Ministry and Motherhood
This Mother’s Day, Baylor’s Truett Seminary is privileged to celebrate so many moms in our alumni community who are living out their calling to be a minister in the local church. Whether preaching on Sunday morning or leading in a variety of ways at their church, Truett mothers are leaning into their giftings in more ways than one.
As many know, ministry does not live within the confines of a traditional 9:00 to 5:00. It often bleeds into the family routine. Moms in ministry particularly feel this as they preach, lead worship, attend church functions, and make hospital visits, all while finding time to pack lunches, teach their children, and attend class parties. Add to that the invisible loads that both motherhood and ministry carry, and the complexity becomes clear.
“There’s something about a Sunday morning,” reflected Lauren McCoy, MDiv/MBA, ‘18, minister of church administration at First Baptist Church Shreveport, “when that’s the time the kids decide to put their foot down on their fashion choices or their hairstyles.” For many moms in ministry, it is challenging to get yourself and your family ready to step into your place of work and worship, week after week.
These women have embraced both roles, showing that ministry and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. The two often overlap as they bring their kids along with them to after hours and weekend gatherings. They pray with church members, guide their children, lead mission trips, and tend to sick ones, all without skipping a beat. As Alejandra Martinez, MACWI, ‘24, children’s pastor at First Baptist Church Athens, puts it, “You get to model faithfulness, grace, and service to your kids and your church family at the same time.”
Many Truett moms have discovered a unique beauty in this harmony. “While there are some things that are more difficult with being a mom and a minister, there are also some things that are even better because of it,” said Jaime McMahan, MDiv, ‘12, senior pastor at Belfair Community Church.
These mothers also find strength in the communities that surround them. “There is nothing like having an entire community of people who truly love your child with you.” McMahan reflected, “I’ve come to see that [my] little guy has one giant family, as the people of the church celebrate him and love him as one of their own.”
“Seeing the church raise up your children as their own” becomes a testimony to the congregation’s shared call to love and train up children,” explained McCoy. “My kids can come to church and feel safe and secure, and I know that they will be taken care of by the wonderful church members.”
“There is definitely grace to it,” reminded Martinez. “The diapers and the discipleship, the tears and the triumphs. His strength really is made perfect in weakness.”
To every Truett mom in ministry serving both at home and in the Church, Truett Seminary celebrates your calling, your willingness, and your faithfulness—beyond the 9:00–5:00.