[1]HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. – At this year’s Lifeway Women’s Leadership Forum, ministry leaders celebrated the event’s investment in women’s ministry over the past 30 years.
In 1994, Lifeway created a full-time women’s ministry specialist position to meet the growing need for national leadership and training for women’s ministry leaders in churches.
Author, speaker, blogger and women’s ministry consultant Chris Adams was the first to hold this role, developing the first Women’s Ministry Metro in 1996, which later became known as Women’s Leadership Forum.
This year, Adams was one of over 800 women from more than 30 states who gathered at Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., for the 30th annual Lifeway Women’s Leadership Forum [2] Nov. 6-7.
This year’s Women’s Leadership Forum theme was “Trustworthy,” based on Psalm 19:7: “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise.”
As leaders reflected on the last three decades of women’s ministry, Forum attendees prepared for the next 30 years of leadership, hearing from platform speakers about being trustworthy leaders rooted in God’s trustworthy nature.
“My hope for the next 30 years is that we see a generation of women rooted in Scripture, resilient in their faith and equipped for their calling,” said Andrea Lennon, director of Lifeway Women. “I see Lifeway continuing to play a vital role by offering trustworthy resources and experiences, spaces for connection and transformation and leadership development that champions the truth of God’s Word.”
Being a trustworthy leader
Jeff Iorg, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, opened the Forum teaching on distinctly Christian leadership and equipping women to be trustworthy leaders.
“You cannot make people trust you,” Iorg said. “There’s no formula for that. But you can work on being trustworthy.”
Iorg told women that leaders establish trustworthiness through consistency and longevity. Calling women to be consistent at the core of distinctly Christian leadership, Iorg highlighted distinctly Christian leadership as being motivated by love (Matthew 22:34-40), marked by an attitude of humility (Philippians 2:5-8) and lived out through a strategy of service (Mark 10:35-45).
“I’m confident these three things are at the core of Christian leadership,” Iorg said. “If you will focus on the core and do that over time, you will be trustworthy.”
Depending on a trustworthy God
Speaker and teacher Sarita Lyons taught from 1 Kings 19:1-9, calling women to trust God with their emotional lives – from the highs to the lows.
“Do we, as leaders, trust God with our emotions in the valley like we do when we’re on the mountain?” Lyons asked leaders.
Drawing from Elijah’s story, Lyons highlighted three emotional groanings common to many leaders – fear, loneliness and sadness. In each of these groanings, Lyons called women to lift their gaze to God.
“We can trust God with all of our emotional groanings, because God will show up,” Lyons said. “There is such a freedom that comes from not trusting in yourself but in God.”
Teaching from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, author and speaker Jennifer Rothschild focused on trusting in God’s sufficiency amid your own weaknesses.
“Because God is trustworthy, you can be who God has called you to be,” Rothschild said, reminding women that because God is enough, they don’t have to be.
Acknowledging that God is able to remove any “thorn in the flesh,” Rothschild challenged women to trust that God’s grace – not His thorn removal – is sufficient for them.
“If thorn removal were sufficient, God would give it to you,” Rothschild said. “God’s grace is the best and most sufficient thing He gives to each of us.”
Calling women to live out the reality that God’s grace is sufficient, Rothschild invited women to rest in Him. “God’s grace is sufficient, and He is worthy of our trust.”
Finding trustworthy community
On Friday, author and artist Ruth Chou Simon taught women how to find and build a trustworthy community. Sharing some of her own story of losing trust in a Christian community, Simons encouraged women that God made them to work and thrive in a trustworthy community.
“What do you do when you’ve been burned by Christian community?” Simons asked leaders. “You keep your eyes on Jesus and remember you’re not the author of trustworthy community.”
Pointing to seven biblical reasons believers must build trustworthy community, Simons reminded attendees they can build a trustworthy community because God is trustworthy.
“Building trustworthy community is worth your time, your energy, your vulnerability,” Simons said. “It’s worth it because you love Jesus and you want Him seen and displayed.”
God’s trustworthy Word
Author and teacher Courtney Doctor closed the Forum reminding women of Scripture’s trustworthy nature. Doctor told leaders God shows that His Word is trustworthy by giving one, cohesive story from beginning to end.
“It holds together from beginning to end because He’s the one who holds it together from beginning to end,” Doctor said.
Teaching through the entire narrative of Scripture, Doctor answered the questions: What is the Bible? What is its storyline? What moves the story forward? What compels God to act?
“As you’ve considered the beauty and cohesiveness of the story, I hope you are better able to rest in our good, good God,” Doctor said.
Equipped for calling
In addition to listening to general session speakers, women worshiped, heard from Lifeway Women leaders, participated in a live recording of the Lifeway Women Marked Podcast, attended interview sessions and breakouts and received resources to equip them to grow in their faith and leadership.
Breakout sessions included topics such as:
- Truth You Can Trust: Standing Firm in a World of Deconstruction
- God’s Wisdom Is Trustworthy, So Don’t Just Survive, but Thrive in Marriage & Ministry
- More Than Words: The Practice of Prayer That Changes Your Life, Family & Ministry
- Reaching Every Generation: Ministry That Connects Across Ages
- Teaching Through Mentoring, Discipleship & Coaching
The next Lifeway Women’s Leadership Forum will be held at Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., Nov. 5-6, 2026. To register or get updates on speakers, breakout sessions and more, visit Lifeway.com/womensforum [3].
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