I spend a great deal of my energy speaking affirmations into the lives of the girls and women I work with. It is imperative that we counter negative, harmful messages with supporting ones. Repeating statements like, “What you have to say is important” or “You are not a mistake” to girls whose parents tell them they didn’t mean to have them can have a profound impact on someone’s life. I say it from the pulpit, on Twitter, in the counseling office, and on the phone. The more they hear it, the more they will begin to believe it.
Helping women and girls claim their voice to center their experiences and their truth should be a prioritized mission of all church leaders, regardless of gender, for one reason: It is crucial to the future and overall health of the church. Only by having women represented in all aspects of the church can we witness the fullness of the work of Christ through them, their gifts, and their voices. By continuing to center only half of the world’s voices, the church has not actualized the fullness of its potential in truly being the body of Christ.