Less Fluff and More Jesus…
Can you believe we live in a world where a response to all our questions can be produced in a matter of seconds by the small device each of us hold in our hands for the majority of the day? This is still a concept that blows my mind. I can remember when the Encyclopedia Britannica sales person traveled door-to-door selling books that were already out of date before they were even printed. But my mom didn’t care…in 1989 she bought the 33-book set anyway… all so my sister and I could have more information at our fingertips.
As I think about the easy access of information on the internet versus the searching of information in an encyclopedia, I think about the women I have the privilege of leading in my local church. I believe they want the “more” that comes with searching and learning. I believe they want more than the quick blurb of Jesus that an Instagram post can give or the rant a celebrity Christian on TikTok can offer.
Women want more theology…
Women want more authentic relationships with other women…
Women want more in-depth study of God’s word…
Women want more opportunity to search through chapters of Scripture…
Women want more accountability…
Women want more understanding of what it means to be a biblical, growing disciple!
And I don’t think the women at my church are alone in wanting more. Women want the opportunity to search God’s word for greater understanding. They want to know how the Old Testament and the New Testament fit together, and how the Holy Spirit can and should transform the way they live, interact with others, raise their families, and work at their jobs. Women want more of Jesus!
So, the question must be asked…Is your church giving women the opportunity to get more of Jesus, or are you providing another social club where complacency rules? Truthfully, women don’t want another social club…they want more. Is your church a place where women can grow deeper in their understanding of God’s word? Can women learn how to comprehend, interpret, and apply God’s word through opportunities your church offers?
The Protestant church is in the largest decline of female involvement in its history. Generation Z women, aged 18 to 24, are less likely to identify with faith or to believe in a higher power than young men.1 But I don’t believe these statistics have to stay this way. Women want authentic relationships without the fluff of decades past. Women want to know why Jesus is relevant to their life.
1 “Americans are becoming less religious. None more than this group,” USAToday.com, August 14, 2024.
So, I challenge you to be a church where women can learn their identity in Christ…where they can ask questions in a safe place…where they can experience just how relevant God’s Word is to their existence and life. Give women more of what they are looking for…more of JESUS!
Author: Staci Caldwell is the Women’s Minister at Valleydale Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL.
