Shared Learning Experiences
Women need opportunities to learn and engage in continuing education experiences that are created by women to meet the unique needs of women.
Baptist Women in Ministry seeks to facilitate shared learning experiences to meet these needs.
Currently these opportunities take the form of Book Clubs and Lunch and Learn sessions. In the coming months, we are working to create more opportunities for women to grow their leadership, ministry skills, and theological perspectives in community with one another.
Book Clubs
Every spring and summer, BWIM hosts book clubs featuring different books written by women authors and engaging subjects related to women in ministry, leadership, and theology.
Book clubs normally meet once a week for 3-4 weeks, and often include a session with the author! Book clubs are also open to men who are supporters of women in ministry to learn more.
Fall 2024 Book Club
Sacred Self Care
Chanequa Walker-Barnes
Meets on Zoom Every Tuesday in October starting October 8th
6:00 PM Eastern / 5:00 PM Central
Taking care of ourselves is essential, and lately, we’ve started to pay more attention to the ways our physical bodies need and deserve nourishment. But we are not just bodies, we sacred beings, and our souls need just as much care and attention to be healthy.
As a clinical psychologist, pastor, and activist, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes has studied and worked with clients, clergy, seminary faculty, faith-based activists, and others to encourage them to think of self-care as both a divine right and a sacred obligation. She has developed a seven-week guide gathering activities, habits, disciplines, and practices that promote spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and relational wholeness.
Each day includes a story alongside short and simple prompts and scripture passages that help us shift behaviors in the short term and create lifelong habits. Each week walks readers through the following areas:
- Mastering the Self-Care Fundamentals
- Practicing Self-Compassion
- Setting Healthy Boundaries
- Caring for Our Emotional Selves
- Caring for Our Minds
- Practicing Self-Care as a Way of Life
Also included is an inventory for identifying areas you may need to focus on, and a “Rule of Life” guide to help you direct your self-care practice and maintain it throughout the year. Inspiring and practical, ruminative and actionable, Sacred Self-Care invites us on a journey to craft a sustainable self-care practice to care for our whole selves.
Registration Closes September 24th!
Books we have previously discussed include:
Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women’s Humanity from Evangelicalism (Apocryphile Press, 2023).
When God Whispered My Name: Stories of Journey by Baptist Women Called to Ministry (Smyth & Hewys, 2022).
Aurelia Pratt, A Brown Girl’s Epiphany: Reclaim Your Intuition and Step Into Your Power (Broadleaf Books, 2022).
Candace Marie Benbow, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough (Convergent Books, 2022).
Yolanda Pierce, In My Grandmother’s House: Black Women, Faith and the Stories We Inherit (Broadleaf Books, 2021).
Joanne Lipman, That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together (William Morrow, 2018).
Lunch & Learn Sessions
Each year BWIM offers 2-4 Lunch and Learn sessions for current and former participants of our mentoring program.
These sessions feature guest speakers who share about resources, ministry tools, or experiences of value to women in ministry and leadership. Topics have included financial literacy, using the enneagram in ministry, and self-care.
September 2024 Lunch and Learn
📅 Tuesday, September 3, 2024 12 pm EST
👩🏿💻Presenter: Rev. LaThelma Yenn-Batah, Executive Director of American Baptist Women’s Ministries
Design Thinking and Innovation for Ministry Growth
Are you ready to transform your ministry with fresh ideas and innovative approaches? Join Baptist Women in Ministry for an engaging workshop on Design Thinking and Innovation, specifically tailored for women leaders dedicated to strengthening and growing their ministries. In this interactive session, we will explore the principles of design thinking—a human-centered approach to problem-solving that fosters creativity and collaboration.
You will learn how to:
- Identify and understand the unique needs of your community
- Generate and prototype innovative solutions to address those needs
- Implement and iterate on new ideas to maximize impact and sustainability Through hands-on activities, real-world examples, and collaborative exercises, you will gain practical tools and strategies to infuse your ministry with creativity and forward-thinking solutions.
Whether you are looking to enhance existing programs or launch new initiatives, this workshop will equip you with the skills to lead with vision and innovation. Come prepared to think outside the box, challenge the status quo, and leave inspired to make a lasting difference in your ministry and beyond.