Mentoring Program
Connecting new ministers with a seasoned Baptist woman in ministry for mentorship!
Baptist Women in Ministry’s Mentoring Program offers new ministers an opportunity to participate in 18 months of intentional mentoring with a seasoned Baptist minister and a group of peers.
These mentoring groups serve as communities of support, encouragement, and guidance. The BWIM Mentoring program is open to Baptist women who have served in their current area of ministry for less than three years and are ministering in churches, chaplaincy, non-profit work, and other “outside-the-box” ministry settings.
The 2025-2026 program includes:
- Participation in an opening retreat in January 2025 at St. Francis Prayer Center, Stoneville, NC (Near Greensboro, NC).
- Additional small group retreat and/or resources provided.
- Monthly video conversations via digital media
Participants can click this link to read the 2025-2026 BWIM Mentoring Cohort Covenant. Participants must read this form and acknowledge they read it on their application in order to be considered for the program.
Sisters of Solidarity Covenant.
The 2025-2026 cohort has four mentoring groups.
The four groups will include one for pastors, one for associate pastors, one for chaplains (or non-congregational ministers), and one group for women of color. Each group includes one mentor and four participants. The four mentors will be announced in the near future.
A mentee in the pastor’s group wrote this, “This cohort has helped me think through hard decisions, transitions, and the workings of daily ministry life. There is a uniqueness to being a female minister that few can understand. The fact that we got to walk through these difficult days together- by way of wisdom sharing, dreaming, or even venting when necessary- I feel like a strong pastor because of these women.”
Applications due September 13th.
Notifications by October 13th.
Meet the 2024-2025 Cohort:
From left to right: Victoria Blount, Chaplain Resident, WakeMed, Raleigh, NC; Tanya Parks, Co-Pastor, University Baptist Church of Baton Rouge, LA; Sara Turpin, Buechel Park Baptist Church, Louisville, KY; Aleisha Langhorne, Pastor, Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD; Lauryn Everic, Associate Pastor, Grace Baptist Church of Richmond, VA; Madeline Rarick, Pastor, Meadow Oaks Baptist Church, Temple, TX; Katelyn Morris, Associate Pastor Children & Activities, First Baptist Church, Waco, TX; Lauren McDuffie, Senior Pastor, Community Baptist Church, Henderson, KY; Kari Baumann, Children’s Minister, College Park Baptist Church, Greensboro, NC; Joy Howard, Ecclesia Community Church, Waco, TX.
From left to right: Naomi Black Bass, Minister of Youth Connections, First Baptist Church, Anderson, SC; Jennifer Brown, Pastor, University Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, MS; Felisha Johnson, Associate Minister, Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, AL; Hannah Vassar, Minister of Youth and Congregational Connection, Smoke Rise Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, GA; Faith Fitzgerald, Director of Community Health Programs, Hospice of the Chesapeake, Pasadena, MD; Elisabeth Cothran, Pastor, Sandy Plains Baptist Church, Shelby, NC; Devita Parnell, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Morrow, GA; Cara Morgan, Minister to Children and Senior Adults, First Baptist Church of Anderson, SC; Anna Garcia, Minister of Faith Formation & Outreach, Ravensworth Baptist Church, Annandale, VA; Ariel Koener, Minister for Young Families, First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, OK.
Read more about the experiences of the previous participants:
- Reflections on the BWIM Mentoring Program by Julie Pennington-Russell
- Reflections on the BWIM Mentoring Program by Katie Callaway
- Am I My Sister’s Keeper? by Aisha Davis
- We Are a People of Stories: A Reflection on Mentoring by Meg Thomas-Clapp
- No Longer a Newbie: Reflections on Becoming a Mentor by Bianca Robinson Howard
Learn More About the Program
To learn more about the program, the expectations, and the benefits, read the Mentoring Program Cohort Covenant