Angie Ward - I Am a Leader: When Women Discover the Joy of Their Calling

Dr. Angie Ward has written an incredibly thoughtful and practical book to help women understand the significance of calling. If the words leader and calling both exhilarate and paralyze you, Angies words, stories, and insights will give you the peace and confidence to embrace your calling and step into the leader you are.

JENNI CATRON, author, speaker, and founder of The 4Sight Group

While reading I Am a Leader, I found myself wishing over and again that it had been written forty years ago, when I was starting my ministry journey. Angie addresses very practical, heartfelt issues of women in leadership. It is honest, balanced, and comprehensive in subject and will be a tremendous resource to any woman sensing Gods call to lead.

REV. TAMMY DUNAHOO, VP of US Operations and general supervisor at The Foursquare Church

A smart and well-written master class in understanding and discovering your God-given calling. Filled with biblical insight, real-life examples, and articulate explanations of the often-confusing tensions of calling, Angie Wards I Am a Leader is a must-read for every female leader longing to be all God is calling her to be!

KADI COLE, leadership consultant and author of Developing Female Leaders

This book is just what every woman in ministry struggling with calling and leadership needs. It is both biblical and balanced, powerful and practical, autobiographical and authentic, incisive and insightful, clear and creative, and humorous and helpful. Come to think of it, its just what every Christian man needs, as well, both for himself and for more insight into the women around him. Thanks, Angie, for this special gift to all of us.

CRAIG L. BLOMBERG, PH.D., distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

It shouldnt be so, but it often is. Christian women struggle to figure out their calling to lead because of implicit and explicit biases to the contrary. Wards book is inspirational and practical, helping women understand the double meanings often layered on words like ministry, calling, and leadership. Using biblical examples, lots of womens voices, conversational questions, and great content, Ward guides the reader through the discernment process for women helping women be the gifted leaders God has freed them to be.

MARYKATE MORSE, woman leader, church planter, professor, and writer

I am thankful for leaders like Angie Ward who demonstrate and teach what it means to be a woman who leads within a biblical framework. Rather than getting bogged down in leadership limits, I Am a Leader helps women discover their unique calling and develop their God-given leadership gifts within that calling.

GEOFF SURRATT, cofounder of MinistryTogether and coauthor of Together

Angie Ward deftly navigates the minefield that women in leadership can sometimes facetouching on topics that most men never even have to consider. She answers questions such as, Is it even okay for me to be a leader? How do I know what my calling is, and can I even use that term? How does my calling impact my children and my marriage? And what about various seasons of life? For any woman who feels called to be a leaderin any sense of the termAngie Ward invites you to walk into your God-given influence with dignity, authority, and grace for yourself and for every woman who will come after you.

AUBREY SAMPSON, author of The Louder Song, church planter, preacher, and part of Lausannes Think Tank for Women in Leadership

Women often feel both a strong call from God and a strong hesitation. I Am a Leader is a practical resource that helps them name and navigate the concerns and step forward with confidence into the call. It provides stories and quotes throughout from a diverse collection of women, providing friends for the journey.

MANDY SMITH, pastor of University Christian Church; author of The Vulnerable Pastor

How qualified am I to speak about the calling of women into ministry? Well, technically, not very. But as a man who likes to think hes been a very small voice in the cheering section for women in leadership roles, I am so grateful for this book! Angie encourages her readers to step into the mysterious, beautiful, and not-always-easy life of following Gods voice. But she never leaves you on the path alone and wondering. Like the greatest of coaches, Angie speaks with just the right mix of encouragement and nudging to keep things moving forward. Thoroughly biblical and utterly readable, this is a book Ill give to my daughters. And to more than a few men I know.

GREG HOLDER, lead pastor of The Crossing; author of The Genius of One

As a young woman exploring a career in ministry, this is a must-read. Angies words remind me that my leadership gifts matter, while equipping me to negotiate the challenging aspects of exercising that calling at home and at work. Her holistic approach is full of grace and grit as she explores the why without ignoring the how. I know I will return to this book again and again. It is a blueprint for the balancing act of womanhood, work, and worship.

SAMANTHA BEACH KILEY, writer and performer

Read I Am a Leader and share in the stories of women finding their sense of Gods call. Learn from the wisdom and depth of Angie Ward how to pray, discern, and see the signs of God moving in all seasons of your life. Turn these pages and experience the nudge of Gods calling.

DAVID FITCH, B. R. Lindner chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary in Chicago; author of Faithful Presence

The whisper, the nudge, the prompting, that holy something... the calling. Angie has written a powerful, equipping resource to interpret that holy invitation in tangible ways. Read this book and step into the deep gladness of your calling.

TRICIA LOTT WILLIFORD, author of You Can Do This and Just. You. Wait.

Angie Wards book, I Am a Leader, is the last leadership book you need to buyman or woman. Yes, this book is written specifically for women and is spot-on in addressing the critical issues women need to face when accepting and pursuing their call. But a lot of the principles and wisdom shared is valuable for men as well. The chapter on Stages of a Womans Life is masterful and really resonated with me as a developmental psychologist who counsels both women and men through the transitions in their lives. Ward doesnt just show you the city on the hill as a woman leadershe gives directions. If you are a woman, this is a must-read for you to be unleashed as a leader. If you are a man, this book is a must-read to clear away the obstacles and champion the leader in the women the Lord has placed around you.

RODNEY L. COOPER, P H. D, Kenneth and Jean Hansen Professor of Discipleship and Leadership Development at GordonConwell Theological SeminaryCharlotte

For men, Angies book should remind us that calling is not as simple as it should be for women. Yet it is simple. To use Angies words, You are unique;and yetYou are not alone. My prayer is that Angies stories and truth-telling will give a voice and a direction for women who know deep down that they are called, yet whose calling has not been welcomed. I join Angie in her prayer that women will take courage and be encouraged by her book.

TREY FINLEY, M.DIV., executive director of eleven:28 Ministries

Wards writing is insightful, practical, and honest in ways that are not just enjoyable to read but also transformative. For all of us who desire that women would discover and live into their calling, this is simply one of the best resources around.