Baptist Women in Ministry is a network of Baptist Women and those who support and encourage Baptist Women in Ministry in SC. We are happy to be partners with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship SC and Baptist Women in Ministry!

Through this space, we hope to offer reflection, resources, and stories to help you on your faith journey whether that is as a minister, a lay person, or a member of your family. May we continue to seek to find the divine in our daily lives!

Join BWIM SC on a retreat that will be held on January 28–30, 2024 at Dreher Island State Park! 

More details and registration below.

2024 BWIM SC Retreat

Led by Eileen Campbell-Reed and BWIM SC coordinators Kelli Kirksey and Sarah Hanks, this retreat will be held January 28-30, 2024, at Dreher Island State Park in Prosperity, SC. Cost of registration is $175 per person (includes food, lodging and craft supplies). We will be housed in several park villas, but each person will have their own room. Please be sure to put these dates on your calendar and register by December 1, 2023, for an Early Bird discount of $50.

 Rev. Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed (she/hers) is Visiting Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Care at Union Theological Seminary, New York City, and also co-director of the Learning Pastoral Imagination Project, a national, ecumenical, and longitudinal study of ministry begun in 2009.  Eileen is author of Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life (Fortress, 2021), Anatomy of a Schism (UT Press, 2016), The State of Clergywomen in the U.S. (2018), and the #PandemicPastoring Report (2022).  She is founder and host of Three Minute Ministry Mentor, a weekly video, blog and podcast to inform and inspire the practice of ministry.  Eileen was ordained and has served in churches affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Alliance of Baptists.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

 

Equally Called: Celebrating Women’s Leadership in the Church

BWIM and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship partnered to create Equally Called, a FREE 4-session video and curriculum resource for all ages to help your church articulate the biblical and theological basis for affirming the calling of women and nurture a culture that more fully welcomes their leadership.

  • Session 1: Creation and the Fall
  • Session 2: The Jesus Model
  • Session 3: The Early Church
  • Session 4: The Reign of God

Adult, youth, and children versions are available in English and Spanish.  Click here to download the materials and to access the videos.

 

MARCH is BWIM Month of Advocacy!

Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM) has taken more steps to affirm, value, and elevate women in ministry. What has previously been known as BWIM Month of Preaching, is expanding to the BWIM Month of Advocacy in March. You are still encouraged to invite a woman to preach, but there are additional things that you and your church can do! Examples are advocating for ordination of women in ministry in your church; giving scholarships to women in seminary or college preparing for ministry; and evaluating the artwork in your church and adding pieces that include women. 

For more ideas about how your church can participate in BWIM Month of Advocacy, click here. If you need a list of women who would be interested in preaching at your church, please reach out to the CBFSC office, or to the BWIM SC leaders, Sarah Hanks or Kelli Kirksey (contact information below). 

Read Baptist News Global’s most recent article on the BWIM Month of Advocacy HERE.

Meet BWIMSC Co-Coordinators Kelli Kirksey and Sarah Hanks

 

Kelli Kirksey is the minister of family life at Inman First Baptist Church.  Kelli grew up in a Southern Baptist Church and was told at an early age that God could not call her to be a minister. She is thankful to have found a home in CBF and BWIM where she is affirmed, encouraged, and challenged to become the minister God has called her to be.  She has four children and wears many hats. Kelli knows both the joys and struggles of being a Baptist Woman in Ministry. She believes women are called into a holy sisterhood, supporting, empowering, and advocating for one another. She believes BWIM SC exists to  provide a network of support and fellowship to enable Baptist women to thrive as they minister within their communities.  Contact Kelli at bwimcsc@gmail.com.

Sarah Hanks has been serving in family ministry for five years. She currently serves at Inman First Baptist Church as the associate minister of family life with Kelli Kirksey.  Sarah Hanks has three children: Sebastian, Elijah, and Abigail. Sarah understands how challenging it can be to balance being a woman in ministry, a mother, and a wife. Sarah is currently a part of the BWIM Mentoring cohort program. She understands the importance of having a community that will support, empower, encourage, and guide Baptist women in ministry. Sarah is excited for the opportunity to serve with Kelli Kirksey as co-coordinator for Baptist Women in Ministry-South Carolina and can not wait to see how God will move this year.  Contact Sarah at sarah@ifbc.net.