Have you ever felt fenced out?
Or maybe fenced in?
Years ago we but a fence around a good bit of our property. The idea was to keep the deer out of the yard so they didn't eat my flowers, and my dog in the yard so she didn't chase the deer or a neighbor's dog.
That has worked perfectly for keeping the deer out and mostly for keeping the dog in - she did find a way out a couple of times when young.
Fences like that can be a good thing. But there are other kinds of fences that, while they may be talked about as protective, really aren't. Many of those fences are not visible physical barriers. They can be beliefs, policies, traditions. Many of those fences are designed to keep those inside in an exclusive group. And that means that anyone who is not on the inside is excluded.
Women in leadership, especially those of in the leadership of faith communities, have often be excluded, kept outside. While conditions have improved some over the last 50 years, it's still tough to be a woman in leadership.
If you're a woman in leadership and feeling excluded, I want you to know that I hear you and have felt that too. Your dreams and mission is too precious to be fenced in or fenced out. If you're ready to reach out to talk or consider some new steps, let's talk. Send me a message.