When I first heard about Leading Women Who Wound I knew I needed to be a part of the blog tour.   How many of you have been wounded emotionally by other women in the church?  Perhaps those who were clearly identified or informal leaders in women’s ministry?  I’d guess that the majority of us have been, or know of a sister who has been.  Jesus told His followers that others would know us by our love.  As such, I feel it’s vitally important for believers to learn effective communication and conflict resolution skills.  Enter Sue Edward and Kelly Matthews, co-authors of Leading Women Who Wound.

While I’m waiting for this title to arrive by post, I’d like to share some further information about this title with you.  Here’s a blurb to get us started:

As more churches add women’s ministry programs, there is a growing need to address the issues that naturally arise as women minister alongside one another and to one another. Given the fallen nature of the human heart as well as the complexities of personalities, conflict is an inevitable aspect of ministry. How do women deal with emotions when other women are insensitive, manipulative, or just plain mean? What does the Bible tell us? To be equipped for conflict, women must understand and master strategies specifically related to conflict with other women.

Leading Women Who Wound shows women how to effectively deal with conflict within their ministries. Seasoned women’s ministry leaders themselves, Sue Edwards and Kelley Mathews walk through several different aspects of conflict resolution including self-examination, identification of potential sources of conflict, tools for conflict resolution, and insight on how to prevent and move beyond conflict to minister to those who have been sources of contention. Recognizing that not all conflict results in a happy ending, Leading Women Who Wound gives the tools necessary to minister effectively and move forward with integrity.

About the Authors:

Kelley Mathews
Kelley Mathews is a freelance writer and copy editor. She began her mothering career after earning her Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. She and her husband live in Texas with their three children.

Learn more about Kelley at http://www.newdoors.info/.

Sue Edwards
Sue Edwards is assistant professor of Christian Education at Dallas TheologicalSeminary, where she is leading the development of the Women in Ministry concentration, and has received awards for her excellence in education. She and her husband have two children and four grandchildren.

Learn more about Sue at http://www.newdoors.info/

I couldn’t resist sharing these excellent responses to interview questions concerning their book, they mirror my opening thoughts above – amen sisters!

Where did you get the idea for the book?
We write about issues that face women today—issues we have experienced: for example, working with men and learning to work through conflict and personal attacks. Our new book Leading Women Who Wound came out of excruciating experiences that we learned happen to many women when they work with other women. We could not find a book out there that really addressed these issues from a women’s perspective, so we wrote one.

What are the major themes of the book?
Personal attacks, difficult people, and conflict are inevitable in ministry. Whether you volunteer a few hours a week or work on full time staff, you won’t be the exception! But men and women perceive and process conflict differently. Finally, a book for women by women who have been there. Are you particularly vulnerable? Can you differentiate between constructive criticism and destructive attacks? Have you mastered the process Jesus taught his disciples? A practical comprehensive guide book, Women Who Wound and How to Lead Them will prepare you to thrive in conflict as you learn to disarm and love women who hurt you.

What kind of research did you have to do for the book?
I read everything I could find on the topic, drew on my own experiences, and interviewed women who had stories to share. I expected to look hard to find these women but when women asked what I was working on and I told them, many said, “Let me tell you what happened to me!”

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
We hope they will prepare for personal attacks and conflict, becoming more direct in their communication styles and following Matthew 18 in their personal and ministry lives. Peacemaker ministry says there are 19,000 conflicts in churches every year and one in four ministers will either be fired or asked to leave their positions. Our goal is to lessen those stats as well as the heartache that results from managing conflict badly.

Leading Women Who Wound
Release: February 1, 2009
Soft cover, 224 pp., $13.99, 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
Non-Fiction, Women’s Studies
ISBN: 0802481531

Well, it sounds good, why not check out the other bloggers on-tour.  Chances are they might have first-hand impressions for you, the mail tends to be a bit slow crossing into Canada – so we’ll wait and see .

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