KIM BARNES | CONTRIBUTOR

I was a freshman in college, newly involved in campus ministry, when I fell in love with Bible study. Each week, I gathered with a small group of fellow students to study God’s Word with the help of an older student. None of us—including our leader—were Bible scholars. We were simply college students who loved Jesus and wanted to know Him more.

At the end of that first year, I attended a student leader training conference. For the remaining three years of college, I co-led small-group Bible studies and discovered the joy of crafting questions that helped our group uncover truths in a passage of Scripture.

I graduated from college nearly forty years ago, and for most of the decades since, I have led Bible studies, usually with small groups of women in my local church. I was not a Bible scholar in college, and I am still not one today. Most of what I know about Scripture has come not from formal academic training, but from decades of ordinary Bible study alongside ordinary saints.

I don’t lead as a scholarly expert, but as a fellow learner. And you can lead that way, too.

Equipping or Consuming?

Today, we are blessed with an abundance of excellent Bible study resources. We have access to beautifully written study guides that include insightful commentary, along with easily downloadable video teaching from highly trained and gifted teachers. A women’s ministry team can order a shrink-wrapped curriculum package, pass out workbooks, press “play,” and immediately sit under world-class instruction.

These resources are a tremendous blessing, and we should be grateful for them. But there is a question worth asking: Are we using these excellent resources to equip more women to serve, or are they unintentionally making it easier for us simply to consume?

When our women’s Bible studies revolve around watching a gifted teacher on a screen, the women in the room can begin to see Bible teaching as something that happens somewhere else—done by someone more qualified, more articulate, or more knowledgeable than they could ever be.

Consider a woman in your church—let’s call her Rachel. Rachel loves God’s Word. She spends time studying Scripture, contributes thoughtful observations to discussions, and has a desire to encourage other women in their faith. Perhaps she has wondered whether God might be calling her to lead and teach.

But every model of Bible teaching she encounters feels polished and professional. The woman on the screen has a book contract, formal training, and a production team. Rachel looks at her own ordinary life and thinks, “I could never teach like that.”

The question isn’t whether that gifted teacher on the screen can bless Rachel. She certainly can. But in our enthusiasm for excellent teaching, have we overlooked or unintentionally discouraged the women among us whom God has gifted?

Cultivating the Gifts in Our Midst

In Ephesians 4:11–12, Paul tells us that Christ gave shepherds and teachers to the church “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” The biblical goal isn’t simply that the saints would be taught; it is that they would be equipped.

When planning women’s Bible studies, our task is more than selecting theologically sound curriculum. Our studies ought to create opportunities for identifying, encouraging, and nurturing teaching gifts among the women we serve.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:4–7 that there are varieties of gifts and service, but the same Spirit gives them “to each” for the common good. God has not bypassed our local congregations. He has poured out His Spirit and distributed gifts among the women sitting right beside us.

Of course, cultivating gifts requires discernment. Not every woman will be called to teach, and not every woman who desires to teach is necessarily ready to do so. But we won’t discover whom God has gifted and prepared if we never give women opportunities to serve.

Tools, Not Substitutes

This isn’t a call to discard helpful resources or ignore the wonderful tools available to us. I applaud the work of gifted women across our denomination and beyond who use their gifts and training to bless the broader church. We need faithful teachers, sound theology, and excellent resources.

But we should view these resources as tools to support and equip local teachers rather than substitutes that replace them.

If your women’s ministry is relying heavily on outside teachers, consider taking these intentional steps to cultivate teaching gifts:

• Look for the Rachels. Watch for women who are faithful in personal Bible study, thoughtful in discussion, discerning in their understanding, and eager to serve. Don’t wait for them to volunteer; reach out and invite them directly.
• Pair women for co-leading. Match an experienced Bible study leader with a less experienced woman for a semester. Let them formulate questions, prepare together, and facilitate discussion side by side. This is a low-risk way for an emerging leader to learn by doing.
• Create opportunities to practice. Give women opportunities to lead a single discussion, teach a short devotional, or guide one portion of a Bible study. A woman doesn’t need to be handed an entire semester of teaching responsibility before she has had an opportunity to discover and develop her gifts.
• Use resources to equip leaders. A carefully prepared study guide or video lecture series can be invaluable for a local leader’s personal preparation. Let the experts equip your leaders, and let your leaders shepherd your women.

I will always be grateful for that older student who invited me to co-lead a Bible study with her all those years ago. She didn’t ask me because I was an expert. She invited me to pull up a chair and learn alongside her. Through that simple invitation, and by the grace of God, my own spiritual gifts were nurtured and shaped for a lifetime of ministry.

Women’s ministry leaders, look around at the women you serve. The Holy Spirit has not left your church without gifted women. He has placed them among you. Make room for them.

And to the Rachels: you don’t need a production crew, a book contract, or a seminary degree to open God’s Word with your sisters. You need a Bible, a willingness to learn, and a heart ready to serve. Take a risk. Make yourself available. Trust God to cultivate the gifts He has given you.

He is delighted to use your ordinary offering for His glory.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash