September/October - Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Resources
Andrea Dellinger Jones
By Carla Wynn Davis, CBF
Communications
Tips for women seeking a pastorate
Based on her journey to the pastorate, Jones offered advice for other women hoping to become
a pastor.
1. Get a ministry coach: A coach can help with strategy on how to best handle ministry situations.
This person can be a sounding board for ideas, an encourager and can also help with networking
and updating a résumé.
2. Go back to school: Consider working toward a Doctor in Ministry (D.Min.) degree. Another
degree sets candidates apart in the pastoral search process.
3. Take every opportunity to learn: Attend educational retreats, seminars and lectures that
enhance ministry skills and make you a better pastoral candidate.
4. Look for pastoral experience: If you currently serve in a church, ask the senior pastor if you
can experience some pastoral responsibilities. Perhaps he or she will allow you occasionally to
preach, serve communion, baptize or more.
5. Use job-matching resources: CBF’s LeaderConnect will send résumés to churches looking for
ministerial positions. Many seminaries provide a similar service.
Reference and referral
The Fellowship’s reference and referral ministry
provides resources for female ministers and
pastors looking for new places of service.
LeaderConnect CBF, an online résumé-matching
service, also helps churches and pastors
connect. To learn more, contact Clarissa
Strickland at cstrickland@thefellowship.info or
(800) 352-8741. For more on LeaderConnect
CBF, go to www.thefellowship.info/
LeaderConnect.
Residency program
CBF’s ministerial residency program provides
recent male and female seminary graduates
with the opportunity to serve two years in a
teaching congregation. This experience allows
residents to hone their ministry skills and
encourages practices for long-term health in
pastoral ministry. For more information, contact
Steve Graham at (800) 352-8741 or sgraham@
thefellowship.info.
Seminary scholarships
Students at the Fellowship’s partner seminaries
are eligible to apply for scholarships, which
cover tuition, books and expenses to attend
General Assembly. In 2007-08, more than 30
scholarships were awarded to female students.
To learn more about these scholarships, contact
a partner seminary directly and ask about
becoming a CBF leadership scholar.
Peer Learning Groups
Peer learning groups meet monthly to provide
ministers with opportunities for worship, spiritual
growth, study, discussion of ministry-related
issues and fellowship. Currently, there are 71
peer learning groups across the country, many
that include female pastors. If you are interested
in becoming part of or starting a peer learning
group, contact Steve Graham at sgraham@
thefellowship.info or (800) 352-8741.
Speakers’ Bureau
CBF’s face2face speakers’ bureau schedules
speakers at partner churches. CBF
staff members are available to talk with
congregations and search committees about the
process of calling a female pastor. Contact the
speaker’s bureau at face2face@thefellowship.
info or (800) 352-8741.
To learn about additional resources, go to www.
thefellowship.info/femalepastors.
www.thefellowship.info/give.
f ellowship! SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 | 11