The Sisterhood Effect
By Kerri Weems
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The Sisterhood Effect - Kerri Weems
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INTRODUCTION
A simple but compelling video exists that proposes a solution to many of the problems in the world: poverty, hunger, illiteracy, AIDS. The solution to those problems is abundantly available in raw form, but tragically overlooked and under developed. The answer, the video proposes, just might be something as obvious and ubiquitous as… a girl. The video is called The Girl Effect
(girleffect). It is the inspiration for the title of this book, and it asks us to imagine a future in which girls in rural areas are given just a little more opportunity to succeed. What if, it asks, 600 million more people on the planet were educated? Fed? Economically secure? How would that impact the landscape of humanity? What if, instead of being considered an economic liability to her family, a girl could be considered an economic possibility? How might that change the way girls are treated and cared for in developing countries? What would happen to the world if the potential and capacity of each of these 600 million girls was released for the purpose of good works? The potential impact is hard to imagine, but even harder to deny.
The truth is that girls make up 51% of the world’s population. That’s slightly over one-half. Of that 51%, 600 million live in poverty-stricken conditions in developing countries where access to things we take for granted—such as food, drinking water, and education—is highly restricted. These 600 million girls spend all day, every day simply trying to survive. What if the energy spent obtaining clean water—hiking for miles both ways on a daily basis—could be put instead toward educating children? What impact would that have on the future of humanity and the future of the planet? What impact would it have on the lives of children born into poverty every single day? How could the release of the potential in 600 million girls change the world?
Recently Pew Research released a study indicating that the state of religion in America is in decline (America’s Changing Religious Landscape
). It was a disappointing but not entirely surprising finding. It has church leaders from all over the nation talking about how to reach the next generation and wondering whether or not we will be able to pull the church back from the brink of extinction in the twenty-first century. I wonder if we have ever considered that the answer might be right in front of us, sitting in our pews, working in our nurseries, and then returning home each Sunday wondering if they are really making a difference in the world. I wonder if we have ever really considered what might happen if each church in America felt the impact of the Sisterhood Effect. What is the Sisterhood Effect? you may be asking yourself. As you lean in to this book, you’ll begin to see exactly what I mean by that term, and what it could look like in your world.
I’m writing this book for three reasons. First, I want to celebrate what God has done in the last ten years through the women in Celebration Church. It has been an incredible journey so far seeing many women step up and find their voice, discover gifts they didn’t realize they had, and reignite passions that have laid dormant for years. To the first generation of women who caught the vision, walked alongside me while I learned to lead, and cheered me on when I wanted to quit—thank you. I honor you today and I always will. You have a special place in my heart.
Second, I want to capture the legacy that has been built so far. I want to capture it not to enshrine it in an everlasting memorial that shall not be moved, but to pass it safely into new hands. My deepest hope is that the groundwork that has been laid over the past ten years will not be forgotten or neglected, but that the women who will come after me will build upon it. Of course methods and formats will change. I expect that and earnestly desire it. But I do pray that the essential values will remain, and the story will continue to be written in a way that flows smoothly and fits well with what has come before.
Third, I hope to inspire and encourage other churches to take a second look at the women who come through their doors week in and week out and consider the untapped potential that might be waiting to be released. That doesn’t have to mean that a new women’s program has to be started or that we should suddenly start challenging long and sincerely held traditions and doctrinal positions. It simply means, Pastor, would you please take another look? Looking for your next leader? Looking for the best committee chair? Looking for the next best Bible teacher in your congregation? Looking for someone who knows how to build teams? Why not take another look at the potential in the women in your church? You never know the impact the Sisterhood Effect could have until you give it a chance.
Finally, I am writing this book as a legacy to pass on what we have built to the next generation of women rising to take their place in the world and in the church. My husband, Stovall, once wisely stated, Ministry forms that are relevant to one generation will become religious to the next generation if we don’t continually ask the Holy Spirit to breathe life into them and keep them revived.
I am aware that in order to keep the heart and soul of Sisterhood alive, I must pass it on to the young women who are coming up behind me. I am fully convinced that the time to begin the hand-off process is right now. So to those who will come after me, who are perhaps reading this book and wondering how they fit in to the Sisterhood story, I, together with the women who have labored with me thus far, want to say:
We have been waiting and waiting for this day to come, preparing like crazy for your arrival… and here you are! It’s your turn to take the baton and run with it, building on the groundwork we have laid. We love you, believe in you, and we will always be in your corner cheering you on!
Love,
The Sisterhood XOXO
#TheSisterhoodEffect
CHAPTER 1
RELEASING FEMININE POTENTIAL
Have you ever wondered where the idea of women’s ministry came from? I have. That’s probably because at one time in my life, as a young woman who happened to be married to a man (who happened to be a pastor), women’s ministry was the mold I was expected to conform to. I didn’t want to conform to it. In fact, I didn’t want to have much to do with women at all. In my experience women’s ministry
was code for any number of things I wanted to avoid:
•Cattiness and cliques
•Emotional drama
•Mommy wars
•Junior League spin-offs
•Issues-oriented
gatherings
In short, I saw women’s ministry as a breeding ground for all the things I did NOT like about the female gender. So I kept my distance, happy to let other women in our young church take the lead while I kept at a safe distance behind the scenes.
All that changed the day a five-foot-nothing bottle of dynamite named Christine Caine marched into my life and had the gall to challenge me to step up and lead the women of our church.
I politely smiled over my bowl of pad thai and said, Thanks for your suggestions. I’ll pray about it.
(Note the suave diplomacy I had acquired in only six short years of being a good pastor’s wife!)
In my head, however, I was thinking, Who are you, and when are you leaving? I really just thought she needed to butt out of my life. It seemed like she was one more person trying to squeeze me into a mold I would never fit into.
Over the course of her next few days with us, Christine continued to drop hints that I should step into my place
as the mother of the house.
That had a nice ring to it, but I had no idea what she really meant. What was the place of the mother of the house? Did that mean I had to do women’s events? Throw baby showers? Organize playgroups? Have retreats where we could have some sort of intense spiritual encounters? Maybe it meant I should lead a Bible study, or, Lord forbid, start speaking publicly in some way! Try as I might, I could not conjure up any remotely appealing images of taking my place as the mother of the house.
I was already mother
to three young children, and that was plenty of mothering for me, thank you very much!
Now I find it necessary to backtrack a little here before I plow on toward my conclusion, because, you see, I believe many women feel just like I did about women’s ministry. They see it as a breeding ground for all that is negative about femininity. Unfortunately they are right in some ways. Christian women, it turns out, are just as prone to default to mean girl tactics as are those who do not call themselves followers of Christ. I know, because I am one of those women. I struggle with insecurity. Only I don’t like to