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Scott tells Christian women:
- Your life matters. Like Roosevelt said, we can learn from our ancestors, from Christian women who dared mighty things and brought about massive cultural reform.
- You are gifted and called. The Lord can do more than you can possibly imagine through your life.
- You are needed. The same problems that confronted the women of the nineteenth century confront us today.
The first challenge for most Christian women is believing they are a leader, who has gifts and whom God wants to use as a force for good.
Sometimes the mightiest thing you can do is to do that which seems very small: dare to dream big dreams. Dare to believe that you can make a difference.
The world hurts because far too many Christian women expect far too little of themselves, and their small expectations are no match for the world’s great need. In her book Half the Church, Carolyn Custis James laments the “anorexic spiritual diet” of so many Christian women and the “small visions” they hold about God’s purposes for themselves.
All Christians, including women, have a responsibility to exercise and steward their giftedness. 
WHAT IS LEADERSHIP?
The Master [Leader] doesn’t talk, he acts. When his work is done, the people say, “Amazing! We did it — all by ourselves!” — Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
In a survey of scholarly literature written from 1900 to 1990, leadership scholar Joseph Rost discovered 221 distinctive definitions of leadership in 587 books and journal articles. Consider these definitions of leadership:
- Peter Drucker: The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.
- John Maxwell: Leadership is influence — nothing more, nothing less.
- Peter Northouse: Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.
- Rosabeth Moss Kanter: Leadership is that which leaves the world a better and different place, that is you lead people in new directions, to solve problems and make new things happen. You stretch people to achieve things they didn’t think were possible.
- Filomena Chioma Steady: Effective and transformative leadership is one that derives from the values inherent in the architecture, ideology, and symbolism of motherhood . . . mothering the nation tends to convey the idea of diffused and restorative power.
- Martha Zurita: A leader is anyone with a vision who understands and voices the needs of the community, develops a constituency, and facilitates the involvement and development of others to bring about social change.
- George Barna: A Christian leader is someone who is called by God to lead; leads with and through Christlike character; and demonstrates the functional competencies that permit effective leadership to take place.
- Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges: Leadership is a process of influence. Anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of people in their personal lives, you are taking on the role of a leader.
- Robert Clinton: The central task of leadership is influencing God’s people towards God’s purposes.
- Henry and Richard Blackaby: Leadership is moving people on to God’s agenda.
As political analyst Dee Dee Myers wrote, “I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn’t.”
The metaphor of “shepherd as leader” remains as valid today as it did in the time of Moses or Hammurabi. In his book Shepherds After My Own Heart, Timothy Laniak identifies four duties of the shepherd:
- Presence: The first duty of the shepherd was to be present, and not just physically present but attentively, mindfully present to the flock under his care. As Proverbs 27:23 advises, “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds.”
- Protection: In the beloved Psalm 23:4, we read of the emotional and psychological results of the shepherd’s protection: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [the land of many dangers], I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
- Provision: The third duty of the shepherd was to provide food, water, and rest.
- Guidance: The fourth duty of the shepherd was to guide the flock. Sheep are typically led from in front, but they are occasionally driven from behind according to the shepherd’s plan.
The secular definition of leadership as “a process of influence” and the four tasks of the shepherd-leader are often viewed as essentially masculine tasks—associating “leadership” and “shepherding” as exclusively male domains. Therefore, women in the twenty-first century often hide their giftedness or abilities. In the late eighteenth century, Jane Austen incisively wrote, “A woman, especially, if she has the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.” Women learn early to hide their abilities. In a study of gifted adolescents, researchers found that 65 percent of girls consistently hide their talents.
When women shrink to fit others’ expectations by hiding or denying their gifts, they fail to reach their full potential. This acronym for shame seems to fit: Satan Hammering At Me Endlessly.
CALLING: WHAT IS MY LIFE FOR?
For female Christian leaders, the first obstacle is discerning, with crystal clarity, the calling God has placed upon them.
We should note that women are as likely as men to be gifted with any of the spiritual gifts — including preaching, teaching, and leadership. Women also have an equal responsibility to mindfully steward that gifting, ensuring they are not allowing it to fade in strength because of neglect (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).
To discern a calling, take the following steps:
- Take stock of your spiritual and natural gifts.
- Pay attention to what moves you. What are the issues that most often grip your mind, the ones that seem to always be percolating on the back burner? In his book Beyond Words, Frederick Buechner poignantly advises, “Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention. They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where . . . you should go next.”
- Listen to the counsel of wise advisors. Our mentors, parents, teachers, peers, and other family members can often be reliable guides to discern our calling. Sometimes we cannot discern our call because we are too close to it, and wise advisors provide a neutral, bird’s-eye view.
- Seek God’s will. Search the Scriptures and saturate your mind with His word. Maintain regular times for prayer.
You know too the kind of people the Lord chose when he began his earthly ministry. Fishermen. Tax collectors. Ordinary. That’s the way the Lord is. He uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS (NOT BEING EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE)
In the face of unparalleled growth in educational opportunities, greater financial stability, and progress in the work sphere, women are unhappier than they were pre-1970. Marcus Buckingham summarizes it this way: “Wherever researchers have been able to collect reliable data on happiness, the finding is always the same: greater educational, political, and employment opportunities have corresponded to decreases in life happiness for women, as compared to men.”
EXPECT LESS
Expecting less of ourselves and of the situations life presents to us seems counterintuitive, especially given Western society’s entrenched attitudes about expecting more. Single or married, American or African, women expect a lot of themselves in most areas of their lives. Scott notes that before she became a work-at-home mom, each week she would analyze her time according to six different roles: spiritual, physical, home, wife, mother, and ministry/work.
Research indicates that over 80 percent of women over the age of eighteen do not like what they see in the mirror. This statistic is probably skewed toward Caucasian women since black and Asian women tend to have more positive self-esteem. When asked what their most important role in life is, the overwhelming majority of women (62%) cite being a mother or a parent. Being a follower of Christ ranked a far second (13%).
Envy is the enemy of contentment, and it’s born in the act of comparing ourselves with others. Saint Augustine defined envy as “dissatisfaction with our place in God’s order of creation, manifested in begrudging his gifts and vocations to others.” As author Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira said, “I’ve found the biggest trigger of my own mommy guilt is comparison. The second I stop focusing on the mom and woman God created me to be and start measuring myself against other moms (and women), it leaves all sorts of room for guilt. All I see are the ways I don’t measure up to others. I forget to see all the ways I excel — in line with my gifts and experience and calling.”
IRON LADIES: ARE YOU A GOOD LEADER OR A GOOD WOMAN?
When women display the desirable leadership traits — confident, competent, assertive, and bold — they cease to be viewed as warm and caring and instead are perceived as tough, aggressive, and domineering. This creates a double bind, because if women act in ways consistent with gender stereotypes, they are not viewed as competent leaders, but if they act in ways consistent with good leaders, they are not liked. In political circles, these women are called “iron ladies.”
Tami Heim, CEO of the Christian Leadership Alliance, recommends that women adopt an approach called “the velvet brick approach,” a blend of “strong decision and compassion. It requires a leader to have a healthy heart, a heart that’s really centered on who you are, what you’ve been called to do, and the people who are within that calling. Tough news is tough news . . . but the strength of your decision and the way you communicate it comes from a deep-seated belief that you’re doing the right thing, not from the fact that you’re the boss.”
In the United States, where it was once “considered unseemly for a woman to vote, or even to assert her right to vote, women now constitute over half of the electorate and occupy many of the nation’s highest offices.” The graph of Hillary Clinton’s favorability ratings looks like the tracks of the Magic Mountain roller coaster at Six Flags, but a curious thing happens when you match the graph to a timeline of events: when Hillary is succeeding, people like her less, not more. Her favorability tumbled when she announced her intention to run for senate and again when she ran for president. When she cried on the presidential campaign trail, her likability spiked, and ever since she lost the presidential nomination, her likability has slowly increased. And that, in a nutshell, is the double bind, the catch-22 for all female leaders: to succeed, you need to be liked, and to be liked, you need to temper your success.
And yet, women are still underrepresented in both the public and private sectors, especially when it comes to upper levels of leadership. Without proactive strategies that are designed to identify and develop future female leaders, the leadership pipeline will likely run dry.
LOCKED DOORS AND DETOURS ON LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES
For women, the path to ministry is littered with obstacles, and limited opportunities only make the trail more difficult. There are times when it is tempting to quit. But can any locked door keep God out? Can any missed ministry opportunity prevent God from working in your life?
If women are faithful in their response to resistance and rejection, if they continue to press forward though they are tempted to retreat, they will be rewarded with the blessing of knowing they have made a difference in the lives of others.
Fall seven times; stand up eight. — Japanese proverb
MEN AND WOMEN AS CO-LABORERS AND ALLIES
Men and women can approach cross-gender relationships as co-laborers and allies. Their are four foundational ways we can build effective relationships in churches and Christian organizations:
- Establish clear corporate thinking about men, women, sexuality, and cross-gender ministry. In our highly sexualized culture, women are often portrayed as little more than sex objects and men as animals who can’t control themselves. In contrast to this narrative, Christians can model appropriate, God-honoring cross-gender relationships in which women are treated as sisters worthy of dignity and men as respected brothers. Men can put aside their fears and help women in the workplace; women can be sure they act in appropriate, God-honoring ways.
- Establish clear, wise boundaries in advance.
- Ensure that you are spiritually healthy and remain connected to the Lord. Stay close to the Lord through the Word and through prayer. Practice the disciplines.
- Implement strategic organizational policies that bolster women’s development as leaders. Create a mentoring culture by establishing a formal mentoring program. Design a system to pair senior members with junior members, a formal professional development plan to set goals for the mentoring relationship, and a method to monitor the program.
LIVE WELL, LOVE WELL, LEAD WELL
When Stephen Covey examined leadership literature for his doctorate program, he found a curious thing: after World War II, people started caring less about character and more about personality. According to Covey, a character ethic “taught that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character,” while for the personality ethic, success was “a function of personality, of public image, of attitudes and behaviors, skills and techniques, that lubricate the processes of human interaction.”
Ultimately, we are looking for leaders who have the chutzpah to admit their failures, mistakes, and questions. We are looking not for perfect leaders but for leaders who really want to be good through and through, and who, like King David, are willing to publicly demonstrate real repentance when they fail. Maybe we want authentic leaders who can admit that the Christian life isn’t always contemporary-Christian-music-cookie-cutter-perfect.
A culture of candor demands we be people of the Word and honest about moral failure. Female leaders need to commit to continual spiritual growth through the cultivation of the virtues by practicing spiritual disciplines. This is the hardest part of leadership, for the hardest person to lead is oneself.
Faith impacts our leadership in at least these three ways:
- Faith is the grounding of the leader’s personal relationship with God.
- Faith helps leaders persevere in their calling when the call becomes difficult.
- Hope keeps us from despair, and for this reason, leaders must have a tremendous capacity for hope. While faith and hope are both necessary virtues for this life, they will pass away in the next, for our faith will be confirmed and our hopes realized. But love is a virtue for both this life and the next. Love is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
There are three reasons why love is a core virtue for Christian leaders:
- Love motivates us to accomplish God’s purposes for ourselves and for others.
- Love rightly orients us. We are to seek leadership not for power or personal gain but because of our love for others and the commitment to ensure their well-being.
- Love enables us to see people the way the Lord sees them and gives us the capability to love them as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31).
Leaders also need the virtue of justice. When justice is carefully cultivated in the life of the leader, the leader strives for the common good (as opposed to their own good), faithfully fulfilling their obligations to their employer and those they lead. They treat others with dignity and respect in all circumstances.
Havard writes, “Leaders are magnanimous in their dreams, visions, and sense of mission; in their capacity for hope, confidence, and daring; in their enthusiasm for the effort required to bring their work to a successful conclusion; in their propensity for using means proportionate to their goals; in their capacity to challenge themselves and those around them.”
One of the critical prayers for the Christian leader is the prayer of examen, of self-examination. Adele Calhoun writes that the prayer of examen is rooted in the desire “to notice both God and my God-given desires throughout the day.” Through the prayer of examen, we can evaluate our growth or struggles in regard to the virtues. What did we do well? What needs to be improved?
In the end, a virtuous character provides a firm foundation from which we can dare mighty things.
CONCLUSION: ACT BOLDLY NOW
Scott finishes her book with this exhortation:
Do not settle for a safe life, with mediocre dreams that are not worthy of Jesus Christ. Commit to do something that terrifies you. Get uncomfortable. Push yourself out of your comfort zone by setting a big goal and planning the small steps you need to take to achieve it. Be courageous. Get risky. Your life matters, and you have a part to play in the future of ministry by Christian women. All you need is the will and the courage to dare mighty things, and this you can do with great confidence because God is mighty and this mighty God still troubles the waters. Do not wait a single moment. Act boldly now.
As Simone Biles, Gold Medal Olympic Gymnast put it, “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.”
May you, too, Dare Mighty Things as you shoot for the stars!