by Rachel Cain

It isn’t groundbreaking to state that women should be involved in the care of other women in the local church, yet they are so often excluded. Help[H]er: A Churchwide Response for Women in Crisis by Bernie Lawrence and Ann Maree Goudzwaard is a concise, poignant, and practical guide to including women in one-another care ministries in churches.

Using stories from several different perspectives, including women who receive care, “shepherdesses,” pastors, and elders, proves to be a key tool in communicating the necessity of including women in ministry for other women. One shepherdess writes about a woman who had been enduring a difficult marriage and the depth of comfort she felt from the shepherdess assigned to her case. A woman confronting her past abuse was able to talk through sensitive issues with a shepherdess rather than face to face with her male pastor. It’s these, and countless other stories that offer a beautiful picture of inviting mature women into discipleship and ministry for other women in crisis in the local church.

After reading a book like Help[H]er, it seems difficult to understand why churches wouldn’t want to include women in these ministry leadership positions. Of course, the hesitation


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