School of Theology, outlined a Biblical theology of woman from creation and revelation to salvation. Clarke carefully defined woman as ‘a human being, created by God for the purposes of revealing (together with men) what God is like, showing us how God loves and saves us, and what the eternal woman, the bride of Christ will be like.’ From this a typology of unfaithful Israel and redeemed Zion as bride of the Lord was developed.

A new network for complementarian women in Anglican ministry in the UK is being launched under the auspices of Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidstone.

The organisation, called Co-Workers, will offer online groups, opportunities for mentoring, chances to share experiences, and information about training and employment opportunities for women. There will also be the opportunity to join occasional discussions and seminars on relevant subjects.

More than 100 women have enjoyed two special retreats organised by the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC). Women’s Ministry Co-ordinators, Rachel Sloan and Elinor Magowan report:

We prayerfully crafted two retreats for women serving in FIEC churches. In ‘normal times’ these retreats – Thrive, for women in ministry, and Ministry Wives’ Retreat, for wives of men in ministry – would be in-person and held at a retreat centre. This year they were each two days in length, mainly on Zoom and all ‘at home’.

Emily Lucas

The Reformation Fellowship has hosted its first Theological Conference for Women, with over 150 joining on Zoom from around the world, including the Philippines and America. ‘The Fear of the Lord’ conference opened with a seminar by Union’s President and Professor of Theology, Mike Reeves.

Many women are used to speaking of a desire to walk in fear of the Lord, of using the phraseology and seeking to live this life of wisdom. However, to speak of fear in association with God can also breed wrongful association, particularly as we live in a culture, as Reeves describes, that is ‘allergic to fear’. Reeves gave a rich, refreshing recapturing of the true sense of what it means to have and live in fear of the Lord. Drawing on his recently published Rejoice and Tremble, Reeves passionately and eloquently refreshed the hearts of the saints attending with the truth that the fear of God, true saintly fear of God, is the Bible’s great balm for today’s fears and anxieties.

Gifted women should be more widely recognised in FIEC churches, a key figure in the network says.

Elisabeth Smyth recently retired after more than 20 years of service with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).

Thrive, an FIEC Women in Ministry conference, was held at Glenfall House, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, in mid-June.

Unsure of what to expect, I met servant-hearted women, serving sacrificially in their churches and relying on God. I came away with fresh ideas, helpful resources and new friends.

Karen Soole

There is one conversation that is repeated often; it is the one about what women can’t do in ministry.

Media hostility has increased towards those who believe the Bible teaches comple-mentarianism, because restricting church leadership to men is considered unjust. The underlying implication is that women who teach women are inferior and succumbing to the second best option. With this in mind, the North West Gospel Partnership decided that the time had come to encourage women in the ministries that they can do.