Submitted By Tracie Warren
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).”
Ephesians 5:8-9 (NIV)
PWOC’s third aim is, “to DEVELOP in women the skills of prayer, evangelism, stewardship and social service, against a background of personal spiritual development.” This involves much more than simply teaching women particular skills. According to merriam-webster.com, the definition of teach is “to impart knowledge; to cause to know something.” The definition of develop, on the other hand, is “to make visible or manifest; to subject (exposed photograph material) especially to chemicals in order to produce a visible image.” Do you see the difference? I can know something, yet not manifest it in my behavior. I can learn new information, yet never apply it to my life. If we consider teaching to engage the head, the mind, with information, developing engages the heart and leads to transformation.
This presents a challenge to PWOC leaders because simply presenting information is not enough. Somehow we have to create an environment where women (ourselves included) not only hear the information, but internalize it and allow it to be made evident through our behaviors. We need to create an environment that encourages life-transformation, an environment that produces spiritual fruit. That is a tall order, and thankfully, it is one we don’t have to take on alone. Scripture promises the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is God who works in us “to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Phil 2:13). We are not ultimately responsible for the transformation of those we lead, however, we’re not completely off the hook either. We do have a responsibility to cooperate with the Spirit and encourage transformation within the body.
So what can we do to promote development, to encourage transformation? I believe the best thing we can do is live it, be a model. If we want women to be transformed, we need to be transformed. If we want women to develop in prayer, we need to develop in prayer. There is a slogan I’ve seen around town recently that says, “Be the Change.” Let us be the change we want to see in the women of our PWOCs. Let us lead by example, modeling the transformation that accompanies the Christian life. Let us live as “children of the light” shining as a “city on a hill” (Matt 5:14).
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The 2VP – Leadership Development update is published on the third Wednesday of each month. Submit comments or suggestions to leadershipdevelopment@pwoc.org
