If we want to put equality into practice, we need to take responsibility for our own integrity and accountability so that working relationships with the opposite sex are an opportunity for growth and not a threat to be avoided.
The Christian world is wonderfully relational. Projects and partnerships are dreamed up over late-night curries; mentoring takes place during shared car journeys on mission trips; friends get invited to speak or take part in other friends’ ministries. The Christian world is also acutely aware of how relationships can get distorted and corrupted, so to protect our integrity and marriages we need to be wise about the potential for things to go wrong when men and women work together. It can be difficult to get a good balance though, and the danger is that women can miss out on opportunities and end up invisible, particularly when hard and fast rules are made. It needs a longer conversation than just a blog post, but Mixed Ministry is a book that addresses some of the issues and is perhaps a good place to start.
The Christian world is wonderfully relational. Projects and partnerships are dreamed up over late-night curries; mentoring takes place during shared car journeys on mission trips; friends get invited to speak or take part in other friends’ ministries. The Christian world is also acutely aware of how relationships can get distorted and corrupted, so to protect our integrity and marriages we need to be wise about the potential for things to go wrong when men and women work together. It can be difficult to get a good balance though, and the danger is that women can miss out on opportunities and end up invisible, particularly when hard and fast rules are made. It needs a longer conversation than just a blog post, but Mixed Ministry is a book that addresses some of the issues and is perhaps a good place to start.
The Sophia Network exists to connect women in youth work and ministry to access training, develop skills and share wisdom.
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