Lausanne World Pulse – Women in World Evangelization: More Study Needed
By Sandi Kim
These figures help us gain a little more insight into the significant role of women in the task of world evangelization today, especially as lay foreign missionaries and evangelists where they constitute over two-thirds of the workforce. The figures also show that women are in need of better support following their tenure as world evangelizers. With these facts in mind, more strategic training and especially the strategic deployment and utilization of women are needed.
Currently, there is a surprising dearth of strategies and scholarly studies focusing on the role and effect of women in world evangelization, especially considering their very large numbers. If we are indeed to be on the cutting edge of evangelical world evangelization, greater energy and focus must be devoted to strategic consideration and study of the other half of the team, the half invisible, the half that is woman.
Endnotes
1. Robert, Dana L. 2005. American Women in Mission: A Social History of Their Thought and Practice. Macon, Georgia, USA: Mercer University Press. ix.
2. Okkenhaug, Inger Marie. 2004. “Women in Christian Mission: Protestant Encounters from the 19th and 20th century.” North South. Gendered View from Norway. Special Edition of Kvinneforskning, 3.
3. Okkenhaug, I.M. 2004. cf. Robert, Dana L. “World Christianity as a Women’s Movement.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 20(4):180-188; Robert, D.L. 2002. “The Mission Education Movement and the Rise of World Christianity, 1902-2002.” Delivered at the Centennial Celebration of the Mission Education Movement, NCCCUSA General Assembly, November; Haddad, Mimi. 2007. “Missionary Pioneers: A Legacy of Women and Men Advancing the Gospel Together.” Lausanne World Pulse. March. 1-5.
4. Robert. “World Christianity as a Women’s Movement,” 180.
5. Barrett, David, Todd M. Johnson and Peter Crossing. 2007. “Missiometrics 2007: Creating Your Own Analysis of Global Data.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 31(1):25-32.
6. Ibid, 28.
Comments on this article
I do appreciate your view on women’s involvement in mission, beloved Sandi. Truly, the role that the Christian woman of today plays in world evangelization cannot be under-emphasized. Imagine the cultural practice of women not socializing in the Arabian peninsula. It takes women to reach other women in the core Islamic nations of the world. More women are beginning to see themselves involved in intercession for world evangelization. Their role may seem invisible but cannot be done without. Oh, that more women will get involved in this noble task.
Funmi :: 5 Jun 2007