What does it mean to you or how do you define "spiritual Mother?" I remember as a young girl our PW would preach form the pulpit and this was back in the 70s...when it was not a common thing. In some places it is still not very common and that truly is saddening. When I was a teen I went to a church where the PW was only at the piano, I never saw her even praying with people at the alters even when she wasn't at the piano and I always wondered why but never asked. Then in my 20's I attended a church while in college and the PW taught Sunday school but made it very clear that she didn't feel women should be behind the pulpit.
During that time I met, fell in love with and married my husband who was the college campus pastor who also attended the same church as I. I say all this because I married an established pastor, walked into being a PW immediately and have been learning ever since.
I only started understanding what "spiritual mother" was when I found PPN and started realizing there is a LOT more to being a PW. Of which I have always felt but always wondered how to gain that respect from others. So many of the churches that we have been a part of have not had leading women or considered themselves as co-pastors and my DH and I do feel we are one unit, both equally called to pastor and before we take our next pastorate I want to know all I can about being the spiritual mother of a church.
So again my question is how do you define being a spiritual mother and what does she look like (spiritually)??
A spiritual mother is a solution to a congregation.
A spiritual mother takes her place alongside a spiritual father to a congregation and serves in her own unique way, living out her calling.
This isn't about "responsibilities" so much as a life lived in serving as an example of a Godly Christian woman and taking our place in the specific way we feel God calling us to.
A spiritual mother nurtures ~ cares ~ invests in others. The way we invest in others doesn't always look the same. I thought about this two weeks ago as I did an interview for CTN with Arthelene Rippy and she was talking to me about my life coaching program that I lead in the church and in introducing me she said, "Deanna has a ministry to women...I've known about it for years, but it's quite honestly kind of hard to describe..." and perhaps the reason it's so is because I didn't start doing it based upon what I saw everyone else doing -- I allowed the Lord to lead me and flow in my unique gifts/calling. Other pastors' wives may not have a life coaching program nor do what I'm doing but that doesn't mean they aren't spiritual mothers -- they have unique ways of living out their call that work for them/their church.
I believe all Christian women are called to be spiritual mothers in the faith. We all must rise to that occasion so the next generation may be reached for Him. I believe with PW's we are especially in a unique role of spiritual mothering as we have opportunity to stand beside our husbands as spiritual parents to a church. We lead them in the church just as we would lead kids in a home. Do all moms in a home function just the same? No!!! Even "excellent" ones. I could name 10 excellent moms off the top of my head right now, that I am personal friends with. They are all incredible Moms but vastly different in how they lead their children. They all have gifts and talents, and use them in different ways. But one thing is for sure - the Mom is a solution in the home and the children are cared for!
One book I really enjoyed about spiritual mothering in general was Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt.
Other books that speak to my spirit on this topic are Nurture by Lisa Bevere and LionessArising also by Bevere.
