As a woman called to teach the Word, I’m often looking for ministries or resources that better equip me to teach women. When I discover a good resource or get to be a part of a ministry that helps women handle the Bible well, I want to share! So I’m highlighting the Verity Fellowship, an excellent ministry in the Pacific Northwest geared towards women who minister the Word.
This ministry is close to my heart. I’ve had the privilege of attending Verity events and teaching several of their workshops since the beginning in 2015. The two founders, Taylor Turkington and Katie Roberts, are dear friends and fellow partners in the gospel. I’ve worked closely with them on manuscripts, prayed together for events, talked through feedback, and heard their vision more than once. It’s with great confidence that I can commend this ministry to you.
What Is It?
The Verity Fellowship is a gospel-centered ministry of Western Seminary that encourages and equips women who handle the Word to use Scripture well. It was founded on the true principle that Jesus is at the center of all of Scripture and of life, thus its mission is to remind women to center their ministries on Jesus and the hope of his gospel message. After all, isn’t this what women need more than anything else?
I think so, as does the Verity Fellowship. That’s why everything they do is motivated by a desire to help women who minister the Word bring this truth to bear on their ministry, whether that’s discipling, shepherding, teaching, writing, training children, leading music, and more. The ministries of the women who attend are diverse but the purpose is the same—encourage and equip them to better teach the Bible as one story that points to Jesus.
What Does It Offer?
A big piece of the ministry is their annual events. They gather three times a year for teaching, edification, and equipping. The Fall Conference features solid teaching by a plenary speaker and breakout workshops, while the Forum is a full day of “hands on” workshops. Both give you the opportunity to meet and network with women from other churches in your particular area of calling. The third event is their Training. It’s a two-day event to help women teach the Bible well. These events are the “bread and butter” of the Verity Fellowship.
But it doesn’t stop there. They also provide content on the Verity blog to help women center their lives and ministries on Jesus throughout the year. The blog is written by a team of real women (just like you!) doing real ministry in their local churches. Again, I have the privilege of knowing many of these women and they’re legit. You’ll be encouraged, convicted, and challenged by their gospel-centered articles. You can subscribe to their blog here.
Why Do I Love It?
There is a lot I love about the Verity Fellowship, but two pieces stand out to me:
1. It keeps the main thing the main thing.
Women’s ministries are notorious for getting sidetracked with teas and trends and studies and showers and service projects. All good things. But if we aren’t careful good things by genuine people can subtly push Jesus to the fringe of a ministry. Verity recognizes we’re all prone to make our ministries about something other than Jesus, so they exist to remind women through events, resources, and relationships that our ministries need to be rooted in him and centered on the gospel. Every event is going to bring you back to that main thing. You might hear the good news taught from Deuteronomy or learn how to find it in Ruth, but either way you’re going to hear the gospel. You can be sure of that.
2. It equips you to minister the Word well.
Verity seeks to be a “come and learn” ministry, rather than a “come and watch” event. They want to train women to read, study, and teach the Scriptures well. At the events, you’ll see good exposition done and then get opportunities to do what you saw. You’ll actively engage in the handling of Scripture and learn how to implement Christ-centered teaching in your ministry. The themes and topics change, but all of them are grounded in the Bible with a focus on Jesus. I love that I can invite a woman to any of their events knowing she will learn about redemptive history, biblical theology, creativity and theology, or discipling from the Word. These are the things I want women trained in!
Time is precious and life is full. When I invest in a ministry or invite someone to an event, I want to know that the gospel will be shared and women will be encouraged and equipped to know the Word, which is exactly what the Verity Fellowship does. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest this is an amazing resource for women right at your fingertips! Check out the dates for future events, gather some gals from your church, and come get equipped. If you’re not local but still interested in the ministry, you can access the media and handouts from previous workshops online as well as subscribing to their blog. It’s worth your time (which I know is limited!).
I hope you find this ministry as encouraging and helpful as I have.
Enjoy!
Whitney Woollard is passionate about equipping others to read and study God’s Word well. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute and a Masters of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Western Seminary. Whitney and her husband Neal currently live in Portland, OR where they call Hinson Baptist Church home. Visit her writing homepage whitneywoollard.com.
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