Isn’t it great that Christ calls those most unlikely to become his servants, apostles and truth-bearers? In His ministry on earth, Christ called murderers, adulterers and tax collectors. He even called women, yes women, to go and spread the Good News! Christ wasn’t concerned with social norms or cultural taboos. He introduced the Samaritan woman at the well to the living water and she, in turn, told her whole town about Him. She would have been the least likely person the disciples would have ever considered (she was a woman and a Samaritan), yet Jesus saw her worth – her potential. And through her witness, many came to know Christ as their Savior (John 4:1-42).
Sometimes when we picture women in ministry, our vision is limited to only pastors’ wives or missionaries – these are women whose “job” it is to minister to others. But do we picture the many women living in our inner cities who are daily showing the love of Christ to their neighbors and co-workers? Some work long hours and care for families and yet they still find the time teach, nurture and disciple in their local churches and communities. Some are ministers to the incarcerated because they, too, have been there and know the loneliness and desperation of being behind bars. These women will never be celebrated in front of packed auditoriums for their humble service. They are the unlikely and unsung ministers of the gospel.
Misty is one of these ministers. She is a single mom trying to make ends meet. She works two jobs while trying to parent a teenage boy. Her ministry is to the kids in her neighborhood. Many of these youth come from abusive homes or are neglected completely. She invites them into her home for home-cooked meals and heart-to-heart talks. Her warmth and compassion is like salve to an open wound.
My passion in World Impact is to empower women like Misty who are investing into their communities and sharing Christ with the hurting. Their ministry is paving the way for the lost and broken to enter into the Kingdom.
Maybe you are one these dear women living in the heart of an urban center. You are faithfully ministering to those in your community, but you get discouraged by the sheer enormity of bringing the love of Christ to a bleeding and bitter world. My hope and prayer for you is that you may be like the Biblical women who came before you. May you have the boldness of Esther, the courage of Deborah, and the passion of the Woman at the Well. May you rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you.
I close with a quote by Jen Hatmaker from her book, For the Love:
“Sister, come near and listen: You are smart and capable, strong and wise. You are an overcomer, a prized member of the body of Christ. You have so much to offer…You can crack open your Bible and preach good news for the poor…You are so able in Jesus, so beloved, so permitted” (p. 201).
Tina Busenitz is an urban missionary serving in Wichita, KS. Click here for more on women in urban ministry.