Women in leadership in ministry and beyond tend to be at a crossroads of expectations. They are often expected to be both meek and strong, in charge but not bossy, compassionate but not too emotional, in control but not heavy-handed, etc. This can create pressure to be perfect, to put on a facade, or to be “on” all the time. This becomes exhausting.
When I first heard about by design ministries I wasn’t sure who they were or what they were all about. I just knew that I had a friendship with a woman named Kristi Stoughton who is on staff and I had a desire to hear about what she poured so much of her heart and time into.
This year’s Summer Sampler Series answers the question “What does by design do?” Each post will address an aspect of our ministry, as told by women who have been positively impacted. We hope that their stories encourage you and inspire … Continued
What is happening at WeConnect? I think that the better question is, what isn’t happening at WeConnect? As you may have read in our previous updates, the WeConnect team has been taking a leadership role in by design’s recent events. … Continued
This month’s update comes from by design’s Executive Director, Linda Moore, who wrote about our most recent Mentoring Event: Thank you so much for your prayerful intercession for by design’s women’s ministries. I love working with women who are eager … Continued
We recently held the annual by design retreat that is designed for women leaders, and for the first time ever, our WeConnect team took a leadership role at the retreat. Sarah, Kimberley, and Jessi led a Millennial panel Q&A in … Continued
The Barna Group tells us that nearly 60% of those who were raised in the church will leave it. Let that sink in. During the course of the interviews I conducted with young women who were raised in … Continued
You’ve been reading the updates for months … and some of you have been reading them for years! You’ve prayed faithfully for WeConnect and generously donated to the ministry. You’ve watched as we conducted interviews with scores of millennials and … Continued
We held our first WeConnect Leadership Team retreat! The retreat took place at the beautiful and restful Gilead’s Balm in Salem, NH. The lovely, comfortable setting and the outstanding hospitality of our host, Marnie Wells, were the perfect facilitators for … Continued
This past ministry year was such an exciting adventure! We held our very first “Mentoring Discussion Event” and due to the enormous response are now scheduling more events in other churches. (If you’d like to attend one of these or … Continued