Awards

The Addie Davis Awards

Baptist Women in Ministry established the Addie Davis Awards in 1995 to honor Addie Davis, the first Southern Baptist woman ordained to the gospel ministry.

These awards are also a way for BWIM to give public recognition to gifted women seminarians. That year and in the years since, BWIM has requested nominations for the awards from Baptist seminaries, divinity schools, and houses of study. Each theological institution is asked to nominated two women students: one for the Addie Davis Awards for Excellence in Preaching and one for the Addie Davis Award for Outstanding Leadership in Pastoral Ministry.

Distinguished Mentor Award

Each year, Baptist Women in Ministry honors a mentor who has supported and empowered women called to ministry to use their gifts in service of the church with the Frankie Huff Granger Distinguished Mentor Award.

Established in 2013, the award honors the legacy and ministry of Frankie Huff Granger who served at First Baptist Church, Berea, South Carolina for over 20 years. Frankie’s legacy includes leadership that extends beyond her congregation across the landscape of Baptist ministers in the 1970s and 1980s. However, her greatest gift was serving as a mentor to young women who were discerning their callings from God, and as an example and role model when few women ministers to fill that role could be found.

The work of Baptist Women in Ministry and the service of women ministers among Baptists would not be possible without mentors who walk alongside, listen, love, affirm, encourage, equip, and nudge women new to ministry to use their gifts for the beloved community of God.

Church of Excellence Award

Each year Baptist Women in Ministry recognizes a Church of Excellence who has gone above and beyond in its encouragement of women ministers and leaders.

Churches have always been at the center of the Baptist movement toward affirming women in ministry. As Christ followers who uphold the autonomy of the local church, no authoritative hierarchical body exists who can compel churches to make changes to their leadership structures so that women are included. Instead, furthering the cause of affirming and elevating women in
ministry has required brave actions to be taken by individual churches and their leaders, and these actions have, at times, involved great cost.

The Baptist Women in Ministry Church of Excellence Award was established in 2013 to honor churches who have taken bold, intentional, and consistent actions toward affirming, empowering, and providing opportunities for women ministers and leaders.

The work of Baptist Women in Ministry and the service of women ministers among Baptists would not be possible without churches who have nurtured the faith of women of all ages, affirmed women’s callings and giftedness, blessed and ordained women as ministers, called women to serve in their midst, commissioned and sent women out to serve in the world, and who have stood alongside this organization and encouraged our work with their prayers and contributions.