At The Table: The Podcast of the SBC Women's

Women In Church Planting | Singleness & Leadership | Developing As A Leader. Join NAMB Regional Equipper, Tiffany Smith, as she shares her heart for missions and the unique role women play in church planting. Tiffany Smith is a Texas girl currently living in Atlanta who has a love for living the “SENT Life” – here or there. She has a passion to multiply disciples and churches toward movemental growth. Tiffany has a particular heart & passion for developing the next generation of leaders toward powerfully living life on mission. She currently serves with the North American Mission Board as a Regional Equipper for Canada. You can connect with her on twitter (@tiffanydsmith), Facebook (tiffanydsmith) or through her blog, Missional Mayhem – missionalmayhem.com

In this episode of At The Table Lesley Hildreth joins us to discuss discipleship and the local church. She helps cover topics from how to start and implement a culture of discipleship and how to develop leaders to reach more women in your church. Lesley is the Women's Discipleship Director for the Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina. She is responsible for the discipleship of over 6,000 women spread over ten campuses and spends the majority of her time developing and equipping leaders who share the task of making disciples. Before this role, Lesley was the Assistant Director of Women's Life at Southeastern Seminary where she received her MA in Christian Studies. She also served eight years with her family with the International Mission Board in Western Europe and Central Asia. She has a passion to see all women participating in God's mission, using their gifts to serve the church, further his kingdom, and bring God glory. She is married and has two adult children and two grandsons.

Challenging. Convicting. Inspiring. Our conversation with mission veteran Ruth Ripken will leave you more passionate about the Gospel & encouraged that even in our hardest seasons Jesus is absolutely worth it. Ruth and her husband, Nik are mission veterans of 35 years with the International Mission Board, SBC, having served in Malawi, South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, Germany, Ethiopia and the Middle East. Currently they are directing and serving with Nik Ripken Ministries (NRM). Ruth has a BA and Masters in Education and she taught school while Nik pastored before they went overseas. Along with her husband, they have done extensive research among believers living in the midst of persecution in over 70 countries. This research has been shared in numerous articles and three books, The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected and The Insanity of Obedience: Walking With Jesus in Tough Places. They spend their time sharing the truths they have learned from these believers in persecution with churches, schools, and mission organizations. One of Ruth’s greatest joys is spending time with Muslim women, listening to their story and seeing how God can break into their lives. Another blessing is helping women across the US connect and fall in love with the nations in their midst. Nik and Ruth are the parents of three sons, two wonderful daughter-in-loves and an amazing grandson. Find out more about the Ripkens at www.nikripken.com

Women's Minsitry leader, Brenda Croston joins us to talk about how hard seasons & losses in our stories can be the springboard and key moments God uses in our ministry. We also celebrate the culture of the African American church and how they uniquely reflect the image of God to our world. Brenda M. Croston is privileged to enjoy life with Mark. Together they have four adult children and two beautiful granddaughters. Her passion is writing, speaking, and sharing with women. You can find her doing that on Instagram @brendacroston. You can also visit simpletruthpublishing.weebly.com to get and stay connected.

Clinical Psychologist and leader Sarah Rainer joins us on the show today to talk about the increased presence of mental health issues in this pandemic season. Sarah shares practical indicators and steps on how to deal with issues like anxiety and depression as well as when to seek professional help. She also shares how to come alongside children in this season and how to guide and lead them through their own struggles of anxiety. Sarah Rainer earned both her Masters and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology. In her years of practice, she specialized in child and adolescent psychology. In 2018, Sarah left the field of psychology in order to pursue ministry opportunities. Consulting and providing education to the church about mental health issues are still passions for her. Sarah currently serves on the women's discipleship leadership team at her church, and is pursuing a theological certificate from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Sarah and her husband, Art, have been married for 14 years, and have three fun and rambunctious boys.

Listen in on the story of a church planters wife from NY as she shares her story of how they have served and taken the Gospel to their community in the midst of Covid. She also shares how to engage and invest in women before they even enter your church building. You can connect with Melinda on Twitter @Mpacheco217. Melinda Pacheco is the wife of Edwin and mother to Isabella (14yrs old) and Heather (9yrs old). Alongside her husband, she has helped plant Redemption Church in the heart of one of NYC's most challenging communities called Red Hook. It is home to the second largest low-income housing development in the city. Since moving into the community, Melinda has made it her mission to connect with women who are in need of Life-on-Life discipleship. Many of these women are single moms with multiple children and in poverty. Yet, this reality has given her a passion to see their lives changed Holistically. Her goal is to disciple women to experience the fullness of God's goodness, not knowing Him only as Savior, but also as Father, Friend, Provider, Comforter and Defender.

Today Cyndi Logsdon joins us on the show to share about how women are impacting the globe through the International Mission Board. She shares stories of our members on the field who are finding creative ways to minister in the midst of the pandemic and encourages listeners to engage the mission field in front of them no matter where they are. Listen Cyndi works in Global Engagement for the International Mission Board and helps lead the IMB’s Global Cities Network and Global Women’s Network. She & her family previously spent 12 years living and working in Central Asia. Her husband, Scott, is the missions pastor at Mclean Bible Church where they are excited to serve through various capacities as they seek to spend their lives mobilizing the church to take the gospel to the nations. You can learned more about what God has done and is doing through women in missions at imb.org/175 that launches May 1.

Julie Woodruff, Women's Minister at Long Hollow Baptist Church, joins us today to talk about leading teams. Practical tips on how many times to meet, how to on and off ramp members, and most importantly how important it is to have others to seek out for wisdom and experience. Julie Woodruff realized God’s call to ministry as a college sophomore. Over the years that calling has taken the shape of youth ministry, pastors wife, women’s ministry, writing, teaching, and conference leadership. She has written Bible study curriculum and contributed numerous articles to ministry leadership magazines through the years. Julie is a graduate of Louisiana College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Currently she serves as Women's Minister at Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville,Tn where she has been for 14 years. Julie’s passion for women’s ministry at Long Hollow is to help women find forgiveness and freedom in Christ, to be forged into the likeness of Christ and to become a force for Christ in the world. She and her husband Sid have been married for 36 years. They have two married children and six grandchildren. You can connect with Julie on Twitter @juliejwoodruff

Bible Teacher, Author, and Women’s Ministry Specialist for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Andrea Lennon, joins us today to discuss how to lead through crisis. An “on the go” kind of girl who loves Jesus, Andrea is a Bible teacher whose life calling is to teach women to know the truth, live the truth, and share the truth. Her passion is honest conversation about the topics that drive our everyday lives and how we can always weather the storms through the love and power of God and His Word. Andrea is a 2004 graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has written and published Reflecting His Glory: From Conformity to Transformation, Free To Thrive: 40 Power-packed Devotions for Women on the Go, On the Road with Ruth, and God in the Window. Andrea hosts a weekly podcast called Inspire on the Go with Andrea Lennon. Andrea is the founder of True Vine Ministry and lives in Arkansas with her husband, Jay and two sons, Jake and Andrew. You can connect with Andrea at www.andrealennonministry.org.

Today Katie Allred joins us to discuss ways to connect your church through online platforms and how import it is to maintain encouraging interaction between staff and members during these unprecedented days. Katie Allred is an assistant professor of software development and marketing at the University of Mobile. She co-founded ChurchCommunications.com and manages the Church Communications Facebook Group that serves as a resource on marketing and communication strategies for over 23,000 church leaders. Additionally, Katie has previously consulted with Facebook on their Groups product. She is a speaker and blogs at KatieAllred.com. You can reach her via Twitter @katiejallred or by emailing katie@churchcommunications.com. https://churchcommunications.com/video-conferencing-software-for-churches/ https://churchcommunications.com/how-to-be-the-church-online-during-covid-19-pandemic/

Bible Teacher, Mentor, and Arizona Women's director Simone Lake joins us to share her story of walking out obedience 'in the next step.' She encourages women to seek the opportunities in front of them and to have faith in the journey God has them on. We also discuss how to engage our neighbor during our current medical pandemic. Simone Lake is a Christ-follower, a Bible teacher, a passionate pray-er and the bride of Pastor Dr. John Lake. Her passion is teaching, training and equipping the saints in God’s word, making disciples of Christ. and evangelizing the lost into a personal relationship with Christ. A graduate of Gateway Seminary, Simone holds her Master's degree in Theology and also holds a certificate of Apologetics from Biola University. You can find out more about Simone and her ministry "Deep Roots In Christ" online at http://www.simonelake.com/

Join Eric Shumacher and Elyse Fitzpatrick as they share about their new book "Worthy: Celebrating The Value of Women." Both Eric and Elyse share some of their hopes for bringing to light the way God has used women throughout redemptive history and encourages us in having conversations marked with dignity and respect around this topic. You can find out more about the book Worthy and about Elyse and Eric at WorthyBook.com

Today's guest, Christine Hoover, joins us to talk about friendship and leadership. She encourages us in remembering that community is a need for everyone and that often times we can believe the lie that we have to lead alone. She shares how to find spaces of vulnerability and the importance of asking for help. Christine Hoover is a pastor's wife, mom of three boys, host of the "By Faith" podcast, and author of several books. Her latest offering is With All Your Heart: Living Joyfully Through Allegiance to King Jesus. Previous books include Messy Beautiful Friendship and The Church Planting Wife. Christine has contributed to The Gospel Coalition, For The Church, and Christianity Today. Originally from Texas, she and her family live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they planted a church in 2008. Find Christine at her home online, https://buff.ly/2Sz0C1W.

Susie Hawkins joins me at the table to talk about how important self awareness is as a leader. She shares some of her own struggles as a young woman in ministry and how to stay faithful throughout the different seasons of leadership. Susie Hawkins lives in Dallas and has been actively involved in women's’ ministries in the local church as well as the Southern Baptist Convention. She enjoys teaching the Bible and has contributed to numerous publications, as well as authoring From One Ministry Wife to Another. She enjoys serving on the boards of Baptist Global Response and the Lifesavers Foundation. Susie has an MA in Theology and Christian Leadership from The Criswell College in Dallas, Texas. She is the wife of O.S. Hawkins and has two daughters and six grandchildren. You can connect with Susie on Twitter @Susiehawkins1

Mary Wiley joins us on this episode to talk about why women need Theology in their every day. From choosing what we eat to how to lead in various roles, Mary shows us how are every day moments reflect what we believe about God. Mary Wiley is the author of Everyday Theology, an eight-week Bible study exploring essential doctrines and why they matter in our everyday lives. She holds a BA in Christian studies and English from the University of Mobile and an MA in theological studies from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband, John, have two children and live in the Nashville area. She works in publishing and hosts the Questions Kids Ask podcast. You can follow her on Instagram @MaryCWiley

Today's episode talks all about getting through seasons of discouragement and dryness as a leader. Rachel shares how to mix things up in personal Bible study and how God works through hard and dry seasons to show us more of Him. Rachel is a Pastor’s Wife, Mom, friend, Ministry leader author and speaker. Her happy place is the beach or eating chippy dippy with her family. Her website is www.rachellovingood.com and connect with her on social media @rachellovingood.

Want to know how to start a movement of God? Pray. Today Diane Strack joins us to share her story of leadership and how God birthed a movement within her to join women from all across the US to pray for revival. You'll hear her story of how one decision of obedience lead to God showing up in amazing ways. You can join the movement at SheLovesOutLoud.org. Diane Strack inspires audiences to expectant faith and a discovery of the character of God. She has been active in women’s and student ministry for more than three decades through teaching, writing, and mentoring. She is the co-founder of Student Leadership University, the global, premier leadership training for more than 200,000 students, educators, and ministry leaders; author of New Start for Single Moms, a transformational mentoring program used globally through One More Child; and President of the nonprofit, She Loves Out Loud.

Today author and Bible teacher Courtney Reissig joins us today to discuss Courtney's new book "Teach Me To Feel." They touch on how the Bible speaks to our emotions and what it looks like to find God in the hardest of seasons. Courtney Reissig is a writer and bible teacher living in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is the proud mom of four sons, happy wife to Daniel, and author of three books: The Accidental Feminist, Glory in the Ordinary, and Teach Me to Feel: Worshiping Through the Psalms in Every Season of Life (releasing January 1, 2020). They are members of Immanuel Baptist Church. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram (@courtneyreissig).

Listen in as Brenna Norwood of The Heart of Texas Foundation shares her story about ministering to men and women who are incarcerated. From seminary training to sending out field ministers across the state of Texas we get a glimpse of how God is working and the gospel is going behind prison walls and changing lives and families with hope and redemption. Learn more about The Heart of Texas Foundation at https://heartoftexasfoundation.org/ Dr. Brenna Norwood, Ph.D. Leadership, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Brenna Norwood serves alongside her husband Grove in the work of The Heart of Texas Foundation. She coordinates all of the resources and communication for the Field Ministers Literacy Program, Field Ministry Theological Library and Team Support Kit, the Women’s Advisory Council, and The Heart of Texas Foundation Press. She has the Master of Science in Educational Administration (1999) from Texas A&M University. She served as a public school Prepared by Executive Administration of The Heart of Texas Foundation | Page 1 teacher for six years in Texas, then as a higher education administrator for ten years. Brenna earned the Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009.

Listen in as Mary Margaret West shares how to intentionally come alongside teen girls in our local churches. We talk about throw back Nokia phones, the stress and anxiety that is weighting down our students, and how to engage the next generation so they don't fall away from the church after High school. Mary Margaret West has been leading in women's and girls ministry for the last 15 years She's currently serving as a Middle School Bible teacher at Foundation Academy in Winter Garden, FL. She has a passion to equip girls and women to dive deeply into God's Word and live out their calling and live out their calling, and does this by training, consulting, and speaking to students and leaders across the Untied States. Mary Margaret is the author of Show Her the Way: Your Guide to Discipling Teen Girls, is a former Girls Minister, and holds a master's degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Mary Margaret and her husband Jonathan live in Orlando, FL. Connect with Mary Margaret on Twitter @MaryMargaretC