Jen is the Children’s Worker at Stromlo Christian Church in Canberra. She opens up about leadership, parenting culture, and why strong women are a blessing in church life.

What’s your role at church?

I coordinate our kids ministry on Sunday mornings and I’m employed two days a week by my church. I keep my preschool teaching casual so that ministry can really be my main focus.

Preschool is fun (I get called “Jen the Hen” there!), and it’s a lovely way to have daily contact with families who don’t yet know Jesus.

But at preschool I’m mostly offering short-term fixes to real problems.

At church, though, I get to point to the real solution, Jesus, and help others do the same with kids and families.

That’s got eternal consequences.

Keeping teaching casual also means I can serve my colleagues without the heavy admin load.

Then I can put that hat down each week and give my best energy to Sundays, leaders, and long term gospel work.

What’s one current challenge for you?

I’m in the messy middle of moving from working in the ministry to working on the ministry.

Working in the ministry means doing the front line tasks myself: leading kids’ talks, or running a group.

Working on the ministry means writing role descriptions, training leaders and giving away responsibility.

Honestly, it often feels like two steps forward and one step back!

But I keep reminding myself that if I stop chopping long enough to sharpen the axe, we’ll actually be more fruitful.

It frees me to do the strategic work and lets the ministry multiply through others.

What are you thinking through theologically right now?

I’ve been really wrestling with how culture is shaping parenting, and then how that in turn shapes kids’ view of God.

Many parents avoid saying no or setting consequences because negative things are seen as harmful.

If love means always affirming, then discipline feels unloving. Our culture says anything unaffirming is dangerous and needs to be removed. 

But Scripture shows us a father who loves and disciplines those he loves. If children never see loving discipline at home, how will they understand the whole character of God?

I’m thinking about how we teach this in our programs and how we encourage parents to reflect God’s love and holiness in the way they raise their kids.

What advice would you give to someone in a role like yours?

Don’t do it on your own. Find other people doing similar stuff and ask them really practical questions.

I’ve called kids workers to ask, “If you’re not taking a group on Sunday, what do you actually do at that time?” People are generous with what they’ve learned.

What has been challenging about being a woman in ministry?

I’m really blessed to be in a staff team with strong, humble and purposeful leadership. This allows everyone to bring their best to the team.

Sadly, there have been other contexts where I’ve felt like women’s voices weren’t heard.  Those seasons were pretty painful.

Healthy teams make room for quiet and loud voices, for reflectors and quick responders. Healthy leadership knows how to support the different personalities in the team and get the best out of them.

At church, having my senior pastors’ trust has helped me face hard situations, taking on difficult conversations and growing through the experience. 

My encouragement to the guys: don’t be intimidated by strong women. Your encouragement, resourcing, and willingness to champion women makes a powerful difference for the gospel.  

What do you want to say to women wondering if they should go into ministry?

Ask people who really know you (and won’t just tell you what you’d like to hear)! Name your weak points openly, and make a plan to grow.

The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. Whether you’re 25 or 65, there’s a place to serve.

Jen’s been part of the Team Development Program, learning alongside other ministry leaders how to build healthy, gospel-centred teams. You can do the same. Join other leaders across Australia investing in their leadership.