How the stories of ordained Baptist women invite us to see calling, ministry, and service in new ways. 

There is no single blueprint for being a woman in ministry. 

That is one of the things that makes the Called to Serve project so compelling: the uniqueness of each story, testimony, and reflection on a life lived in service to God. Different personalities, gifts, interests, ministries, and vocational paths emerge across the stories. 

And yet, within this tapestry of experiences are common threads that can expand our understanding of what it means to be called to serve. 

These threads are brought together in the work of Dr. Melody Maxwell, Hannah Hunt, and Joetta Fernando, whose recently published book, Called to Serve, shares the stories of fourteen ordained Baptist women as they reflect on their experiences in ministry. It brings together the work of the Called to Serve project – a research initiative and podcast that seeks to share, study, and preserve the stories of women ordained to ministry by Baptist churches in Atlantic Canada.

Quiet Faithfulness 

These are stories of women responding to God’s call, sometimes discovering that simply doing so meant encountering assumptions and barriers along the way. But what stood out to the Called to Serve team was not a desire to make history or challenge institutions. These women were seeking to faithfully follow God’s call on their lives. 

“The women weren’t trying to leave some sort of legacy,” says Joetta. “They were just trying to be faithful to where God had placed them… it was this quiet faithfulness that really stood out to me.” 

While these women may not have set out to change history, the Called to Serve team hopes their stories will shape how others imagine who God calls and the many forms that calling can take. 

Sustained by Call 

The experience of being called is another important thread running through these stories. 

“They really, perhaps more so than the men, needed that to grab onto to say, God has called me,” says Melody. “And when people challenged them in ministry, they could look back to that calling.” 

Responding to that call did not come without cost. For some, recognizing a call meant wrestling not only with vocation, but with their understanding of Scripture and their relationships with faith communities. 

And still, they continued. 

Expanding Our Imagination 

The Called to Serve team hopes that churches, faith communities, and individuals will be inspired by hearing these stories and consider how they can encourage the gifts and callings of others. 

“The hope is that people who listen and who are part of the church will think about how they can create spaces for other people – to encourage them and be role models,” says Joetta. In doing so, she hopes the stories can “expand our imaginations” about what calling, ministry, and service can look like. 

That imagination begins to form from a young age. 

“Even in the church, young girls will have their imaginations expanded through the roles that they see women and men serving in,” says Melody. “But especially seeing female role models modelling these things, it will [become a] completely normal and wonderful thing to aspire to for many young women.” 

Changing the Conversation with Stories 

For the Called to Serve team, storytelling offers a powerful way to engage questions that can otherwise remain abstract or argumentative. 

“Stories have a different capacity to change and to teach than maybe a book on women in ministry,” says Hannah. “A story is not threatening. You’re just learning about somebody’s life.” 

“When you read about women who are sitting with the dying and they’re praying with them or they’re successfully ministering to at-risk youth… I think it’s a really helpful way to have the conversation because you can get away from the arguments and just say… is this good? Does this look like Jesus?”

Through the book and the wider Called to Serve project, these stories do more than preserve the experiences of women who have served. They invite others to listen, reflect, and consider their own place in the story. 

They “are meant to serve as an invitation to participate,” says Joetta. “Draw courage from them and continue to build community.” 

That invitation now continues beyond the page. Through Called to Serve on Tour, the team will visit communities across Atlantic Canada, sharing findings from the project and bringing together panels of ordained Baptist women to reflect on their own experiences of calling and ministry. 

The stories may be different. The paths may be different. But together, they offer an invitation to listen more closely, expand our imaginations, call out the gifts we see in others, and encourage those whom God is calling to serve.