by
Sabrina Armstrong
March 27, 2017
WLED 330-001
The Role of Christian Women in Ministry
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Women’s Role in Ministry Interview Paper- Terri Armstrong
Submitted to Dr. Brennan,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
Wearing the many different hats of a Christian woman and even non-Christian
woman for a large majority of her life, Terri Armstrong is a wife, mother, friend, sister,
and friend. To those who know her, know that she is a hard working, full-time, committed
woman- whether it be her job, family, friends, she is all in. Terri Armstrong is a woman
who has been working with her husband and family in ministry for about 13 years.
Having only been a Christian for about 13 years, Terri immediately became involved in
ministry the week after her salvation, even as a young Christian. Her heart for ministry
has impacted many, especially shaping the views of ministry for her family.
Terri has been involved in many ministries throughout her time as a Christian:
starting with baking cookies for new comers of the church, working with the youth group
her daughter attended, led student leadership teams, hosted and led a small group for high
school girls, volunteered in the nursery for kids of all ages, led a small group for other
married couples with her husband, and Saturday night greeting team. Even from moving
to Texas from California, she still stayed committed to serving, this time through
greeting, checking students in on Sunday morning, and leading a new comers’ class with
her husband. In the early stages of her faith, she felt outcast for a while for not being a
stay at home mom and not having the same knowledge or recognition of the Bible stories
songs, and people. Over time, God placed specific people into her life that were hard
working women who did not stay at home, and she began to lead the other new believers
in the Church. Through her many years of service, she came to the Complementarian
view that expresses that men and women are equal in value, but different in roles.
From a young girl, she was raised in a very non-Christian environment that taught
her that not only could she do everything a man could do, but also she could do it better.
So after meeting Jesus and her many years of serving, she raised her family in the truth
that men and women are equal yet different in what we are to do. Working a full-time job,
she was constantly battling between balancing work and home. She said, “Taking care of
my family is always the most important thing, but sometimes family things had to be
sacrificed in order to do a good job at work.” As a mother of two kids and a husband of
almost 23 years, Terri has stayed busy on her feet at home, but never failing to be the
mother and wife that she was led to be.
For a Christian woman in society, who did not come into her faith until later in
her life, the societal demands looked very different. Having living the majority of her life
in “the world”, Terri found it hard to counteract the world’s demands with the truth of the
Lord. The world demanded her to live her life for herself, work hard, get money, and
make herself happy, and if she were not happy, she could leave. Being involved in
ministry, Terri faced various rejection and criticisms from those outside of the Church for
not living in her own “happiness”. She lived and still lives selflessly, sacrificing her own
time and energy to serve those around her, especially for her family. Many observed the
way she raised her family, did her job, spent her time, and lived her life, waiting for her to
no be “a good Christian” and mess up. Through God’s grace, she has led her family and
involved herself in ministry with truth, despite what the world tells her she needs to do.
Terri is a woman who has exemplified what it means to be a Christian woman in
ministry. Although all her positions in ministry were never paid, she volunteered her time
through grace, love, and devotion for her Savior, the community around her, her family,
and her friends. Being a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mom, a workingwoman, a friend, a
mentor, a leader, an aunt, and a servant, Terri no longer was concerned with the world’s
expectations of her, but lived her life through the grace that is evidentially expressed
throughout her years. I hope to be half of the woman my mom is, maybe if the world was
filled with women like her, the world would be a better place.
