Build Up Your Women Teachers

I (Hannah) slid into the booth and wondered why Elizabeth, a minister at our church, had asked me there. “I heard that you were interested in teaching and I’m putting together a cohort of women. Would you be interested?” she asked. Surprised at how she knew of my desire to teach, I responded with a hearty, “Yes!” That first meeting with Elizabeth turned into a yearlong mentoring and teaching cohort that grew into a friendship. It allowed me to learn from one of the most gifted women on our church’s staff.

 I (Michelle) had a similar experience with one of our pastors. He knew my passion to serve the church, as well as my gifts, and wanted to give me the opportunity to use those wherever possible. One of these gifts was teaching, and he connected me with other leaders who discipled me and gave me opportunities to grow in my gifting.

As we have grown and learned, we realize that not everyone, particularly women with teaching gifts, has received the same such opportunities, but that most churches could provide and foster more welcoming environments for women teachers.

First, we believe most churches do want to invest in their women and provide space for their women to use their giftings, including teaching, for the building up of the church. For women, teaching becomes seemingly more difficult to do within the church walls. Women often sit at round tables decked with paper tablecloths and plastic foliage centerpieces as they watch a video of someone else doing the teaching—Beth Moore perhaps, or Priscilla Shirer. While these incredibly gifted teachers are worth listening to, how much better to create and cultivate a space where you could encourage and mentor your own teachers in your own church context? Beth Moore might not fully speak to your church context, but I’ll bet you can find a longtime, faithful woman in your church who could.

Here are a few simple ways that pastors and church leaders can mentor and elevate women teachers in their churches:

1. Ask Your Women. The simplest thing that our mentors did was ask us if we felt called to teach. Both of us had contemplated and prayed about the call to teach for a long time, but our mentors didn’t know that. We knew of the scarcity of opportunities, but our mentors’ simple asks opened doors. Sometimes we miss out on opportunities simply because we hesitate to ask. Pastors, ask the women in your church if they feel called to teach. Ask your veteran women teachers if they know of others they could mentor. The simplest and easiest way to find out if you have budding teachers in your church—ask!
   
   
2. Mentor Your Teachers. None of our mentors threw us to the wolves and said, “Good luck!” My (Hannah) mentor coached me for a year in our cohort of four women before I stood in front of anyone at church to teach. Her doing so allowed me to learn and Elizabeth to help guide me in lesson planning, teaching style, and craft. The mentoring occurred regularly. We read through books together. We watched other teachers together to learn from them. She had me create short lessons first and gave immediate feedback. Eventually, I taught longer lessons and received instantaneous feedback from her and the other women in the cohort. These interactions allowed Elizabeth to see me in a teaching role and to see what areas needed correction or guidance. It also allowed her to view how I lived my life as a believer before I stepped forward as a teacher to others in the church.
   
   
3. Create a Space for Your Teachers. Creating opportunities is sometimes the hardest thing to do in a church. My (Michelle) mentor brought me into a class she taught and invited me to teach it. She gave up her spotlight to give me the opportunity to grow. Her doing so communicated trust to our people and built my confidence while still lending to her guidance. Now I hold the position of lead teacher in my own learning environment, where I have the opportunity to bring in other teachers to use their gifts as well. This models discipleship, allowing the body to use their giftings for the flourishing of God’s people.
   
   
4. Teach Your Women to Encourage Others. In a world filled with influencers, platforms, and mega celebrities, a teacher can find it easy to compare. The rookie needs encouragement to continue to operate in her gifting. And beyond that, she needs to see the encouragement modeled from her mentor teacher so that she, too, can eventually mentor and elevate the women behind her. Learning to encourage and uplift other women creates an offensive to enemy lies and builds a resistance toward feelings of jealousy or inadequacy (imposter syndrome, anyone?) that can so easily creep in. No one has time for jealousy when you focus on cheering for someone else…and you know, it’s more joyful too!

Cultivating the women teachers in your local church context can benefit your church as a whole. It shows your women teachers that others see and value them. Giving them opportunities also shows the women and men in your church that you will invest in and build up leaders and teachers. Building up your women teachers shows your church’s seriousness about using spiritual gifts for the building up of the body.