Every Friday, Baptist Women in Ministry introduces an amazing woman minister, and today we are proud to introduce you to Brittany Riddle.
Brittany, tell us about where you are currently serving in ministry?
I’m in my first call out of seminary, serving as the minister to adults at Vinton Baptist Church in Vinton, Virginia. I have been in Vinton for three-and-a half years—time flies when you’re having fun (and staying busy)! Vinton has been a wonderful place to find my voice and to grow into who God has called me to be as a minister. As minister to adults I get to work alongside people of all ages in the church and community, planning fellowship, discipleship, and spiritual formation opportunities. I can also be found exploring historic sites and places of interest all around the state of Virginia and Eastern part of the country with our active senior adult group. I love the variety of my job!
Who encouraged you as you were discerning a sense of calling?
Discerning a calling to ministry was a winding path for me. So many people have walked this journey with me providing support, encouragement, a shoulder to cry on, challenge, advice, and space to just be me.
Vaughn CroweTipton, the chaplain at Furman University, helped me begin to make sense of my calling in college and continues to be my go-to person for ministry advice and questions today. I was very quiet and shy when I went to college, and though I felt God’s calling in my life, I had a difficult time figuring out what that might look like for someone who was terrified of being in front of other people. Vaughn gave me opportunities to try ministry out in churches and hospital chaplaincy while spending countless hours listening, guiding, helping me find my voice, and discerning where my life story fit in with God’s work in the world. With his support I found myself taking little step after little step towards finding what made me come alive in life and ministry. Experiencing this support so early in my discernment process helped build my confidence and gave me an example of the transformation that could happen when someone met me exactly where I was and didn’t expect me to be someone I wasn’t. Meeting people where they are and accepting them as they are is something I now try to replicate in my own ministry.
How do you nurture your own spiritual development in the midst of ministering to and with others?
I am an introvert, and although I love being with people much of the time, my spirit is often restored in quiet ways. Ever since I was in college I have made it at a weekly practice to write. Sometimes just a few sentences; sometimes many pages. Sometimes a theological reflection; sometimes the cries of my heart. Writing helps me process life and ministry, and reminds me to keep my eyes open for where God is at work in my everyday life.
Recently, making mosaics out of glass tiles has become a meaningful spiritual practice for me. There is something about cutting glass and re-imagining the broken pieces into something new that speaks deeply to my own personal journey.
What is the best ministry advice you have ever received?
I’ve received so much good advice from mentors and ministry friends over the years:
“Trust yourself and the still, small voice of God within you.”
“The good news is, even though you would like to, you don’t need to know the answers to all of your questions today.”
“Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I don’t know.’”
“Protect your day off to the best of your ability.”
Brené Brown’s writing has been particularly influential in my ministry recently. In The Gifts of Imperfection, she writes, “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” I think her words speak deeply to the work we do as ministers. Learning to love ourselves, including the difficult parts of our stories, is the starting point for our being able to extend love, grace, and care to those we serve.