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In this episode...

Stepping Forward with Elaine Lankford

https://faithfulontheclock.com/stepping-forward-with-elaine-lankford

Where do women fit into leadership in the church, if at all? Faithful on the Clock dives in with guest Elaine Lankford to encourage women forward and to unify men and women for Christ.

Timestamps:

[00:04] - Intro

[00:49] - Elaine’s background/bio

[03:23] - Elaine’s connections with Africa and the growth of She Steps Forward

[10:20] - What most surprised Elaine in her work in Africa; cultural perspectives

[12:30] - How African and American women can support each other

[14:53] - The largest misinterpretations Elaine has encountered around scripture; Paul and his desire not to subvert women, but to create order in the early church; the need for all believers to study for themselves rather than simply accepting what they are taught

[27:23] - How God welcomes our questions; Elaine’s experience diving deep into Scripture and discovering the women in the Bible

[32:52] - Why it’s OK for men to follow and use their gifts in support if that’s where God wants them; the need for all believers to step into their gifts regardless of gender; the relationship of Adam and Eve with Eve as an ezra (helper)

[41:05] - How the fall impacted the relationship of Adam and Eve and larger gender division

[43:45] - What men and women can do to heal the gender divide in the church

[52:44] - The biggest takeaway Elaine wants listeners to take from the show

[54:28] - How to get in touch with Elaine and learn more about her work

[55:14] - Prayer

[55:57] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

1. Elaine’s coaching and leadership for women began after needing to pivot her career. After feeling called to lift up God’s daughters, she began connecting with women and organizations in Africa.
2. Women in Africa still deal with a heavy atmosphere of oppression, but they are go-getters who know what they want to do for their businesses, ministries, or nonprofits. They simply need help knowing how to get there and are eager to learn how Americans make everything work. Americans can look at the tenacity of African women and refuse to quit.
3. Both in America and Africa, Elaine sees misinterpretations around how women are supposed to be submissive, specifically around 1 Timothy and 2 Corinthians. She encourages both men and women to study for themselves and notes that patriarchy is perpetuated in part by people simply accepting male-oriented interpretations. Spiritual growth from asking questions and going deep into Scripture is a good thing!
4. Deep study of the Word can help women — and men — understand the wonderful roles God placed women into. Stories of Deborah, Lydia, and others can show women that women can be strong leaders in the church and in business.
5. Helping women step forward into their gifts is not meant to challenge any role or authority God might place men into, but rather to call all believers to make full use of what God has given them. The goal is to heal the gender divide for a stronger church that can better glorify Who God is.
6. Men can be pushed by culture to step into leadership even when that is not what God has gifted them to do. In those situations, it is OK for men to step back and use their gifts to support those God wants in positions of leadership. Both men and women should support or lead as God equips them.
7. In Adam and Eve’s relationship, Eve is an ezra — a strong helper. This means we need to revisit the traditional narrative of Eve being lower or lesser than Eve, and instead see her as fully equipped to support Adam in what he would need. We are all meant to lean on each other, as Galatians calls us to, because as God noted in the beginning, it is not good for us to be alone.
8. Healing the division between men and women in the church requires more dialog, self-reflection, and self-study of Scripture. Elaine encourages men who hold traditional ideals of women in the church to take that to God in prayer. All of us need to check our feelings at the door and avoid letting our emotions get in the way, asking ourselves if we are truly allowing God to be the authority.
9. When we have tried unsuccessfully to heal divide with sufficient due diligence, we have permission to shake the dust off our feet and go where God can use us.
10. Elaine wants women to know that they are seen, heard, and available to God. She emphasizes that men are loved, too, and that, like women, they have their own giftings.

• Empowering Women to Lead with Faith & Purpose
• She Steps Forward Coaching | Faith-Based Women’s Coach

CTAs:

1. Select one deep-dive or extended Bible study to challenge yourself to go deeper into God’s word.
2. Invite others you know to have an open conversation about gender in the church and investigate what the Word says about it.

What’s coming up next:

Are you fitting your life into your work…or placing work into the life you really want? Guest Peter Kolat joins Faithful on the Clock to help people rethink their work-life priorities, authenticity, and structure.

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