SHEcclesiology--Girls Talking Church Jayne Wilcox

The SHE team watches the Barbie movie! We're are super excited to talk about the fun and glitter of Barbie Land, our take on various scenes, our most favorite lines, and of course we bring it home with some application between the church, Barbies and Kens, and the patriarchy represented by Ken being patriarchalized when he visits the Real World.


Find the Episode Show Notes on our website with links to our sources referenced in the episode here.

Are there signs that we hang on the metaphorical front door of our churches or our denominations, that unwittingly, subtly, in the most gentlest of fonts communicate “Go Away” to certain individuals that don't fit comfortably into our communities or our theology, or certain kinds of people that are different than us–in gender, ethnicity, or sexuality?”

Jayne recently gave a message to a room of mostly pastors–mostly men and mostly white–starting with an introduction about the subtle Go-Away signs on the front doors of our Churches. It was essentially a message about the need to diversify leadership among a tribe of churches that is mostly white and mostly male, both at the local level and national level.

At this event, a bit later a pastor in attendance asked this question: “Where are we excluding people– how are we excluding women and poc in our churches? I don’t see it. I don’t see how we are excluding others.”

In part one of this episode, the SHE-Team work through definitions and examples of Second Generation Gender Bias that are barriers for women rising in leadership roles.


Find the Episode Show Notes on our website with links to our sources referenced in the episode here.

The SHE Team is talking about Mother’s Day and the annual celebration we hold at our churches and how it has become–or has always been–problematic for some women and maybe for some men as well. Before the four of us settled on doing a Mother’s Day episode, we agreed that it would definitely fall in the category or genre of disruption–meaning, our conversation will intentionally seek to disrupt the accepted norms and behaviors of how the church celebrates Mother’s Day. This is #anti-donut ministry at its finest. However, while in the spirit of deconstructing the current state of Mother’s Day, we want to finish up the episode with a bit of re-construction and talk about how the church can honor the vocation of motherhood first, as partnering with God in God’s work in the world and also, motherhood as a journey to holiness that sanctifies through sacrificial and selfless service to the little people entrusted to them.


Find the Episode Show Notes on our website with links to our sources referenced in the episode here.

The SHE team picks up where we left off in the last episode on Women in Seasons of Vocation. Cathleen Cahalan in her book, Calling All Years Good, suggests that "callings are discerned through relationships... they are mutually influencing and responsive to others." For sure, the influence of those we are in relationships with and their spoken and unspoken responses are essential for young women in early emergent periods of vocational ministry. Jen and myself share how faith communities and individuals have played a significant role in our discerning and affirming seasons of vocation. The SHE-Team finishes up with discussing ideas on what pastors and church leaders can do to acknowledge the gifts and callings of women in congregations.

One more mention before we begin: if there are individuals that have affirmed you and maybe even mentored and made space for you to live out your gifts and calling in the church, we'd love for you to tell your story. We'll send you a free #antidonut ministry t-shirt if you post your story on our IG account at SHEcclesiology or on the facebook Listening Community Page. Just search for SHEcclesiology--GirlsTalking Church


The first 10 listeners to share their story get a free SHEcclesiology “Anti-donut ministry” t-shirt! Find us on facebook at SHEcclesiology Listening Community or on Instagram!


Find the Episode Show Notes on our website with links to our sources referenced in the episode here.

The SHE-Team rethinks concepts of vocation as it aligns with the seasons of women’s lives. Author Kathleen Cahalan challenges thinking about vocation in terms of discovering my “lifelong vocation” and proposes the idea that women’s experiences of vocation change through different seasons of our lives.

In her book Calling All Years Good, she discusses how we can reflect on and discern the nature of vocation throughout the anticipated transitions of our lives. The team starts with a quote from Cahalan, “vocation we contend is inherently narrative. Its first language is story.” They share with listeners how the seasons of their lives have or have not aligned with a changing call to various vocations and then discuss the role of community in identifying and affirming women’s ministerial calling.

Twice during the episode the team invites our listeners to try out a reflective practice of discerning vocation through seasons of their lives and also to share their stories of vocation.


The first 10 listeners to share their story get a free SHEcclesiology “Anti-donut ministry” t-shirt! Find us on facebook at SHEcclesiology Listening Community or on Instagram!


Find the Episode Show Notes on our website with links to our sources referenced in the episode here.

Is the Church responding well to the declines of religious participation in the Church or are our responses not much more than rearranging decks chairs on the Titanic? In this episode we take a moment to take stock of the Church and what we invest our time, energy, and ourselves into every week. It is December 2022 and we thought it would be a good time to discuss the State of the Church as we head into a new year. The SHE-Team tackles two questions: how our churches and denominations are responding to the post-religious changes we are experiencing in the US (church attendance, pastoral credibility, the end of Christendom and its institutional form), and second, what we each consider the most pressing question facing the church for 2023. Also if you are a regular listener, join our fB page called the SHEcclesiology Listener Community for updates and other conversations. If Instagram is more your thing, follow us at SHEcclesiology. See you there!


Find the Episode Show Notes on our website with links to our sources referenced in the episode here.