God is Not Done Yet: A Conversation with Betty Weaver, the First Female Graduate of Truett Seminary

Betty Weaver, Truett Seminary's first female graduate, recently sat down with us to recount stories of God's provision during her time at Baylor University, Truett Seminary, and the three decades of ministry thereafter. Through the hurdles that she overcame, learn more about her story and see exactly what God's provision has done in her life.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?

Before starting in ministry, I worked in accounting and bookkeeping for over 20 years. During that time, I attended McLennan Community College outside of Waco. I would go to school at night and work full-time while trying to provide for my younger son who was still living at home at that time.

After MCC, I transferred to Baylor, where God opened many doors. I wrote for publications like Biblical Illustrator and Encounter before graduating in May 1994. Following a mission trip to North Little Rock, I returned and began seminary, where we held classes at First Baptist Church of Waco. Despite working full-time, I was able to excel academically. I put in many hours studying and burning the midnight oil before being a part of the first graduating class in May 1997.

In November 1997, God led me to Salt Lake City, Utah, where I transitioned from Southern Baptist to American Baptist. I served in various roles, including co-director of children’s ministry, childcare pastor, and hospital chaplain. Eventually, I became the pastor of First Baptist Church Monte Vista and First Baptist Church Center in Colorado. While I’ve retired from FBC Monte Vista, I continue to pastor at FBC Center in Monte Vista.

Can you share about your experiences as a woman in ministry during that time?

Before graduating, I sent out over 200 resumes to Baptist churches and various ministry organizations. I received a lot of negative feedback for being a woman in ministry—one letter even said, “How dare you?” All because I was a woman.

During my time at Truett, I had to complete an internship and was the first to do so. I interned at First Baptist Church of Crockett, Texas, where I had the opportunity to preach. Some people found it strange to hear a woman preach, but the pastor supported me. On my last night there though, he asked me to preach a specific topic and say things in a particular way that I struggled with. By Saturday afternoon, I announced that I had come to a conclusion and that I had decided I would preach what God had placed on my heart, not what others dictated. That experience taught me a valuable lesson.

Ministry, for me, is about saying, “Yes, God. I’ll go where You want, stay as long as You ask, and serve as You direct. I will do the things that You want the way You want them done.” This has been the foundation of my entire ministry.

What was your experience like as a woman at Truett?

I think the biggest thing was that they accepted me and that it was okay for me to be a woman called into ministry. Truett supported me through that. 

During my time there, some of my male classmates were already pastoring small churches. I was advised not to say I wanted to be a pastor because "women don’t do that." But Truett encouraged me without promising it would be easy.

They didn't try to tell me it was going to be easy, because it wasn't. There were a lot of difficulties, but Truett’s confidence in me was invaluable, especially when I lacked confidence in myself. Their confidence and encouragement helped me to believe that I could be the woman God was calling me to be.

What have you been up to recently?

As you might expect, pastoring is still challenging. There's nothing easy about it, but continually I am able to see God’s provision and the ways that He provides for me.

There have been many situations in my time as a female minister that I have been told, “You can't do this. You can't do this”. And I'm still being told I can’t do what I’ve been doing. But God continues to provide and work through me anyways. Since 2005, I have been retired from FBC Monte Vista and am now in the process of writing a book. This is currently my first book, though I have plans to later write a book on my experiences at Truett.

Despite retiring, I frequently receive calls giving me opportunities to continue God’s work. Recently, I’ve been involved in a lot of prayer ministry and pastoral care over the phone. It’s a constant reminder that God is not done with me—there’s always more to serve, and I believe he still has much in store for me.

What are your hopes for Truett in the future?

I want Truett to continue, first and foremost, to stick to the Word. The Word of God is the most important thing of all, and Truett must be willing and open, whether you're on staff, whether you're a professor, whether you're a student or a family member, to how God leads. If anyone is willing and open to say, “Yes, Lord, I'll go where you want me to go, and I'll do it your way”, he can and he will open doors in ways much greater than what he has done for me. 

I'm hoping that Truett will continue to stick to its values and continue supporting people of all skin colors, backgrounds, and be open to teaching any type of person. I appreciate now how they don't water down the gospel, and that they never back away from saying that there's only one way. That's Jesus. He's the way, the truth, and the life. And no one comes to the Father except by Him. My hope is that they will continue to be Holy Spirit-filled and follow the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. 

I'm glad to see that Truett is expanding with campuses and different places across Texas. I would love to see them establish a facility in other countries. 

Any final words you would like to share?

A part of my prayer for myself now, and has been for many years, is for God to give me eyes to see people and situations from His perspective and ears to hear. In my prayer ministry, phone calls, and counseling, my goal is to listen—not just to what people say, but also to what they don’t say, through their expressions and body language. 

I pray for the ability to understand the core of their struggles because that’s how we can truly help. Helping people is not just quoting scripture but helping them understand how it applies to their daily living. I think that's the perfect way to think about it.