The Pillar Network

Have you ever struggled to see how authority and flourishing in the local church could go together? You're not alone.

In this episode, Betsy takes us into the first part of the women's breakout session at Unite 2026, Thriving In and Under Authority. She shares part of her own story and walks us through Scripture, from creation and the fall to the gospel, helping us understand the goodness of God's design for women in the local church and how His grace enables us to flourish under Christ's lordship.

So, put on your earbuds and take a seat with us as we open God's Word together and consider the joy of serving Christ faithfully in His church.

"We could desire to serve God while at the same time wanting to serve Him on our own terms."

"Do we trust God's wisdom and goodness for how He has ordered the church?"

"God's good design for the church is not limiting, as if God is withholding something from us. His design is good."

"As disciples, Christian women, we are to know doctrine. We are to receive instruction. We are to become women who know our Bibles and recognize truth."

"Equality is not erasing our God-given distinctions."

"When we begin to doubt God's goodness, His order will feel restrictive."

"The heart of the fall is that idea that we can be our own authority and that we can decide for ourselves."

"Redemption does not take or does not make God's original wisdom obsolete."

When you think about authority and limitations in the local church, what comes to mind? How have your experiences, cultural assumptions, or personal desires shaped the way you understand God's design?

Do we trust God's wisdom and goodness for how He has ordered the church? Where are you most tempted to question His goodness when His Word challenges your preferences?

How does understanding that Paul grounds his instructions in 1 Timothy 2:11-14 in creation, rather than merely in the culture of his day, shape the way you approach this passage?

In what ways might you be tempted to measure your fruitfulness in the church by a position, platform, or title rather than by faithfulness to Christ?

How do Christ's perfect obedience and humility, especially as described in Philippians 2, help you see submission through the lens of the gospel?

Read Titus 2:3-5 alongside Titus 2:11-14. How does remembering that God's grace not only saves us but also trains us change the way you approach your calling to serve and disciple others in the local church?

Dave Kiehn talks with Ben and Stacy Reaoch about the story behind their family devotional book, "The Word in Our Home", and discuss practical ways to incorporate Bible reading into family life. Ben serves as the Lead Pastor of Three Rivers Grace Church, a Pillar Network church in Pittsburgh, PA.

Learn more and get a copy of the book here. 

Nate Akin, Dave Kiehn, Phil Newton, Brandon Langley, & Matt Rogers discuss pastoral residencies, mentoring, training shepherds for the local church, the current pastor shortage, plus Pillar's new book, "Churches Multiplying Pastors." You can get the new book here - https://a.co/d/08rJ3AsW

Nate Akin and Dave Kiehn talk with Dwayne Milioni about the new Pillar of Truth book series, the importance of doctrinal clarity, the relationship between doctrine and mission, and more. Check out the first two books in the series here - Gospel Proclaiming Churches  |  Biblical Authority

We live in a culture that tells us that freedom means independence and deciding for ourselves who we are and what is good. Sadly, if we are honest, it is not only culture that shouts those lies; we can also hear our hearts whispering, “I belong to myself. I can decide what is best for me.”

But the Word of God tells us a different story. From the beginning, we were created to live under God’s good authority, depend on Him, and live in relationship with one another. The lie of autonomy distorted that good design. Instead of trusting the Creator to define what is true and good, we want to decide what is “right” for ourselves.

In this episode, Betsy talks with Nate Akin about the lie of autonomy and the freedom of belonging to Christ.

So, jump into the conversation, put on your earbuds, and trace this struggle from Genesis to the gospel, into the life of the local church, and into how women think about calling, leadership, influence, and ministry.

This episode is preparing the way for Unite 2026 and the women’s breakout, Thriving In and Under Authority. We hope to see you there!

“The lie is that we are our own and that we get to determine for ourselves what is good and what is best and what is true.”

“We were created to worship Him. This lie of self-autonomy is a sense of us trying to worship ourselves.”

“My problem is not that my kids are interrupting me. My problem is that I want to be autonomous.”

“We’ve been bought at a price. We are not our own. Our real freedom comes from submitting to the authority of God.”

“I belong to God. I live for His glory, and His Word is my ultimate authority.”

“We were not created for isolation.”

“We need one another for our own maturity and for our own well-being.”

“God has an order to the family. God has an order to the church.”

“Women’s ministry cannot function as a separate church inside the church.”

“If it’s doing what Titus 2 is telling us to do, it’s working.”

“The answer is not just to try harder to be dependent and to be submissive. I think the answer would be: look to Christ.”

“We have in Christ what we need both as an example for how we do this, but also we have atonement when we fail.”

In what area of your life are you most tempted to believe the lie, “I belong to myself”? In motherhood, marriage, singleness, your free time, or your life in the local church? How does remembering that you belong to Christ change the way you live there?

Think about a recent moment when your plans were interrupted, or you did not get what you wanted. What did your response reveal about your sinful desire for autonomy?

Where might you be resisting correction, accountability, service, or dependence on other believers?

How does the gospel free us from the lie that belonging to ourselves is freedom, and teach us to see belonging to Christ as our true freedom and joy?

What changes when you remember, “I belong to God. I live for His glory, and His Word is my ultimate authority”?

What are practical ways you can grow in embracing the church body as a family, both by serving others and by allowing others to serve you?

What means of grace has God given you to help you look to Christ, who humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross to free you from the slavery of living for yourself?

Nate gets to know Chopo Mwanza, one of the plenary speakers at the upcoming Unite Conference in October, including becoming a pastor and seminary president, ministry in Zambia, and more. Chopo is the Lead Elder of Faith Baptist Church Riverside in Kitwe, Zambia. Find out more about Unite at pillarunite.org.

Nate gets to know Matt Smethurst, one of the plenary speakers at the upcoming Unite Conference in October, including his background, theological convictions, his books including the one on Tim Keller, and more. Matt is the planter and Lead Pastor of River City Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Find out more about Unite at pillarunite.org.