There are three key qualities of Christian women leaders. Leadership begins with finding connection with God through Contemplation. It gains clarity and purpose with Conviction. There is one more essential quality: Courage. Women leaders need courage at every stage of our journeys. Courage is essential for every godly leader to reach her full potential. But courage is probably not what you think it is, and you’ll need it in surprising situations. Read on to discover what you need to know about this vital attribute, including some practices that will help you to have a courageous heart, no matter what struggles you face.

Overcoming Gender-based Criticism

I believe that women leaders in the church need courage even more than men do. This isn’t because women are naturally weak or lacking in courage, they are not! Women need courage more because the obstacles they face are greater. The weight of history rests heavily on women, with all the centuries of painful exclusion that have gone before. Many church structures and traditions still exclude many women. Also, church cultures often have unconscious bias even when their doctrinal position supports women to become leaders. These roadblocks, however, are not the greatest challenges facing women. You will need courage most in the every day, and when you least expect it. Here is an example of one weird little incident when I needed a dose of courage:

In my early days of working as a minister, I gave a message at a small church service. Afterwards, a man approached and asked my opinion on an obscure doctrinal question, something really controversial. I replied that I did not share his view, and suggested a verse to show why. The man furiously exclaimed, “Well! Women shouldn’t preach, the Bible says so!” and stormed off. It was a petty attack that read like trying to win a doctrinal argument by undermining my validity as a minister and preacher. Now I have a chuckle when remembering this incident. Any one undermining incident is not a big deal in the scheme of things, but they do mount up over time. I’ve heard many stories much worse than this one. We women leaders need courage because question marks over our legitimacy can crop up unexpectedly. They can be confidence-destroying, especially over time.

Courage is Not What You Might Think.

In the ups and downs of everyday life our emotions come and go. Beyond the emotional rollercoaster are the external challenges that crop up, some big, some small. It’s impossible to control external challenges, and it’s also very difficult if not impossible to control our emotional reactions. So we need something that cuts through negative situations, both emotional and external. The something we need is courage. Emotions are hard to control, but courage is not an emotion. It is a choice we can make, even if we are emotionally or situationally challenged! At any given moment we might not feel brave, bold or enthusiastic. We might face strong opposition. Courage is the decision to stick with the plan. It prompts us to keep moving forward every day. So, this is my definition of courage:

Courage is the decision to keep doing what’s important, even when it’s hard.

Gospel women

You don’t have to dredge up courage from somewhere. It’s not an emotion. Courage is something we “take” that is always available to those of us with strong conviction. Ultimately it is founded on an unshakeable confidence in the immovable Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ.

When Women Need Strength Most.

The big external forces like church policy and individual attacks do indeed challenge us. Yet, internal challenges are persistent every day obstacles. The times I’ve had to dig deepest into the storehouse of faith have not often been in times of crisis or conflict with others. They have been when I have had to face my own internal struggles. Women leaders need courage in times of internal conflict like these:

Making a Start – You might be wondering what you can do to serve God. Is it scary to pray for insight about this? When you open yourself up to hearing God He might reveal something difficult you’d rather not face. It takes courage. Make a decision to seek God, and stick with it. It might take a while to hear from God, but once you decide, your anxiety about it will fade away.

Facing the Unknown – It’s hard to follow Jesus without knowing the final destination. God may not give you a neat itinerary to follow! Rather he asks you to take a walk of faith that is illuminated one step at a time. It’s an adventure to take this journey with God. With courage, you can enjoy the gradual unfolding of God’s plan in your life.

Periods of Stress – It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the many new experiences that come when you serve God. You might lie awake at night worrying about things you’ve never experienced before. Courage makes it possible to keep doing the things you need to do. Try slowing down and taking time for your spiritual practice. It will build your courage as you tackle the stresses of leadership.

Times of Change – Just when you think you’re on an easy track, everything can change. It takes courage to be flexible. Take courage and learn to appreciate the refreshing innovations of the Holy Spirit, even if change is challenging at first. Your regular spiritual practice will keep you agile for whatever is coming next.

Nagging Self Doubts – It’s true…you probably don’t have all the skills you need. You need to grow in character and in the practice of your gifts. Everyone does! Take courage from leaders in scripture. We have a cloud of witnesses to encourage us in our moments of struggle and doubt. Again, spiritual practice like prayer, meditation and study of scripture are all things that build courage.

…the work of each builder will become visible, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.  (1 Corinthians 3:13 NRSVUE)

Did you read that verse and think, “I don’t want to do anything that might fail”? If so, you’re like me. I like to do things well. I’m afraid of making mistakes. The passage could discourage me, but courage allows me to be inspired instead. It takes courage to let our work for God be refined in fire, no doubt about it. So, what helps us to have courage?

Find Your Courage to Lead

The first support we need is theological. We women who want to serve God need to have the foundational assurance that we are in tune with the Bible. If you still have niggling doubts about what a woman in the church can and can’t do, make it a priority to get answers to your questions. You might like to investigate further with this very helpful website by Marg Mowczko, a wonderful New Testament scholar.

The second thing that will support your courage is something I’m always talking about: spending time in God’s presence. A solid spiritual practice is absolutely essential. It’s a big subject, you can find out more about why I recommend it in this earlier article on contemplation.

One contemplative practice that has been a game-changer for me is faith journaling. It has allowed me to take courage from God’s revelations to me over time. In times of discouragement, I leaf back through my journals and re-discover God’s faithfulness. It helps me to overcome self-doubt and restores my conviction to follow God, even when outside challenges are making me doubt my work for God. Find out more in this article on the practice of faith journaling here.

Finally, gain courage by establishing connections with strong women (and men) of faith. Serving God can be lonely, but it shouldn’t be. We are called to build one another up. Even if you’re someone who is already serving God, it’s important to have a mentor to guide and support you throughout your life of service, as well as a peer group of other servants of God. Besides their valuable insight, you will be blessed to know you’re not alone.

It Takes Courage to be a Woman Who Leads

Leadership sounds difficult, and you might tell yourself, “that’s not for me. I’m not a leader.” I used to think that way. Then I realized that in fact, we are all called to serve Jesus. When Jesus gave the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20), he wasn’t commanding a few people to go into all the world. He was telling all his people to go into all the world. That stands for you and me as well.

Fulfilling that calling sometimes seems like an extraordinary challenge, but in fact, it is also ordinary. Courage is most needed in the every day pursuit of a life. Strangely enough, it’s in the daily normal activities that courage is most needed.

I learned a lesson about this through my painting practice. This year I started painting landscapes for the first time. One day I realized something interesting. There is always a moment when I am part way through a piece and I suddenly lose faith in it. It’s not new and exciting anymore. It has issues that need solving. It just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and I don’t know how to improve it. At that moment I could just paint over it, or rip the page out. But if I take courage and choose to push through, it will get better. Truly, the little moments are the defining ones. A lifetime of making small courageous decisions is just as important as dealing with the dramatic moments. What matters is to make a start and keep going, one decision at a time.

You Already Have What It Takes to Be a Leader.

Women leaders need courage to follow Jesus. That is not unusual. Courage is exactly what it takes for anyone to follow Jesus. We are called to be noble people who face into the struggles because we have a great hope set before us. Woman of God, you have what it takes to lead, because you have a courageous Savior who has gone before you. He is calling you to follow him. He is the one who will strengthen you for the big decisions, and the little ones, as you follow him every day.

How about you? Have you faced with obstacles in your leadership journey as a Christian woman? We’d love to hear your story! Your insights help us to understand what women leaders need to fulfil their potential. You can share your thoughts by getting in touch using the form below. Thank you and God bless.

---

Has this article inspired you to realise the great potential our Lord has placed in you? Jesus showed women how much he loves them, and how he welcomes them to participate in his work here on earth. If you’d like to find out more about that, sign up for our devotional series on the Women of Luke 8 here.