A  CALL  TO  LEADERS  WHO  WANT  TO  LEAD  LIKE  CHRIST

 

      Have you ever contemplated the fact that Jesus could have revealed Himself as “Messiah” to anyone first,

but He chose the Samaritan woman at the well. (John 4:25-26) Likewise, He could’ve made his post-Resurrection debut anywhere, but He chose Mary Magdalene for that incredible first moment. (Mark 16:9)  And He points out “The Other Mary’s” single minded devotion multiple times in Scripture, (Luke 10:41-42, John 12:1-8, Mark 14:3-9, 

Matt 26:6-13, John 11:2) along with the unnamed woman, a sinner. (Luke 7:37-50)

     What else did these women have in common? They were all unmarried, childless, most redeemed from a life of sin and shame and drastically changed through a powerful encounter with Christ, resulting in a favored level of devotion He repeatedly emphasized and extolled. 

 

     Allow me to bring to your attention to a similar demographic of women, growing in number, yet largely unrecognized by the church today. I’ll call them Marys: 30 - 50 something single, childless women, who “have their lives together,” yet come to a saving knowledge of Christ through a radical, supernatural encounter with Him. Usually daughters of divorced, secular parents, these women learned to put their faith in themselves, the career ladder or their wishes and dreams. With no one modeling Godly manhood in their lives, they’ve dated perpetually, had abortions they deeply regret or intentionally postponed pregnancy, hungering for standards in a partner that ever eluded them, unwilling to settle for less. 

    Competent, driven and able to “handle things like a man,” society praises them for figuring life out on their own, the survival skill of fending for themselves becomes an identity. Cloistered by Satan’s lies, he starves their hungry hearts with an empty life, where what they can do in their own strength becomes his toxic, counterfeit balm for the wound of their broken souls. 

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    Yet in order to fully embrace God after a life-changing encounter, these Marys leave behind their fully established secular life and social networks to follow Christ into their new identity, thus begining the search for “Church & Fellowship.”

    But where do they land when they arrive? Where do they belong? Is your church aware of this demographic?

Is there anything resembling a thriving ministry for them? Even a single’s night for new believers over 30? Where is the women’s retreat or small group not filled with the Martha talk of marriage, motherhood & domestic life, or elderly women united by health issues & grandchildren?

 

    Male Church Leaders, with all due respect, these Martha ministries are self replicating echo-chambers, unknowingly alienating the lone Mary, who walks into your church eager to fill her life with the promise of  “fellowship,” only to find single’s ministries filled with college kids and everyone else busy with their families! This lack of meaningful koinonia throughout the week often leads to the outcome of the seed falling on the rocky places (Matt 13:5-6).

 

“Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
 

Have you thought about creating that needful place for the Marys in your church?

 

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1 Corinthians 7:34-34

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- Sara Rose Wasson

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