Lexi Shipp is a passionate writer, speaker, and Bible teacher. With a Bachelors in Religion and Masters in Human Services Counseling, both specified in Christian Ministry, Lexi is currently serving alongside her husband as Girls Student Ministry Director at London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Working with middle and high school girls for years, she has a heart for connecting all generations of women and championing the next generation for the cause of Christ – starting within her own home as a mom. Lexi serves as a regular LifeWay Girls blogger, the Blog Team Lead for the SBC of Virginia’s Women’s Ministry Blog, and as a part of the SBCV Ministry Wives and Women’s Ministry Strategy teams. To read more of Lexi’s writings or to book her as a speaker, connect with her on Instagram @alexisleeshipp.
We were sitting comfortably in a misshapen circle having a small group discussion about revival. It sounds like it could be an intense topic of conversation, “turn or burn”, “brimstone and fire” type of thing. But it wasn’t that way at all.
After I posed the question somewhere along the line of, “What would it take for revival to happen?”, an unexpected, yet revealing, perspective was vocalized – inviting others to church.
True, others can certainly come to know the Lord this way.
But the point of where my intentional question asking was going is that WE, as believers, are the Church, and revival starts with us.
My husband frequently says it so well, “The purpose of the church is to equip the saints for the work of the Kingdom.”
When this perspective was vocalized – the way to revival is by inviting others to church – it became obvious that this was going to require an entire mindset shift.
Through other parts of the discussion, I began to realize that the girls surrounding me did not view themselves as leaders because they didn’t have the typical personality type we would think of when we generally think of a strong leader. They shared things like not being able to talk in front of people.
I then began to ask them what they felt like their strengths were. Attention to detail, organization, appreciating different cultures, were things they began to mention. The goal was to then help them to see the value in who they are as God has made them to be, and how to utilize their natural gifts and interests to reach the people around them. This is of paramount importance when it comes to empowering others in sharing the gospel, and it became glaringly apparent to me as a leader in this conversation.
If she sees leadership a certain way in her mind, and she doesn’t fit that description from her perspective, then she will not view herself as a leader.
The question for those of us leading in the church or any other place is this: How am I helping those under me in my shepherding care to see themselves as leaders?
My encouragement to you today is to start by asking those you lead questions such as: What would it take for revival to come in the places you most frequent? How can you be a leader in this? Do you see yourself as a leader? What do you like? What are you good at? And from there, helping them to see their interests and gifts as strengths to be utilized instead of looking at what they DON’T have and feeling incapable. Revival starts with us!
